Tallinn City Government has approved the plan for the Rail Baltic Ülemiste passenger terminal and its surrounding area. According to the plan, Ülemiste will be transformed into a transport node linking different nodes of transport, which will significantly improve the quality of public transport.

According to Deputy Mayor Madle Lippus, the creation of the Ülemiste public terminal supports Tallinn’s strategic goal of attracting more people to travel by public transport, by bicycle or on foot, as it will make moving about the city more convenient. “In addition to the design of the terminal building, the plan also focuses on the creation of a high-quality public space. The city aims to spatially connect the terminal area with Peterburi highway and from there with the city center and, of course, the airport,” added Lippus. 

According to the Chairman of the Board of Rail Baltic Estonia Anvar Salomets, the international passenger terminal of Rail Baltic to be built in Ülemiste is undoubtedly a landsmark for the entire railway project. “The architecturally outstanding terminal building will become a dignified gateway to our capital, which will also help to connect different transport options. We have already started the procurement process for the construction of the terminal and hope to start construction in 2023,” said Salomets. 

The area covers a total of 11.47 hectares. The plan includes the construction of a Ülemiste passenger terminal, a bus station and a commercial building along Peterburi highway. The plan also proposes to change the location of the tramway to ensure better and more convenient connections with other modes of transport. It will also create a number of urban spaces and comfortable and safe routes for pedestrians and cyclists. 

According to the plan, the common terminal would serve train lines originating from and passing through Ülemiste station on the 1520-millimeter tracing tracks currently used in Estonia as well as the 1435-millimeter spacing tracks prevalent in Europe as well as bus services. The new terminal building should include three platforms, accessible from the terminal or directly from the railway platforms, accessible from the terminal or directly from the railway platform. According to the plan, the terminal will be accessible by tram and several other routes.

The plan is based on the design created by Zaha Hadid Architects and ESPLAN OÜ. The design will integrate commercial space and public services. In order to reduce traffic noise, restrictions on heavy traffic, including buses, will be introduced, the speed limit for vehicles will be 30 kph.

The preparation of the detailed plan was launched in March 2020 on the basis of the winning design of the design competition for the architectural solution of the Ülemiste passenger terminal building  and the preliminary design has been subject to public consultation and repeated discussions with interested parties and local residents.

The City of Tallinn has signed a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications on the development of Ülemiste Passenger Terminal and the surrounding area to ensure the completion of the terminal and the surrounding area by the end of 2026. The Tallinn City Property Department and the Republic of Estonia Land Board are cooperating on the acquisition of privately owned land needed for the detailed planning area, and the Tallinn City Property Department continues to negotiate the acquisition of the land.