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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Tuesday, 19.03.2024, 10:42

Lux Express plans to launch Tallinn-St Petersburg train route

Juhan Tere, BC, Tallinn, 28.02.2012.Print version
Estonian bus companies owner Hugo Osula's firm Lux Express plans to launch a Tallinn-St Petersburg train route and acquire two Stadler luxury trains, costing 10 million euros for that, LETA/Postimees Online reports.

Lux Express' manager Hannes Saarpuu said that the company cannot satisfy the demand on the Tallinn-St Petersburg route with buses anymore and thus is eyeing train business. He added that a final agreement with Stadler has not yet been signed.

 

The train route can be launched in spring of 2015 but there are some obstacles, Saarpuu said. Namely the legislation stipulates that train traffic time slots can be applied for one year in advance while trains have to be ordered three years in advance. Saarpuu said that the company needs a guarantee from both the Estonian and Russian governments that if it buys the trains now, they won't have to stuck because they don’t get suitable schedule times.

 

Saarpuu pointed out that when a company called Allegro launched the St Petersburg-Helsinki train route, presidents of the two states concluded an agreement for that.


If Lux Express manages to launch the route successfully, it wants to service it with four trains in 2018.

 

The company forecasts the number of passengers in the first year at 190,000. This would be in addition to the current bus travellers.






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