Public transport in Tallinn

Public transport in Tallinn consists of bus, tram, trolleybus, train, and ferry services. Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS mainly operates bus, tram and trolleybus routes, while Elron offers electric train services, and Spinnaker OÜ ferry service to Aegna Island with high speed craft Vegtind. Tram, trolleybus, and bus services were formerly divided between Tallinna Autobussikoondis and TTTK. Still, these companies merged into Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS (TLT) in 2012. Tallinn is the only city in Estonia to have ever used trams or trolleybuses. Elron offers local EMU services to Keila, Paldiski, and Turba in the west and Aegviidu in the east, as well as Viljandi, Tartu, and Narva.

The first tram route of Tallinn was opened in 1888. Tram traffic began with horse power and lasted like this for 30 years. The horse-drawn tram lines ran on the Narva, Tartu and Pärnu main roads passing through the city of Tallinn. A tram has remained on these routes to this day. The first electric trams went on the line in 1920, which were built locally in Tallinn using German and Swedish equipment. The use of trams as public transport was very popular during the Republic of Estonia (before World War II and German and Soviet occupations), for example in 1939 the Tallinn tram carried more than 143 million passengers.

Regular bus connections in Tallinn began in 1921 after World War I and establishing of the Republic of Estonia, which had become independent from the Russian Empire in 1918, although attempts to offer regular bus connections had already been made earlier. The original five bus lines have become a system with 67 lines in 2024.

Although planned as early as 1946, the first trolleybus route in Tallinn opened in 1965 during Soviet Union's occupation of Estonia. Although there were nine such routes at their peak, there are only four in 2024. 160 trolleybuses were in use in the peak year of Tallinn's trolleybus traffic in 1988, but only 45 in 2024.

The first passenger trains with steam locomotives began to serve the people of Tallinn and people living near the city in the 1870s. The country's first electric train line Tallinn - Pääsküla was opened in 1924. The Second World War was devastating for passenger train traffic - the retreating Red Army stole rolling stock to Russia in 1941 and the Germans dismantled the electricity grids during the German occupation. Passenger train traffic was reopened only in 1944. Narrow-gauge railway passenger train traffic in Tallinn (with one of the most important stops at the port) operated from the beginning of the 20th century until the Soviet occupation forces decided to liquidate them.

Tallinn has been planning to construct a light rail service since 1970. The light rail project halted when Estonia regained independence from the Soviet Union's occupation, with planning resumed in the 2000s.

Tallinn's public transportation map with main routes and timetable
The official map of Tallinn's public transportation of 2020 can be seen here: https://visittallinn.ee/static/files/010/transportation_map_2020_eng.jpg.

The Tallinn public transportation timetable is available in seven languages online: Estonian, English, Finnish, Russian, German, Latvian, and Lithuanian. The timetable also has a built-in journey planner and a live map view of the vehicles' location. The timetable in English can be seen from here: https://transport.tallinn.ee/#/en.

The commuter train timetable and journey planner can be seen here: https://elron.ee/en.

Internal
The main bus terminal in Tallinn is located under Viru Keskus, in the city centre, where 14 out of 72 bus routes start. Other major terminal stations include Väike-Õismäe, Keskuse, Seli, Baltic Station, Priisle, Kadaka, Vana-Pääsküla, Estonia and Kopli. New public transportation terminals are planned for Lilleküla called Kristiine HUB (between current train station and Kristiine keskus) and Ülemiste (between current Ülemiste train station, T1 Mall of Tallinn and Ülemiste keskus).

Bus routes are available throughout Tallinn, especially in Pirita, Lasnamäe, Haabersti and Nõmme. Regular commuter trains go through the Nõmme district, which Elron operates, but the system is somewhat inefficient since no bus line is presently designed to be a "feeder line" for the commuter trains in Nõmme.

