The certification of trains for operating on Latvian railways is taking longer than expected and has pushed back the planned October launch date, ERR reports.
Märt Ehrenpreis, board member and CTO of the Estonian state-owned passenger rail operator Elron, noted that they also have to await the results of Estonia's state budget negotiations, as currently, funds have only been allocated for the preparations to launch the Tartu-Riga line.
"If the government decides to fund the international line, then we can talk in more detail about the schedule for its launch," he said. "For now, we're continuing with preparations to ensure readiness for operations on Latvia's railways."
Testing of the rolling stock by Latvian certifiers has now begun in Estonia, and to be tested in Valga in the coming weeks is the train's compatibility with Latvia's newly communicated railway communication network.
Ehrenpreis noted that efforts are being made to conduct these test runs in September and October.
"Until now, the focus of preparations for launching the Tartu-Riga rail line has been on determining the requirements to be met, as well as assessing and documenting compliance with changed legal framework and practices," he explained. "In the coming weeks, it will be time to conduct the required physical testing."
The CTO noted that around a decade ago, all of Elron's trains were delivered to Estonia via Latvia, but according to certification procedures, most physical compatibility testing must be redone.
Certification of the Stadler FLIRT trains used in Estonia for operation on Latvian railways has included the involvement of Latvia's State Railway Technical Inspectorate (VDZTI), the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA), Estonia's Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (TTJA) as well as various companies offering certification services in the railway sector.
It means that anyone hoping to catch a train from Rīga to see the end of Tartu's year as a European Capital of Culture in 2024 will likely have the familiar commuter's feeling of cutting it a bit fine.
