Talks about reviving the long-dormant route have been taking place for well over a year, but the expected start date has been repeatedly shunted backwards.
Hopes had been high that the service could start running in October, but in recent days that prospect was nixed with the end of the year given as a more likely date. Now that too has been downplayed with Spring of 2025 the new speculative start date – which would mean Tartu's year as a European Capital of Culture will be done and dusted by the time trains start rolling, if they start rolling.
According to ERR, delays in certifying Estonian trains to run in Latvia are the cause of the latest delay.