Tallinna Transpordiamet (Tallinn Department of Transportation) sets the routes and timetables, and the contracts are renewed every five years. The route numbers in Tallinn consist of one or two numbers, occasionally accompanied by a letter A or B. These letters are usually used when two (or three) bus routes use mostly the same trajectory but have different terminuses; for example, there are bus routes no. 18 and no. 18A, which both start from the same bus terminus and follow the same trajectory but have different end terminus. There has also been a special Park & Ride bus route 1PR, opened in September 2007 and offered service between the Pirita Park & Ride parking lot and the city centre. The route was closed in January 2009.

Nearly all routes have two terminus stops, one of which also serves as a resting stop for drivers.

Tallinn has very few "feeder lines" that connect passengers to other means of transport. For example, bus route no. 57 has been shortened to a tram terminus; there used to be the bus route no. 25, which departed just 5 times on weekdays. It took passengers to the two trolleybus terminuses in Mustamäe, partially similarly to bus route no. 37, the route was closed in September 2020. There is also bus route no. 21A which used to take passengers to the trolleybus terminus in Väike-Õismäe. However, trolleybus doesn't go to Väike-Õismäe anymore, so it's a feeder line for another bus route.

Routes mostly operate between 5:20 am and 0:20 am. Some bus routes, mainly the express routes, operate only during peak hours and have a break between 10am–11am and 2pm–3pm. From 1 September 2012, express routes have the same ticket price as regular bus routes. Express bus routes have letter E after the number.

The scheduled bus intervals depend on route and time of day. Most routes to the high-density districts of Lasnamäe, Väike-Õismäe, Mustamäe, and Pelguranna (all built during Soviet occupation) have typical intervals of 6–15 minutes, while typical scheduled bus intervals to the low-density districts of Nõmme and Pirita are 12–60 minutes (some routes are operated only during rush hours and not on weekends).

From 7 November until the end of 2008 the Department of Transport carried out a pilot project, during which popular bus and trolleybus routes' operating times were prolonged until 1 a.m. but it did not continue. However, four night bus lines began operating in 2023. These lines are Balti jaam - Mustamäe, Balti jaam - Väike-Õismäe, Balti jaam - Pelguranna and Balti jaam - Priisle. Two more night bus lines were added in 2024. These lines are Balti jaam - Viimsi keskus and Balti jaam - Vana-Pääsküla. The use of night bus lines is free of charge for Tallinn residents. The services run every half hour to 4.30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday night. Discussions are underway whether to offer the service on Thursday and Friday as well. The most popular night bus lines are the Mustamäe, Priisle and Vana-Pääsküla lines.

The Tallinn Department of Transportation bought 100 new environmentally friendly compressed gas buses Solaris Urbino 12 CNG and Solaris Urbino 18 CNG from Solaris Bus & Coach which began to launch into service in August 2020. In addition to these 100 buses, Tallinn bought another 250 compressed gas buses (350 total) and plans to replace all older diesel buses by 2025. Only the newest Euro 6 emission standard-compliant diesel buses will remain in use alongside the gas buses, specifically the MAN Lion's City A78, MAN Lion's City GL / A40, Volvo 7900 Hybrid. 15 electric buses Solaris Urbino 12 electric were added to the bus fleet with an option for another 15 in 2024. These buses are considered suitable for the nordic climate of Tallinn, as they have already been tested by other Northern European countries such as Finland, Latvia, Sweden and Norway. TLT's plan is to go fully electric by 2035. Tallinn city government approved an additional budget in 2024, according to which Tallinn will purchase another 30 compressed gas buses for 12 million euros.

The Tallinn Department of Transportation currently owns 530 buses.

Regional
Regional bus routes are managed by the Harjumaa Ühistranspordikeskus (HÜTK) (Harju County Public Transportation Centre). The Centre was established in early 2005 by 25 local governments of Harjumaa and the Government of the Harju County as the representative of the Republic of Estonia. The goal of the centre is to arrange public transportation in Harju County to raise the quality of the service provided. There are about 50 commercial lines in Harju County.

