The only
tram
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
system in
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
is in
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
, the country's capital city.
The four tram lines (currently allocated into five routes),
with a total length of 19.7 km (12.2 miles), are arranged in a roughly cross-shaped layout, providing a backbone for the public transport network in the
Estonian capital. All lines on the network run across or through the beginning of Narva Maantee in the city centre, with three of the five routes meeting up at the stop Hobujaama. Trams are unidirectional, one-sided and single-person operated, and much of the network runs on segregated two-way track.
The network is operated by
Tatra KT4
Tatra KT4 is the name of a GT4 (tram), four-axle type articulated tramcar developed by the Czech firm ČKD Tatra. The first pre-production vehicles entered service in Potsdam in 1975, with the first production vehicles in 1977. A total of 1,747 uni ...
and
KTNF6
The Tatra KTNF6 is a modernized tram, type KT4, rebuilt with a central low-floor segment. These types of tram cars are used in Cottbus, in Brandenburg City and Schöneiche-Rüdersdorf, Germany, and in Tallinn, Estonia (as ''KT6TM''). Another sim ...
types (the latter being former KT4s that have been extended with the addition of a
low-floor middle section),
CAF Urbos AXLs, and since 2024, 147N
Pesa Twists.
The trams,
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...
es and
trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
es in Tallinn are operated by the capital's transport operator
Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS. This company was created on 19 July 2012, when Tallinn's bus company ''(Tallinna Autobussikoondis'') was merged with the tram and trolleybus company ''(Tallinna Trammi- ja Trollibussikoondis'').
Lines
History
The first tramline in the city, which at that time and until 1917 was known as Reval, was opened in 1888 and was a
horsecar
A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is a tram or streetcar pulled by a horse.
Summary
The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public transport, public rail transport, ...
line. The network was built using a gauge, and it operated on the principal streets crossing the city, Narva Street, Pärnu Street and Tartu Street (''Narva maantee, Pärnu maantee & Tartu maantee''), using carriages imported from
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. By 1902 the total length of the lines in operation was .
[
In 1915, two local companies, the Russian-Baltic Shipyard and AS Böckler and Co., constructed a ]steam tramway
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
in order to transport workers from the city centre to its factory at the city's Kopli quarter. This used a single track gauge line, which made it suitable for also transporting heavy cargo to the harbour. The gauge used corresponded with the standard Russian gauge, and the passenger carriages used were of Russian provenance, purchased second-hand from Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
. Later, the steam engines were progressively replaced with internal combustion units.
During World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the horse-drawn trams ceased operation in 1918, leaving just the steam tramcars running to Kopli. The 1920 Treaty of Tartu signaled Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
acceptance of Estonian independence, and on 13 May 1921 the rest of the Tallinn tram network reopened. Horses were made redundant, however, as all the tramcars were now modified to use petrol/gasoline engines. By then, only two horse-drawn carriages survived, and were in severe disrepair.
On 28 October 1925, electric trams were introduced, initially on the line along Narva Street. A 600 V DC power supply was used. Six years later, the broad gauge track on the route to Kopli was replaced with gauge, which was now standard across the network. After this, the line, which hitherto had been operated by a combination of steam- and petrol-powered trams, used only petrol-powered trams.[
By 1940, the city tram network extended to , including the stretch of former steam tram track to Kopli. However, the return of ]war
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
in 1939, and the savage conflict that followed the annexation of Estonia by the Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
in 1940, put a stop to further development of the city's tram network.
After the war, economic growth returned only slowly to the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, (abbreviated Estonian SSR, Soviet Estonia, or simply Estonia ) was an administrative subunit (Republics of the Soviet Union, union republic) of the former Soviet Union (USSR), covering the Occupation o ...
; yet in 1951, the single-track line between the city centre and Kopli was doubled up to create a conventional two-way tram line, and in 1953 it was linked up with the rest of the network. 1954 saw the completion of a three-year project to build a tram depot at Vana-Lõuna, and a year after that, the stretch on Tartu Street (Tartu maantee) was extended to Ülemiste. Various further local developments followed. In 1970's tram routes were planned in Lasnamäe
Lasnamäe is the most populous administrative district of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The district's population is about 119,000, the majority of which is Russian-speaking. Local housing is mostly represented by 5–16 stories high panel b ...
, in 1980's Laagna tee have been constructed for this purpose, but the new authorities discontinued this project after the fall of the USSR
The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...
.
