LTG Cargo sets foundations for expansion in Estonia and Latvia
Lithuania-based LTG Cargo is taking steps to begin operations in neighbouring states Estonia and Latvia. The company is in the process of obtaining carrier safety certificates in the two countries. The Lithuanian state-owned carrier made...Read more
Fluctuating Baltic rail freight figures reflect challenging transition
Cargo transported by rail in the three Baltic countries–Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, has noted fluctuations in the years following 2018. The significant losses of transit traffic, mostly on the east-west axis, have impacted rail freight...Read more
Operail’s volumes drop again in the first half of the year
The Estonian national rail freight company Operail has transported 1,1 million tons of goods during the first half of 2023. This is the second consecutive year the company has lost significant volumes in the first...Read more
‘The Baltic route can be a good solution for Ukrainian grain exports’
Ukrainian grain exports are currently running smoothly also via rail. Congestion is at normal levels; however, in two-three weeks, the new peak export season will be here after the summer harvest. Ukraine’s options for transporting...Read more
Latvian LDZ’s way to staying financially afloat might be in Estonia
INTERVIEWLatvian Railway’s cargo subsidiary in Estonia, SIA LDZ Cargo, might be one of the company’s financial lifelines in these uncertain and challenging times. While the mother group scrumbles for revenue to survive its immense losses,...Read more
Operail stops rolling stock leasing as well as regular freight services
Operail, the Estonian national railway company, sold the third and last batch of its rolling stock. “With this, all wagons belonging to Operail Leasing have been sold and the rental business has ended”, the company...Read more
Another financial aid package for Estonian Railways, ‘one of the many to come’
Estonian Railways (EVR) will receive the second package of governmental financial assistance in a few months. The state-owned company that noted a financial loss of 20,7 million euros in 2022 will receive 8,7 million euros...Read more
Operail sells more assets, ‘nothing to do with Russian business’
After selling its Finnish subsidiary to Nurminen Logistics, Estonian state-owned freight operator Operail proceeded to more asset releases. The company sold 807 wagons that previously belonged to its wagon leasing subsidiary, Operail Leasing. The sale...Read more
Latvia and Lithuania pledge for collective effort on Russian rail ban
The ministers of transport from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania met for the first time in four years to discuss the ban on the transit of Russian and Belarussian goods on 23 January. Estonia, via its...Read more
Estonian Operail sells Finnish business to Nurminen Logistics
The Estonian state-owned company Operail sold its Finnish subsidiary, Operail Finland, to Nurminen Logistics. The company, active in Finland since 2020, decided to proceed with the sale in 2021 in a move unrelated to Russia...Read more
Operail stops transport of Russian and Belarusian goods on 1 January
UPDATEThe Estonian state-owned rail freight company Operail will stop transporting cargo originating from Russia or Belarus per 1 January 2023. It made this decision earlier, in May this year, but a transition period was needed...Read moreEU sanctions on Russia impact Estonia: ‘rail might disappear’
Operail, the Estonian state-owned international transport and logistics company, has halved its freight volumes in the first nine months of 2022. In addition, the decrease in freight volumes has led to the layoff of over...Read more
Amber Train is back on track, this time with new potential
The Amber Train is back on track. On Tuesday 13 September, a train loaded with timber, peat and construction foam left the Estonian port of Muuga. On Wednesday morning, it arrived in Kaunas Multimodal Terminal...Read more
European gauge in Estonia: a long, expensive, and complicated project
Switching to the European standard gauge would cost Estonia around 8,7 billion euros, said Estonian Railways CEO Kaido Zimmerman in a letter to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. 7,5 billion euros would be...Read more
Sanctions hit core operations of Estonian Railways
Estonian national rail operator Eesti Raudtee claims it lost over 20 million euros in 2022, mostly due to the sanctions that the EU applied on Russia and Belarus. The Estonian government is ready to mitigate...Read more
Estonian Operail asks for lower coal rates to boost freight volumes
In June, Estonian freight operator Operail asked Estonian Railways for cheaper rates for coal from Kazakhstan. The request, accepted by EVR, is to halve the current fee, from 2,2 euros per ton to 1,1 euros.Read moreEstonian Operail involved in war logistics? ‘These are just assumptions’
State-owned Estonian company Operail has been the focal point of discussions lately. Operail is accused of continuing business with Russia despite the war and the imposed sanctions because of leasing wagons used in the war...Read more
Estonian Railways in need of extra state financial injection
State-owned Estonian Railways (EVR) will need state funding to cover the losses from stopping the transit of Russian cargo. Despite last year’s growth in transported volumes, the company needs to cover 10 million euros of...Read more
Will the ride on Rail Baltica smooth out after a long bumpy run-in?
The much-lauded high-speed European-gauge Rail Baltica (RB) project has hit several snags and will not meet its original planned deadline of 2026. Hesitancy to the project, as well as the adversity of COVID-19 and rising...Read more