City to purchase land for the Rail Baltic terminal
The Tallinn City Government has submitted to the City Council for approval a cooperation agreement between the City of Tallinn and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications to allow the development of the Rail Baltic Ülemiste passenger terminal to proceed.
“The future common terminal, together with the associated infrastructure, will contribute to the development of the entire Ülemiste area, linking it better with the rest of the city. This will include creating a more convenient connection for pedestrians and cyclists between the city centre and the business settlements of Majaka and Ülemiste,” said Vladimir Svet, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn in charge of public utilities. “The agreement to be signed will focus on the city’s acquisition of the land for the terminal as soon as possible, as well as on the construction of tunnels under the railway tracks in cooperation between the city and the national government. The broader aim of the cooperation agreement is to ensure the completion of the joint terminal and the surrounding area by the end of 2026. The city and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications will also continue to negotiate ways to build additional light rail tunnels east and west of the terminal.”
The proposed Rail Baltic Ülemiste passenger terminal is a part of the Rail Baltic project, which requires the adoption of a detailed plan by 31 May 2022 at the latest to be successfully implemented. The city has initiated a detailed plan to connect the terminal to the urban space via several roads. As the planned tramway, pathways and streets are partly planned on private property, they will have to be acquired by the city in order to implement the project. Under the cooperation agreement to be concluded, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications will provide financial support to the city to speed up the acquisition of the properties needed for the access roads and tramway.
In order to ensure the public access to Ülemiste Street, the city will acquire lots 4a, 4b and 4f of Ülemiste tee 5 and Peterburi tee 2, as well as lots 11d and 11e, where a public access road to the terminal is planned. As the construction of the Rail Baltic terminal will change the location of the existing tramway, Tallinn will acquire position 8a, also on the Peterburi tee 2 property, for the new tramway. A public car park and an exit to Peterburi tee will be built on the properties Peterburi tee 6a and 6b (positions 10c and 10d). Some of the properties will also be acquired by the state after the conclusion of the contract.
The mobility study for the airport and the Ülemiste business district revealed that the biggest barrier in the area is the railway, which separates Ülemiste from the rest of the city. Thus, together with the construction of the Rail Baltic railway and the common terminal, a network of crossings under the railway will have to be developed. The agreement between the state and the city stipulates the extent to which each party will finance the construction of the Ülemiste pedestrian tunnel.