On 1 September 2017, line 4 was extended to the airport (this section is temporarily closed due to construction of the Rail Baltica
Rail Baltica is an under-construction rail infrastructure project that is intended to integrate the Baltic states in the European rail network. Its purpose is to provide passenger and freight service between participating countries and improve ra ...
Ülemiste terminal). On 1 November 2023, line 5 began operating after construction from Kopli
Kopli (Estonian for ''"Paddock"'') is a subdistrict of the district of Põhja-Tallinn (Northern Tallinn) in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It is located on the Kopli Peninsula and is bordered by parts of the Tallinn Bay, the Kopli Bay to the ...
to Vana-Lõuna at the Vana-Lõuna tram depot. On 1 December 2024, line 2 started operating along the Old City Harbour
The Old City Harbour () is the main passenger harbour in Tallinn, Estonia. Regular lines serve routes to Helsinki (Finland) and Stockholm (Sweden)
Overview
Old City Harbour is one of the five ports within the state-owned company Port of Tallinn ...
(Vanasadam) route, which branches off from the Tartu St line and passes through the harbour area, then reconnecting with the old Kopli line.
Extending
Discussions on future directions centered on the possibility of phasing out some of the city's motor-bus lines and extending the tram network. Instead of this, the city of Tallinn between 2010 and 2017 phased out three trolleybus lines (2, 6, 7, 9) and replaced them with motor-buses that are ostensibly environmentally friendly. The Paldiski mnt electric wires that supported trolleybus lines 6 and 7, were removed. Whilst railtracks for trams have been extended somewhat, commitments to extend the tram lines further are slow.
In 2023, Tallinn had plans for five possible extensions to the network. The three priority extensions, Liivalaia, Järve and Pelgulinna, could be completed by 2025
Tramcars
Following the start of electrification in 1931, the first electric tram cars were assembled in Tallinn using parts and sub-assemblies from Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. The first snow-plow came from Sweden in 1930. By 1940 the system was operating with 54 tramcars, of which 20 were electrically powered and nine were still petrol/gasoline powered. The other 28 were unpowered trailer units. Between 1951 and 1954 15 powered tramcars were assembled in the Tallinn depot along with 23 unpowered trailer cars.
Between 1955 and 1964, 50 powered tramcars and 50 further unpowered trailer cars were delivered from the Gothaer Waggonfabrik
''Gothaer Waggonfabrik'' (''Gotha'', GWF) was a German manufacturer of rolling stock established in the late nineteenth century at Gotha. During the two world wars, the company expanded into aircraft building.
World War I
In World War I, Go ...
rolling stock production facility in southern GDR
East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...
(East Germany). Between 1965 and 1967, more Gotha G4 "bendy-tram" (hinged) tramcars were added to the fleet. Use of the Gotha G4 units continued till 1988.
One Gotha G4 has survived, and is said to be the only intact unit in the world that can still be operated. This particular tram was at one time converted into a café and served as such. While the café stopped operations, the internal café layout remains to this day. The tram was then repainted with contemporary livery, christened "Pauliine", and can be rented for special rides.
From the year 1973 on, Tallinn switched suppliers to ČKD Tatra
ČKD (Českomoravská Kolben-Daněk) () was one of the largest engineering companies in the former Czechoslovakia and today's Czech Republic. It is famous for the Tatra T3, a tramcar that sold 13,991 units worldwide.
History
ČKD was formed i ...
of Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
in Western Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
.
By 1990, 60 Tatra T4
T4 is a tram produced by ČKD Tatra. It is the narrower variant of the Tatra T3 model. A large number of cars was supplied to the GDR, the USSR, Romania and the former Yugoslavia using names T4D, T4SU, T4R and T4YU, respectively. The T4 was or ...
trams and 73 Tatra KT4
Tatra KT4 is the name of a GT4 (tram), four-axle type articulated tramcar developed by the Czech firm ČKD Tatra. The first pre-production vehicles entered service in Potsdam in 1975, with the first production vehicles in 1977. A total of 1,747 uni ...
trams had entered service on the Tallinn network.
After Estonia regained independence in 1991, procurement focused towards second-hand Tatra units. 13 KT4 trams came from the city of Gera
Gera () is a city in the German state of Thuringia. With around 93,000 inhabitants, it is the third-largest city in Thuringia after Erfurt and Jena as well as the easternmost city of the ''Thüringer Städtekette'', an almost straight string of ...
, 6 from Cottbus
Cottbus () or (;) is a university city and the second-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after the state capital, Potsdam. With around 100,000 inhabitants, Cottbus is the most populous city in Lusatia. Cottbus lies in the Sorbian ...
