A multi-modal transport hub for the city’s commuters as well as international rail passengers and air travellers using the adjacent Tallinn Airport, the Ülemiste
Passenger Terminal is designed as a connecting bridge linking together districts
of Tallinn currently separated by the railway tracks that disect the city.
Project Name: Rail Baltica Ülemiste Passenger Terminal
Studio Name: Zaha Hadid Architects
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Date: 2019 / 2028
Client: Rail Baltic
Status: Under Construction
Board Directors: Patrik Schumacher, Gianluca Racana
Project Directors: Ludovico Lombardi, Michele Salvi
Design Team: Luciano Letteriello, Kate Revyakina, Serra Pakalin, Yuzhi Xu, Anthony Awanis, Hendrik Rupp, Mauro Sabiu
Opening in 2028, Tallinn’s Ülemiste terminal will be the northern terminus of the new
870-kilometre Rail Baltica electrified railway now under-construction. Providing passenger services at speeds up to 249km/h, Rail Baltica will connect Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania with the European high-speed rail network in Poland.
Zaha Hadid Architects developed the design with leading Estonian architecture and
engineering firm Esplan. Circulation routes through the terminal have determined the
station’s spatial geometry to aid navigation and the seamless integration of the city’s bus, tram, rail and cycle networks that intersect at the terminus.
Incorporating a modular structural system built in phases to enable ongoing operations
on the rail lines throughout construction, the terminal has been designed and planned
to BREEAM benchmarks and guidelines.
Estonia’s Climate Minister, Kristen Michal, said: “We have been dreaming of a fast
connection to Europe. This is a landmark year in the construction of Rail Baltica – in
addition to laying the cornerstone of the Ülemiste terminal, the construction of the main line has also begun. Building a highquality connection will provide a much needed new opportunity for the Estonia’s people and its economy.”
Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility, Magda Kopczynska, said: “Rail Baltica is a European, Baltic and Estonian project. The Baltic States must be connected to the European rail network, both in order to ensure the security of supply chains, comfortable travel, economic development and, last but not least, our common European security. The European Commission has been and will remain a strong supporter of Rail Baltica.”
Chairman of the Rail Baltic Estonia management board, Anvar Salomets, said:
“Until just a few years ago, we could not have believed that we could have celebrated the laying of the cornerstone for Ülemiste Terminal. The implementation of the Rail Baltica project in Estonia has been both effective and efficient, and in four years’ time, we invite everyone to the opening of Rail Baltica Ülemiste terminal.”
