History of rail transport in Estonia
aspect of history
The history of rail transport in Estonia starts in 1870 when a railway line was opened connecting Paldiski, Tallinn, Tapa and Narva; the line extending all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia.
Beginnings of Estonian railways in Imperial Russia
The first railway line to be built in Estonia was the Paldiski – Tallinn – Narva – Gatchina line constructed in 1870; Baltic German nobility provided the impetus for the construction of the line, though because of the Russian influence the line was built to 1524mm (5 ft) gauge to connect with the line from Saint Petersburg to Warsaw
. The construction project was controlled by the Russian Ministry of Roads. The port of Paldiski was chosen because its southerly position made it ice free all the year round. Soon after both Paldiski and Tallinn experienced an upswing in trade, notably exports of grain.
In 1877 another line was complete, connecting Tapa and Tartu; later extended to Valga in 1887, which brought a connection to Latvia via the Pskov – Valga – Riga line also being constructed at the same time.
Additionally a network of narrow gauge railways (750mm) were being built in Estonia, the first connecting Valga and Pärnu in 1896, then Mõisaküla to Viljandi (1897), later extended via Paide to Tallinn in 1901.
Railways in the republic of Estonia (1918–1940)
At the end of World War I and the collapse of the Russian Empire, the country was occupied by Germany and a puppet government installed. This subsequently collapsed with German defeat in World War I and Estonia became a republic in 1918. Finally, after the expulsion of invading Soviet forces during the Estonian War of Independence, Estonia became a recognised independent republic in 1920.
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