The Tallinn Urban Environment and Public Works Department has launched an international public procurement procedure for the design and construction of a two-kilometre tramway linking the Tallinn’s Old City Harbour, or Vanasadam, with the planned Rail Baltic Ülemiste passenger terminal.

According to Tallinn Deputy Mayor Vladimir Svet, the city aims to make travel by different modes of public transport more convenient by connecting Tallinn's main transport hubs and making transfers are as easy as possible. 

"The Old City Harbour is our biggest tourist gateway and one of the busiest passenger harbours in our region, hosting liner ships and cruise ships as well as yachts." said Svet. "We want people to reach the planned Ülemiste joint terminal from the harbour by tram. The Ülemiste terminal will become a hub connecting the current Estonian passenger train service, the planned Rail Baltic high-speed railway as well as bus lines. The tram connection to the airport is available already from 2017."

The Tartu Road tramway will be complemented with a turnaround just before Kivisilla street, allowing the new tramway to branch off from the existing tramway that heads on to Maneeži street. From Kivisilla street, the new tramway will traverse Gonsiori, Laikmaa, Hobujaama, Ahtri, Laeva, Kuunari, Kai, Logi, Rumbi and Kursi streets to reach Mere and Põhja puiestee, and will connect to the existing tramway in the direction of Kopli.

Together with the tramway, the surrounding urban space will be regenerated and landscaping will be added. Next to the tramway, a separated cycle path will be added, starting from the intersection of Hobujaama and Narva maantee streets and reaching the harbour.

The deadline for submitting tenders is 10 June this year. Construction is planned to commence by the end of this year and the tramway is expected to be completed in 2024. The tramway will be co-financed with a €26 million contribution from the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

The tramway is co-financed by the European Union as part of the Rail Baltic high-speed rail and supporting infrastructure project. The proposed Rail Baltic from Tallinn to the Polish-Lithuanian border is part of a transport corridor linking Europe from the Nordic countries to central Europe and the Mediterranean. 

Photo: sketch of the proposed tramway route

The tender documents are available on the public procurement register:
https://riigihanked.riik.ee/rhr-web/#/procurement/4370708/general-info

See also the video clip presenting the Old City Harbour tramway:
https://rbestonia.ee/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Tallinna-Vanasadama-trammiliin-osa-Rail-Baltica-projektist.mp4