Rail gauge in Estonia
Encyclopedia
Estonia
mainly uses a track gauge of (Russian gauge
), inherited from the Russian Empire
times. Since Soviet Union
converted relatively late from , there are still some sections of left. They will be converted to when the tracks are renovated.
Tallinn
has tram with cape gauge
.
Historically Estonia had narrow gauge installations.
There has been a proposal from the EU to build a standard gauge railway from Tallinn to Warsaw, the Rail Baltica
. For cost reasons the current plans only see an upgrade of the existing Russian gauge railway to Lithuania over Riga
, a new railway through Lithuania, and upgrade through Poland. It will have standard gauge only south of Kaunas
, Lithuania, not in Estonia.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
mainly uses a track gauge of (Russian gauge
Russian gauge
In railway terminology, Russian gauge refers to railway track with a gauge between 1,520 mm and . In a narrow sense as defined by Russian Railways it refers to gauge....
), inherited from the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
times. Since Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
converted relatively late from , there are still some sections of left. They will be converted to when the tracks are renovated.
Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
has tram with cape gauge
Cape gauge
Cape gauge is a track gauge of between the inside of the rail heads and is classified as narrow gauge. It has installations of around .The gauge was first used by Norwegian engineer Carl Abraham Pihl and the first line was opened in 1862.- Nomenclature :...
.
Historically Estonia had narrow gauge installations.
There has been a proposal from the EU to build a standard gauge railway from Tallinn to Warsaw, the Rail Baltica
Rail Baltica
thumb|300px|Map of Rail Baltica...
. For cost reasons the current plans only see an upgrade of the existing Russian gauge railway to Lithuania over Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, a new railway through Lithuania, and upgrade through Poland. It will have standard gauge only south of Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Lithuania, not in Estonia.