Tram
The tram network is fairly short (19.7 km or 12.2 miles) and serves mainly the city centre with its surrounding areas. There are 4 tram lines and three types of trams—Tatra KT4 (bought from the German cities of Gera, Cottbus, Frankfurt, and Erfurt) and Tatra KTNF6, which basically is a Tatra KT4 with a lowered middle-section, and CAF Urbos AXL. Twenty new CAF Urbos AXL trams entered service in 2015/16. Altogether there are 65 trams in Tallinn but only about half of them are in daily use.

A line 4 extension to Tallinn Airport was opened on September 1, 2017, consisting of 2 new stops: Ülemiste linnak and Lennujaam (Airport). A tunnel was built to bypass the train tracks by Ülemiste jaam. 6 old Tatra KT4 trams were fully renovated in 2016–2017 to imitate the look of early 20th century trams. All of them operate on line 3. 12 old Tatra KT6s and 2 KT4s were fully modernized in 2017–2018. This means that new or fully modernized trams make up about 57% of all trams in Tallinn.

International procurement for purchasing 8 new trams to Tallinn was started in late 2019 with option to buy 15 more. In 2022, the Polish company Pojazdy Szynowe PESA Bydgoszcz (PESA) won the public procurement of new trams, supplying up to 23 new trams to TLT for 52 million euros. The first new trams should be delivered in 2024. The tram model offered by PESA is PESA Twist, which is adapted to the gauge of Tallinn. The 28.6-meter-long, five-door trams can accommodate a total of 300 passengers (65 seats). In addition to PESA, two other tenderers took part in this procurement but lost to PESA: the Spanish company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) and the joint Finnish-Czech tenderers Škoda Transtech and Škoda Transportation. According to the plans, the new trams will primarily serve the new Vanasadama (Old Town Harbour) line.

Tallinn city government approved an additional budget in 2024, according to which Tallinn will purchase another 10 new trams for 35 million euros. These trams should arrive by 2027 in order to cover the needs of the additional line network capacity in the direction of Pelguranna and Liivalaia. The winner of the tender has not yet been announced.

TLT began selling process of 15 old KT4 trams in 2024. It is planned to sell all un-modernized trams. Therefore, there should be 53 modern trams and 20 modernized trams in Tallinn by the year 2028, 73 trams in total.

The tram system is operated by TLT.

Trolleybus
Trolleybuses serve the western part of Tallinn, mainly in the Mustamäe district. Trolleybus service began in 1965 with a route from the Estonian National Opera "Estonia" to Hipodroom (Hippodrome). Currently there are 4 routes: 1, 3, 4 and 5 from the city centre (Kaubamaja and Baltic Station) to Mustamäe. In 2000, Trolleybus line no. 8 was replaced with bus line no. 22, on 1 December 2012, trolleybus line no. 2 was replaced with bus lines no. 24 and no. 24A (24A closed by now); on 1 January 2016, trolleybus lines no. 6 and no. 7 were replaced with hybrid buses no. 42 and no. 43, and on 2 May 2017 trolleybus line no. 9 was replaced by hybrid buses (line no. 72).

All trolleybus lines are scheduled typically with 8-15 minute intervals between two vehicles of the same line.

TLT uses Solaris Trollino 12 and Solaris Trollino 18 trolleybuses made by Solaris Bus & Coach. TLT AS operates with 45 trolleybuses.

Tallinn city government approved an additional budget in 2024, according to which Tallinn will purchase 40 new trolleybuses with off-wire capability (in the city centre) for 29 million euros. This purchase will replace the entire existing trolleybus fleet. The winner of the tender has not yet been announced. The removal of older trolleybuses from the lines will begin in 2024.

Commuter Train
The Elron commuter trains are especially meant for the Greater Tallinn Area Harju County residents for a connection to Tallinn. Officially, these are regional trains. City residents also use routes, especially of Nõmme district, the southernmost district of Tallinn. Railway lines pass through Kristiine, Nõmme and Lasnamäe districts of the city, with the terminus stop Baltic Station (Tallinn) being located in the Kesklinn district close to Põhja-Tallinn district. Railway transport is free for registered city residents inside the city borders (1st zone): till Vesse stop on Eastern line, Laagri stop on Western line and Männiku stop on South-Western line. Trains inside of Tallinn are scheduled typically with 10-20 minute interval at rush hour (6 am - 8:30 am and 3:30 pm – 18:30 pm) and 20 - 35 minute interval at other times. Trains are in service typically from 5:15 a.m to 23:45 p.m., depending on the direction and line. Nõmme district has installed bicycle parking to every railway station in the district to encourage commuter train use by its residents. Currently there are no appropriate feeder bus routes for the commuter train in Nõmme district.

