Border Crossings: Estonia - Russia
All rail routes between this pair of countries are 1520mm gauge. As at October 2022 freight traffic with Russia has reduced from eight trains a day to three.
(Tallinn -) Narva ER - Ivangorod-Narvskiy RŽD (- Sankt-Peterburg)
[D] In the summer of 2023 Operail decided to halt services to Russia, regardless of whether they were sanctioned or not, to demonstrate its opposition to the invasion. This border crossing is therefore presumably closed. The Estonian government had decided to stop all traffic to and from Russia and Belarus, other than transit freight, from 1 January 2023.
Russian Railways ran a Moskva – St Peterburg – Tallinn service, which was suspended from 20 March 2020 due to the Corona Virus.
(Tartu - Orava -) Piiroja ER - Pechory-Pskovskie RŽD (- Pskov)
Closed and lifted. This previous direct line to Pechory-Pskovskie was no longer needed when the new Estonian border station of Koidula opened to traffic on 23 May 2011. It was replaced by a new connection from the Orava direction to Koidula.
(Tartu - Orava -) and (Riga LDZ - Valga ER -) Koidula ER - Pechory-Pskovskie RŽD (- Pskov)
[D] This border crossing is now closed.
The new Estonian border station of Koidula opened to traffic on 23 May 2011 although the actual station building was not completed until July. Opening of the new connection from the Orava line to Koidula resulted in the complete closure of the direct connection from the Orava line to Pechory-Pskovskie, with its separate viaduct over the river which forms the border. Koidula is not listed as a border station in the legal agreement between Estonia and Russia because this was drawn up in 2002. It would need to be amended before any cross-border passenger services could start, which will clearly not happen for the foreseeable future.
Tartu - Orava passenger services were extended to Koidula with effect from 1 September 2011 and to Piusa, one station towards Valga, from 27 May 2012. Passenger services between Valga and Koidula were expected to be introduced in 2014, but this never happened. It is believed RŽD ran to Koidula but, by June 2022, volumes had dropped from five freights a day to less than one. The Estonian government decided to stop all traffic to and from Russia and Belarus, other than transit freight, from 1 January 2023. In the summer of 2023 Operail decided to halt services to Russia, regardless of whether they were sanctioned or not, to demonstrate its opposition to the invasion.