, 16 from Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...
and 1 from Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt (Oder), also known as Frankfurt an der Oder (, ; Central Marchian: ''Frankfort an de Oder,'' ) is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after Potsdam, Cottbus and Brandenburg an der Havel. With around 58,000 inh ...
. In 2001, work had commenced on converting the KT4 fleet into KTNF6
The Tatra KTNF6 is a modernized tram, type KT4, rebuilt with a central low-floor segment. These types of tram cars are used in Cottbus, in Brandenburg City and Schöneiche-Rüdersdorf, Germany, and in Tallinn, Estonia (as ''KT6TM''). Another sim ...
upgrades through the addition of a low-floor middle-car. Whilst use of two-section T4 vehicles came to an end in 2005, then T4-based trams were until mid-2010s the only class that ran in Tallinn, and have remained the mainstay of the fleet well into 2010s.
During the early part of the 21st century, there has also been a focus on enhanced maintenance schedules and the use of more robust replacement parts in order to extend the operating life of tram cars from 19 to 25–30 years.
A new generation of trams for Tallinn was heralded, when Estonia sold some the country's carbon quotas to Spain, which in exchange specified that new and efficient trams be purchased. The multi-party deal involved the Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
constructor CAF
CAF or caf may refer to:
Armed forces
*Canadian Armed Forces (Canadian Forces), the Canadian Air Force, Army, and Navy
*Canadian Air Force, now the Royal Canadian Air Force
*Republic of China Air Force, the air force of the Republic of China (Tai ...
and required the delivery of 20 new low-floor trams by 2016. The first unit was delivered to the city at the end of 2014, and was thoroughly tested and adapted by February 2015. The CAF trams have known design problems that have not been solved since the adoption of the trams: the noise levels from the electric motors are exceptionally high and the trams noticeably lean from side to side during braking.
Since 2018, twelve of the converted KTNF6
The Tatra KTNF6 is a modernized tram, type KT4, rebuilt with a central low-floor segment. These types of tram cars are used in Cottbus, in Brandenburg City and Schöneiche-Rüdersdorf, Germany, and in Tallinn, Estonia (as ''KT6TM''). Another sim ...
trams have worn liveries depicting influential Estonian musical figures. Each contains the person's name and photo on the outside of the front car, and an informational panel can be found inside at the front.
There are also 6 refurbished KT4TMR 'retro' trams, bearing the names of important figures in the country's history. As with the KTNF6s, they have an information panel inside the front car. Unlike the rest of the fleet, these trams use wooden benches placed in a longitudinal configuration.
Tallinn has ordered 23 Pesa Twist
Pesa Twist is an articulated low floor tram produced in Bydgoszcz by Pesa SA. The Twist is currently operated in Częstochowa, Metropolis GZM, Kyiv, Kraków, Wrocław, Craiova and Tallinn.
History
In 2006 Pesa Bydgoszcz started the production ...
trams to be delivered in 2024.
Ticketing
As with all public transport in Tallinn, the tram network is free to use for residents of the city, senior citizens and those with disabilities, along with certain other groups. Journeys are paid for by buying an ''Ühiskaart'' smartcard at a kiosk. The card itself costs €2, after which funds can be loaded onto it and used to pay for tickets.
Additionally, those eligible for discounted tickets may purchase a one hour ticket for €1, or a thirty day ticket for €13.
Statistical highlights
The network reached its present extent of single track (each stretch counted twice) in 1990.
The number of tramcars on the system peaked at 135 in 1985 and fell slowly during the rest of the twentieth century. The rate of decrease accelerated during the first part of the present century with a decline from 125 tramcars in 2000 to 85 in 2009. The recorded number of passenger journeys fell very much more sharply, from a peak of 105.9 million in 1990 to 25.2 million in 2009.
Network Map (2024)
See also
*Public transport in Tallinn
Public transport in Tallinn consists of bus, tram, trolleybus, train, and ferry services. Tallinna Linnatranspordi (TLT) operates bus, tram and trolleybus routes, Elron operates train services, and Spinnaker OÜ operates the ferry service to Ae ...
*Transport in Estonia
Transport in Estonia relies mainly on road and rail networks.
Roads
*Total: 57,565 km (including 16,465 km of national roads)
*Paved: 12,926 km (including 99 km of limited-access roads)
National roads
National roads for ...
References
{{reflist, 35em
Tram transport in Estonia
Transport in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...
External links
Track plan of the Tallinn tram system
Tram in Tallinn
on public-transport.net]