Elron has operated Stadler Flirt EMU and DMU trains since 2013. New Škoda 7Ev electric commuter trains will start operating together with Stadler Flirts beginning from 2024. New trains are meant for Tallinn - Tartu inter-city line but will also serve the Eastern line inside of Tallinn. Furthermore, five regional trains, bought through the same tender, will begin serving the Tallinn - Aegviidu route (Eastern line) in 2026. The arrival of new trains between 2024 and 2026 will gradually solve the shortage of rolling stock and allow higher frequency schedule for all routes, as Stadler Flirt EMUs will be allocated to Western line and some Stadler Flirt DMUs to South-Western line.

As of December 2023, the following commuter train routes operate from the Baltic Station: Almost all commuter trains, except for the trains R21, R22, and R31, run in the western direction (towards Paldiski/Turba). The trains R21 and R22 go beyond the boundaries of the Harju County (to the Rapla County and Järva County, respectively), but they still serve as the crucial methods of transportation for the residents of Tallinn and the Harju County.

Ferry
Tallinn has a ferry connection to Aegna island. Since Aegna doesn't have many residents, the ferry is mostly for tourists and is operated only summertime, ususally from May to October. The route is operated by Spinnaker OÜ with high speed craft Vegtind. The journey from Patarei harbor to Aegna takes 30 minutes. City residents can use the ferry for free. 

Tickets
All Tallinn buses, trams and trolleybuses belong to a unified ticket system. Harju County routes and commuter trains (Elron) have a different fare system, which depends on the distance traveled.

In a public opinion poll on 25 March 2012, over 75% of the participants answered "yes" for fare-free transit on Tallinn's public transport system. Public transport has been fare-free for Tallinn residents since 1 January 2013, making Tallinn the first European capital abolishing fares for city residents. Later, Elron and Tallinn city council reached an agreement, which makes urban routes (1st zone) free for city residents.

In spite of this, the public transport network is not completely fare-free, as fares continue to be charged to non-residents (including tourists and visitors) to the city.

Ticket Types and Public Transportation Customs
Registered residents of Tallinn who have their ID cards and validated Public Transport Card (Ühiskaart) or equivalent student ID can travel free of charge on buses, trams, and trolleybuses in Tallinn from 1 January 2013 and on commuter trains within city borders since October 2013.

The front validators on buses, trolley buses and trams support contactless and QR-code-based methods of validation. One-hour ticket, valid for 60 minutes, can be bought with contactless bank card from the ticket/validation machine. Day tickets are also available, but you cannot charge day tickets directly to your bank card. However, the system automatically tracks your usage and charges your bank account according to the cheapest ticket you are entitled to, multiple one-hour tickets in a single day will be calculated as a one-day ticket. Buying a ticket with cash was discontinued in buses, trams and trolleybuses in 2020. Card payment is also available on commuter trains with onboard ticket machines but tickets can also be purchased from the train's customer service worker with cash. Commuters who have Elron's Transport card can load money to the card to purchase a ticket from the ticket machine located in all train entrances.

The vehicle can generally be entered from all doors and the ticket (Ühiskaart) should be validated immediately upon entry. To get out of the vehicle at the next stop, you must press the stop button well before the stop (on buses). Otherwise, the driver may pass the stop.

Non-residents can use the travel card (Ühiskaart) to load cash for single tickets, different period tickets, and other special tickets. Discount tickets are eligible to use for students, pensioners and disabled people. Besides residents, anyone under the age of 7 may ride for free. Registered Residents of Estonia aged 65 or over also ride for free. Passengers with children under 3 years of age can ride for free.

