GO Rail

GO Rail is a passenger rail operator in Estonia. The company runs daily overnight trains from Tallinn to Russia, serving Leningradsky station in Moscow and Vitebsky station in St. Petersburg, in partnership with the Russian Railways (RZD). The trains have two- or four-bed cabins as well as seating compartments. It is the only international passenger trains to serve Estonia. [ [http://www.railfaneurope.net/list/estonia.html#02 "Railway Operators in Estonia#GO Rail"] , railfaneurope.net Retrieved: 29 May 2008.]

History

Under the name EVR Ekspress, the company had been an operating division of the state railway, Eesti Raudtee. It was partially privatised on 1 April 1999, with a 51% majority share going to the Fraser Group and 49% still held by Eesti Raudtee. [ [http://www.janes.com/extracts/extract/jwr/jwr_9303.html "AS GoRail (Estonia)"] , Jane's World Railways. Retrieved: 29 May 2008.] The company was renamed GO Rail in 2006 when it was sold to the GO Group, which operates various other travel services in Estonia, including Tallinn's main Baltic Station.

The St. Petersburg route did not operate between 2004 and 2007, starting again on 31 March that year. [ [http://www.arileht.ee/?artikkel=379066 "Tallinn-St. Petersburg line open again on 31st March"] , Eesti Päevalehel newspaper, 22 March 2007. Retrieved: 29 May 2008. et icon] It was briefly canceled again by RZD on 8 May 2007 (with effect from 29 May [ [http://www.ldz.lv/dc/en/aktuala_informacija/Transporta_nozares_preses_apskats/BNS_zinas/17250 "Russian Railways to end Tallinn-St. Petersburg service"] , Latvian Railways documentation centre, 08 May 2007. Retrieved: 29 May 2008.] ) ostensibly due to low passenger numbers, shortly after the Bronze Night protests in Tallinn. GO Rail CEO Alar Pinsel described the Russian reasoning as "difficult to believe". [ [http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=100&story_id=21604 "New Petersburg-Tallinn Train Link Cancelled"] , St. Petersburg Times, 11 May 2007. - Retrieved: 29 May 2008.] The cancellation was retracted a day later, [ [http://www.balticbusinessnews.com/Print.aspx?ArticleID=5fe74af4-d00c-417b-bfcb-f798c469af14 "RZD denies claim of St Petersburg-Tallinn rail service closure"] , balticbusinessnews.com, 09 May 2007. Retrieved: 29 May 2008.] and the train service was never actually interrupted.

Termination of Tallinn-St. Petersburg rail service

GG Rail announced termination of its Tallinn-St. Petersburg rail service in July 2008. The company named high infrastructure and fuel costs as the reasons why it has decided to close the service [ [http://balticbusinessnews.com/Default2.aspx?ArticleID=de4ad4e6-d49b-4763-b186-29e33439539a International passenger rail operator struggles to survive] ] . That makes Tallinn-Moscow train the only Estonian international rail service.

See also

*Rail transport in Estonia
*Oktyabrskaya Railway

References

External links

* [http://www.gorail.ee/?id=147 GO Rail timetable] et icon
* [http://www.gogroup.ee/?id=1088 GO Group corporate site]
* [http://www.railfaneurope.net/list/estonia/estonia_go.html GO Rail locomotives - Railfaneurope]
* [http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=140&page=Travel St. Petersburg Times tourism feature on Tallinn, mentioning GO Rail]