Tallinn’s new Ülemiste passenger terminal remains scheduled to open in late 2028, even though completion of the wider Rail Baltica railway has shifted to 2034. The timetable would allow the station to begin serving domestic passengers several years before the international corridor is ready.
Estonian public broadcaster ERR reported on 13 October that work on the terminal building and surrounding public spaces was continuing as planned. Rail Baltic Estonia said the concrete frame should be completed by the end of this year.
One platform is already used by domestic operator Elron. Services towards Tartu and Narva will continue to use the existing railway, giving the development a transport function before international Rail Baltica trains arrive. ERR
The terminal, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, is intended to connect domestic rail with buses and trams, including onward connections to Tallinn’s airport and port. Keeping the station’s construction schedule therefore has a practical purpose beyond preparing for the future international line.
The distinction between the two deadlines is nevertheless important. Opening a completed terminal in 2028 would not mean that Rail Baltica’s cross-border services were also ready. Passengers would initially benefit from the station’s domestic and urban connections. ERR
Earlier construction arrangements help explain how the terminal can proceed independently. Rail Baltic Estonia has signed a contract worth nearly €22 million with Atemo for the southern outdoor areas. According to ERR’s earlier report, that agreement brought every part of the terminal under a construction contract.
The southern works cover approximately 33,000 square metres and are designed to open the station towards Ülemiste City and the airport. They include a southern entrance, a new public square and reconstruction of around 20,000 square metres of street space. A tunnel beneath Suur-Sõjamäe Street will also be completed. ERR
These surrounding works are important to the station’s usefulness. A passenger terminal depends on clear routes between platforms, neighbouring streets and other transport services; completing the building alone would leave only part of that journey in place.
Rail Baltic Estonia has presented the southern square and pedestrian connections as a way to link the station with nearby employment, shopping and airport areas. The resulting project is therefore both a railway facility and a change to the surrounding urban space.
For Tallinn, the immediate test is whether those connections and the terminal can open together in 2028. International rail connectivity will follow a separate, longer timetable.