Preparations for a more uniform ticket system throughout Harju County, including Tallinn, are already underway to make commuting smoother.

Fare Collection
In Tallinn, most public transport vehicles operate on a proof-of-payment system, and can be entered from any door. As of July 2008, Tallinn Municipal Police fare inspectors randomly check tickets, stopping vehicles in-between stops so no one can leave the vehicle unnoticed. A fine (maximum of €40) is charged to any passenger without a valid ticket. If a passenger has forgotten his/her ID-card, then he/she can tell the ticket controller his/her social security number aka ID code, which, in case the person has a valid ticket, proves the right of travelling. Since 1 January 2013, fare-free travelers (except those who could travel for before) have to validate their Public Transport Card (Ühiskaart); if they fail to do validation methods or show their ID card, they can be fined €40.

Bus
TLT has promised that by 2025 there would be no diesel buses operating in Tallinn public transportation, but transition to more environmentally friendly public transportation doesn't stop there. According to Tallinn Development Plan 2035 all public transportation will be fueled by electricity including buses by 2035. Future plans see more express bus routes and new tram lines that are fed by feeder bus routes, bicycle rental, short rental of cars and ride sharing. The goal is to get from one sub-city-centre to another in 20 minutes.

Tram
In 2019, an interim report on the feasibility study of light rail transport in Tallinn and Harju County was completed, which suggests what tram lines could be in Tallinn and the surrounding area in the future. A study found that the Põhja-Tallinn district needs new a tram line badly because the biggest real estate projects inside of Tallinn city are going on there, thus more people will live there in the near future. The study also suggested the five most important lines inside of Tallinn and four that would go outside of the city's boundaries. These lines go from the city centre to Väike-Õismäe (Astangu), Mustamäe, Järve, Priisle, Maardu, Kopli, Stroomi, Viimsi, Peetri (Jüri) and Tabasalu. The study also suggested many minor changes in the tram network. The main goal for this plan is to minimize further motorization of Tallinn by personal cars.

In the "Tallinn Development Strategy for 2035", which was published in 2020, most of the previously suggested lines were scrapped, but it also has more concrete plans for the future tram network of Tallinn. New tram lines are going to be Ülemiste - Vanasadama (connecting Old Town Harbour with Tallinn Airport), Kesklinn - Rahu tee (goes to Northern side of Lasnamäe), Kesklinn - Pelguranna (goes to Põhja-Tallinn), Kesklinn - Peetri (goes to the Rae parish outside of Tallinn). Smaller network change is going to connect Pärnu mnt and Tartu mnt by Rävala boulevard. Development strategy doesn't mention what is the schedule for completing these lines but line to Vanasadama will be finished in 2024. This specific line is estimated to cost €15 to €20 million.

New trams are purchased to replace older trams and cover the needs of new lines. 23 new trams built by Pojazdy Szynowe PESA Bydgoszcz (PESA) arrive in 2024 and 2025. In addition, 10 more trams are planned to be purchased which should arrive in 2027 and 2028. However, this procurement is still in its initial phase.

Trolleybus
According to Tallinn Development Plan 2035, all trolleybus routes will be abolished by 2035 and battery electric bus routes will replace them.

Contrary to the plan,Tallinn city government has decided to maintain the trolleybus lines, and also buy 40 new trolleybuses with off-wire capability (in the city centre) to replace the old ones. In addition, it was decided to modernize the network infrastructure. 27.6 million euros have been allocated for its design and construction of the first stage. Currently, TLT owns 45 trolleybuses that are going to continue operation until they withstand (average age of trolleybuses was 13,2 years in 2019). Trolleybuses are the main backbone of public transportation in Mustamäe district.

