Transport In Estonia
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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 road A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, partial controlled-access highway, and expressway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which has many or most characteristics of a contro ...
s)


National roads

National roads form the core of Estonian road network. Their total length is 16,489 km (or 28% of all roads), 67% of them are paved. They are divided into 4 classes according to importance: *main roads (1,607 km) *basic roads (2,406 km) *secondary roads (12,476 km) *local roads (18,455 km)


Electric vehicle network

Estonia is the first country in the EU and in the world to introduce a nationwide, publicly serviced charging system for charging the batteries of
electric vehicle An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...
s. The 165 fast charging stations are equipped with connectors of the
CHAdeMO CHAdeMO is a electric vehicle charging, fast-charging system for battery electric vehicles, developed in 2010 by the CHAdeMO Association, formed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company and five major Japanese automakers. The name is an abbreviation o ...
standard. They are located throughout the entire country, including the
island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
s, and have a maximum distance of 40–60 km in between. The charging stations can also be navigated via a
smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...
app (currently only for Android). The relatively dense network and 30 minute quick charges are built to enable a country-wide
electric vehicle network An electric vehicle charging network is an infrastructure system of charging stations to recharge electric vehicles. The term electric vehicle infrastructure (EVI) may refer to charging stations in general or the network of charging stations ...
. The system offers a unitary booking service and several different tariffs, some of which appear attractively low priced. The charging station network puts Estonia at the forefront in
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
even though
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
actually has a higher penetration of
electric vehicle An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...
s. Estonia has a rate of 1 electric vehicle per 1,000 capita, whereas
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
has 4 EVs per 1,000 capita.


Railways

*Total: 900 km common carrier lines only (1,200 km including dedicated industrial lines) *Broad gauge: 900 km or gauge (133 km electrified)


Railway links with adjacent countries

*
Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
– yes – same gauge *
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
– yes – same gauge As of 2023, the Rail Baltica project to link a high speed line through Latvia and Lithuania to Poland, is scheduled for completion in 2030, with a start of services on some of the sections in 2028.


Light rail

There has been a growing tram network 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 ...
,
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 ...
since 1888, when traffic was started by horse-powered trams. The first line was electrified on October 28, 1925. The first electric trams were built by Dvigatel, Ltd., in Tallinn before
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and for some years after that, the last one in 1954. In the 1920s and 1930s gas-powered trams were also used. Since 1955 to 1988
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
-built trams were used. In total, there were 20 LOWA T54-B54 trams (in use from February 1955 to March 1977), 11 Gotha T57-B57 (in use from January 1958 to June 1978), 5 Gotha T59E-B59E (in use from June 1960 to February 1980), 14 Gotha T2-62 and B2-62 (in use from 1962 to 1981) and 50 Gotha G4 trams (in use from January 1965 to October 1988) trams. The first
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''ÄŒesko-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 ...
n-built
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 ...
T4SU arrived in 1973. The T4SU trams were in use from May 1973 to September 2005 and there were 60 of them. The first KT4SU arrived in Tallinn in 1981 and was first in use on March 10, 1981. In 2007, there are 56 KT4SU, 12 KTNF6 (rebuilt KT4SUs, 10 local, one from
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 ...
and one 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 23 KT4D (12 from Gera, 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 ...
, 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 ...
and 5 from Erfurt) in use. As of 2018, there are five lines: 1: (
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 ...
-
Kadriorg Kadriorg ( Estonian for ' Catherine's Valley') is a subdistrict in the district of Kesklinn ("Midtown"), Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 4,561 (). The subdistrict name derives from the Catherinethal, a Baroque palace of ...
), 2: (
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 ...
- Suur-Paala), 3: ( Tondi-
Kadriorg Kadriorg ( Estonian for ' Catherine's Valley') is a subdistrict in the district of Kesklinn ("Midtown"), Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 4,561 (). The subdistrict name derives from the Catherinethal, a Baroque palace of ...
) 4: (Tondi- Suur-Paala) and 5: (
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 ...
- Vana-Lõuna). The line number 4 was diverted to Suur-Paala in 2024 due to the 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 ...
railway terminal in
Ülemiste Ülemiste is a subdistrict () in the district of Lasnamäe, Tallinn, the capital of 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 ...
. The line will return onto its original route in 2026.


Ports and harbours

Estonia has 45 ports in the State Port Register. With a few exceptions, all of them are on the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
. Largest ports are Muuga (near 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 ...
(comprises several ports),
Paldiski Paldiski is a seaside Populated places in Estonia, town in northwestern Estonia, located on the Pakri Peninsula and adjacent Pakri Islands, Pakri islands in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It is the administrative centre of the Lääne- ...
, Kunda,
Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth-largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second-largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of ...
and
Sillamäe Sillamäe (Estonian for 'Bridge Hill'; also known by the Germanised names of ''Sillamäggi'' or ''Sillamägi'') is a town in Ida-Viru County in the northeastern part of Estonia, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. It has a population o ...
.


Merchant marine

Since 2014, there have been no vessels over 500gt on the Estonian register. About 60 merchant vessels are beneficially owned in Estonia, with most of them registered in Malta. The government has started a drive to bring more of these vessels back into the Estonian register.


