Tallinn Baltic Station

Baltic Station (Balti jaam) is the main railway station in Tallinn, Estonia, and the largest railway station in Estonia. All local commuter, long-distance and international trains depart from the station.

Balti jaam is located in central Tallinn, and is situated immediately northwest of the city's Old town (Tallinna vanalinn). It stands close to a large market called the Baltic Station Market (Balti Jaama Turg).

The first station opened in 1870 when a railway line connecting Saint Petersburg with Paldiski via Tallinn was opened. The station was completely reconstructed between 1960–1966, and in 2005, the station building was completely renewed.

History
The first railway station in Tallinn was built at the end of the 1860s as part of a 400 km long Saint Petersburg-Tallinn-Paldiski railway line. The first main building was completed in 1870. It was a two-storey building constructed from limestone with tower-like extrusions.

During the 1 December 1924 communist coup d'état attempt in Estonia, Karl Kark, the then Minister of Transportation was assassinated by gunshot by pro-Soviet insurgents at the Tallinn Baltic Station.

During World War II in 1941, the station building was set on fire by the Soviet Red Army. Shortly after the war, in 1945, the building was partially renovated. During 1960–1966, the station was completely reconstructed. Since the 1990s, the commuter trains 20x20m waiting pavilion has been used as a market. In 2005, the station building was completely renewed and Hotel Shnelli and the headquarters of Estonian Railways (Eesti Raudtee) were completed nearby.

Layout
The station has seven platforms, of which two are situated apart from the rest and have been serving the international Tallinn–Moscow and Tallinn–Saint Petersburg routes performed by GoRail, and Elron's long-distance route to Viljandi. Platforms closer to the station building are mostly used by the commuter trains or long-distance routes to Tartu or Narva.