Commuter Train
In 2020, Tallinn announced plans to open new train lines inside of the Tallinn city territory in the next 15 years. According to plan, no new railways have to be constructed, but some railways that are currently in use only for freight are planned to also accommodate commuter trains shortly. One of the new lines is planned to run between two rapidly developing areas of Ülemiste and Kopli. Second line would be the already in use line Balti jaam (Baltic Station) - Laagri (currently Balti jaam - Pääsküla). Three transfer stations to hop to the other line are also planned located in Kristiine (Lilleküla station), Tondi and Järve. City is planning to use trains that belong to Elron. These trains would go back and forth the city's internal lines. The main reason is to have more departures inside the city, so that more people would prefer commuter trains as their main means. However, in order to implement this plan, it is necessary to acquire additional trains, build transfer stations and proper railway infrastructure, especially on the prospective Ülemiste-Kopli line.

In 2019, Estonia's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications proposed a ring rail line to better connect the Eastern and Western parts of Tallinn. The corridor should run either under the lake Ülemiste from Rae parish (near the Lasnamäe district) to Saue parish (near the Nõmme district) or above the lake on already mostly existing railway. Studies suggested the first route. The idea is to redirect freight away from Tallinn city centre and open new commuter railway line. Planned Rail Baltic (European gauge railway) would help to materialize this plan somewhat because it could have parallel railway (13 km) with Russian gauge (used in Finland, Estonia, Latvia etc.) and local train stations on it, but it wouldn't reach to Saue parish, so that part would have to be built in addition (14 km). Ring rail line would be important for Saku, Saue and Rae parishes, which this railway would pass. All these parishes especially Rae and Saue are rapidly developing as huge low density suburban regions, although they're not part of Tallinn. This plan could help to reduce car driving in already congested Tallinn. Proposed ring rail would be 27 km long and would go from Lagedi to Saue.

The Government of Estonia announced of plans to electrify all railways (800 km) in Estonia starting from 2022 with €300 million, but Estonia's Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications has proposed that Elron should instead buy new hydrogen trains for Tallinn - Viljandi commuter railway line as a test line. Use of hydrogen trains would be significantly cheaper and saved money could be used to make rail transportation faster. Studies of this plan are currently underway. This railroad also goes through Tallinn and has some stations in the city's boundaries.

Proposed Public Transportation Terminals
New public transportation terminals will be built in Ülemiste and Kristiine (Lilleküla). The terminal in Lilleküla is named Kristiine HUB (between current train station and Kristiine keskus). Ülemiste terminal will be the Tallinn's new main train station, between current Ülemiste train station, T1 Mall of Tallinn and Ülemiste keskus. It will also be Tallinn's new international railway station where trains will go towards Riga (Rail Baltica), St.Petersburg and Helsinki (Tallinn-Helsinki railway tunnel aka Talsinki). According to plans, these two terminals should be the places where train, bus and tram routes connect to each other for easier and more convenient transfer between different public transportation vehicles. The construction of Ülemiste terminal should end in 2026. The Kristiine HUB should be completed before 2035.

Plan of what changes will happen with current Viru bus terminal are not revealed yet.

Bicycle Road Network
Tallinn has promised to become more bicycle and other "light traffic" friendlier city by 2028. Tallinn Cycling Strategy 2018-2028 is an official guide of what the city should do to become a better place for cycling. It also contains the exact map of Tallinn's main cycle paths, which should all be built before 2028. There would be two types of cycling paths in Tallinn - recreational paths (in Estonian: tervisevõrk) and core network paths (in Estonian: põhivõrk). Both types of paths are connected to each other.

Most of the recreational paths would be on the city's outskirts in suburban districts like Nõmme, Pirita and Haabersti, where they would make up a significant part of the proposed bicycle paths. Recreational paths are not reserved only for cyclists but also for other light traffic. This means that pedestrians, cyclists and riders of other smaller electric vehicles (electric scooters for example) must share this recreational path. Fortunately most of these are designed to be bilateral asphalt roads that are usually completely separated from car traffic. Most of the cycling paths that already exist are recreational paths.

Core network path is planned to be the main bicycle path type in the districts of Kesklinn (city centre), Lasnamäe, Kristiine, Põhja-Tallinn and Mustamäe. Creating new bicycle paths has proven to be the most difficult in the city centre where some roads are historically very narrow and other on the contrary too wide and car centric (Liivalaia, Pärnu mnt, Narva mnt, Tartu mnt etc.). City officials are not too keen on lane reduction of roads for cyclists and also pedestrians. According to the Tallinn cycling strategy, core network path type bicycle roads are meant to be separated from car and pedestrian traffic to ensure the safety of all infrastructure users. Thus, only cyclists and riders of other smaller electric vehicles (ex electric scooters) can ride on core network paths. One good example of this type of cycling path in Tallinn is Reidi tee.