Airports


Airports – with paved runways

*total: 13 (2013) *over 3,047 m: 2 *2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 *1,524 m to 2,437 m : 2 *914 to 1,523 m: 1
Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport Tallinn Airport () is the largest international airport in Estonia. The airport is also officially called Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport (') after the former president of Estonia Lennart Meri. The airport is located southeast of the city centre ...
is the largest airport in Estonia.


Pipelines

* Natural gas 859 km (2007)


Waterways

* 320 km perennially navigable Currently operating water transport routes: * International: **
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 ...
–
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
ferry and (seasonal)
high-speed craft A high-speed craft (HSC) is a high-speed water vessel for civilian use, also called a fastcraft or fast ferry. The first high-speed craft were often hydrofoils or hovercraft, but in the 1990s catamaran and monohull designs become more popu ...
**Tallinn –
Mariehamn Mariehamn ( , ; ; ) is the capital of Ã…land, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Ã…land, and 40% of the population of Ã…land live in the city. It is mostly surrounded b ...
(
Ã…land Ã…land ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...
) –
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
ferry **
Paldiski Paldiski is a seaside Populated places in Estonia, town in northwestern Estonia, located on the Pakri Peninsula and adjacent Pakri Islands, Pakri islands in the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It is the administrative centre of the Lääne- ...
– Kappelskär (
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 ...
) ferry **Tallinn –
Visby Visby () is an urban areas in Sweden, urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic League, ...
(
Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...
) (seasonal cruise) ferry * Domestic: **Western Estonia: *** Rohuküla –
Sviby Sviby is a village in Vormsi Parish, Lääne County, in western 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 th ...
( Vormsi Island) ferry ***Rohuküla – Heltermaa ( Hiiumaa Island) ferry *** Sõru (Hiiumaa Island) – Triigi (
Saaremaa Island Saaremaa (; ) is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring , its population is 31,435 (as of January 2020). The main island of the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hi ...
) ferry ***
Virtsu Virtsu () is a small borough (') in Lääneranna Parish, Pärnu County, Estonia. It lies on the western coast of continental Estonia, and is a location of the main port for traffic to and from Saaremaa, the largest island of Estonia. The Virtsu ...
–
Kuivastu Kuivastu is a village on the eastern coast of the Estonian island Muhu. (retrieved 28 July 2021) Kuivastu Harbour is the primary gateway to the biggest Estonian island Saaremaa (Muhu and Saaremaa are distinct islands but since 1896, they have b ...
( Muhu Island) ferry ***
Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth-largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second-largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of ...
– Kihnu Island boat-ferry *** Munalaid – Kihnu Island boat-ferry ***Munalaid – Manilaid Islet boat-ferry and boat ***
Roomassaare Kuressaare () is a populated places in Estonia, town on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Saaremaa Municipality and the seat of Saare County. Kuressaare is the westernmost town in Estonia. The recorded popul ...
(Saaremaa Island) – Abruka Island boat-ferry and boatAbruka transport
Lääne-Saare Parish Lääne-Saare Parish () was a rural Municipalities of Estonia, municipality of Estonia, in Saare County. It was located on the western part of Saaremaa island. The municipality has a population of ca 7,200 and an area of 807 km2. Lääne-S ...
.
***Munalaid – Ruhnu Island (charter) ferry and (seasonal) high-speed craft-ferry ***
Pärnu Pärnu () is the fourth-largest city in Estonia. Situated in southwest Estonia, Pärnu is located south of the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and west of Estonia's second-largest city, Tartu. The city sits off the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of ...
– Ruhnu Island (seasonal) high-speed craft-ferry ***Roomassaare (Saaremaa Island) – Ruhnu Island (seasonal) high-speed craft-ferry ***Rohuküla – Hobulaid Islet (charter) boat **Northern Estonia: *** Leppneeme – Prangli Island boat-ferry ***Tallinn – Aegna Island (seasonal) boat ***Tallinn – Naissaar Island (seasonal) boat ***
Dirhami Dirhami () is a village in Lääne-Nigula Parish, Lääne County, in western Estonia. Before the administrative reform in 2017, the village was in Noarootsi Parish. Until World War II, it was mainly inhabited by Estonian Swedes. Dirhami has a c ...
– Osmussaar Island (seasonal) boat *** Kurkse – Väike-Pakri Island (charter) boat **
Lake Peipus Lake Peipus is the largest trans-boundary lake in Europe, lying on the international border between Estonia and Russia. The lake is the fifth-largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega (in Russia), Lake Vänern (in Sweden), and Lake ...
and Emajõgi River: *** Laaksaare – Piirissaar Island ferry *** Kavastu (seasonal)
cable ferry A cable ferry (including the types chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...
across Emajõgi River


See also

* M/S ''Estonia'' * TS Laevad – ferry company serving the major islands *
Kihnu Veeteed Kihnu Veeteed ("Kihnu Waterways") is a ferry company which operates six scheduled routes in Estonia. It is registered on the island of Kihnu in the Gulf of Riga, and runs a fleet of seven passenger ferries.Plug-in electric vehicles in Estonia


References

{{Transportation in Europe