The subject has brought up controversy because city residents and city officials have differing opinions. The Estonian media has also began to deal with the matter, proving how dangerous the current solutions of bicycle paths in the city centre are and how cheaply they could be solved temporary. However, city officials have been against activist solutions. Instead Tallinn city officials constantly talk in the media as a positive political advertisement about how many kilometers of new "cycling paths" (in Estonian: jalgrattatee) they build each year, when in reality these are not cycle paths but rather mixed-use sidewalks (in Estonian: kergliiklustee, literally meaning light traffic road). Such sidewalks are dangerous, especially in the city centre, where many more people live and commute than in the suburbs. Some quite newly built cycling paths that should be meant for only bicycles are instead built as mixed-use sidewalks (example: Valdeku street, which was reconstructed in 2020 and should have cycle paths but instead has mixed-use sidewalk). This shows that Tallinn officials follow the urban planning outlined in the cycling strategy very loosely at present and instead of creating Tallinn's cycling network they are working to create Tallinn's mixed-use sidewalk network.

In 2020 the district governor of Kesklinn (city centre) Monika Haukanõmm made a bold statement, that in 10–15 years time cycling would be the fastest mode of transportation in the district of Kesklinn. "The heart of the city must be better reached by public transportation than today and along footpaths and bicycle paths, which should give a reason not to come to the city centre by car. To do this, we need to think about how to increase the quality of street space so that we can compete with the quality of urban space of Helsinki, Riga and also Stockholm in 10-15 years. Fewer cars and more light traffic means more light roads (mixed-use sidewalks?). The goal is for bicycles and bikes to become the fastest means of transportation in the city centre, and they also have their own space for movement," Haukanõmm said. According to Tallinn Development plan 2035, cycling should make up at least 11% of all traffic in the city in 2035. Cycling, riding with small electric vehicles and ride sharing should feed the tram, bus and commuter train lines, thus it should be seen as part of the public transportation system.

Light Metro
In 2024, a group of experts and well-known economists, referred to as the metro group, came forward with the idea of constructing two light metro lines in Tallinn. One line would run from Paljassaare through the City Center to Rae Municipality (North - South route), and the other from Lasnamäe through the City Center to Õismäe and Mustamäe (West - East route). The goal is to reduce the need for personal cars when traveling within Tallinn.

With the light metro, it would be possible to travel from Õismäe to Priisle in 25 minutes instead of 50, and from Kalamaja to Rae Municipality in 15 minutes instead of 40, claim the idea's authors. The distance of the line from Lasnamäe to Õismäe would be 20 kilometers, while it would be ten kilometers between Peetri (Rae Municipality) and Kalamaja. The metro would be mainly above ground and would go underground only in the city center (approximately 4.5 kilometers). Light metro trains are expected to have three to five carriages. Approximately 250,000 Talliners live in the immediate vicinity of the proposed light metro lines.

The cost of the project is estimated to one-and-a-half billion euros. The group believes that if there is political will, it would be possible to complete the project by 2030.

"Ülemiste City (in south-eastern Tallinn) is developing at a tremendous speed, now imagine that we want to drive home from work to the Põhjala Factory (in northern Tallinn) and it takes 50 minutes. If we think about where else we can get to in 50 minutes from Ülemiste City (10.5 kilometers) - we can reach Paide (85 kilometers) by car . . . The urban planners of Stockholm, according to which metros of Stockholm and Copenhagen were built, have calculated (that) half an hour,  should take you from door to door, from work to home," said architect Jaan Jagomägi. He added that Tallinn is shaped in a way that it is not possible to cross the city in half an hour with the existing transport.

The response from the city's leading politicians has been either negative or lukewarm.