Elron chief: leaving people behind justified

Photo: Elmo Riig / Sakala

Train driver and conductor decide when some shall be denied entry, so as to avoid overloading the vehicle.

According to Elron managers, inhabitants of Estonia will have to be reconciled to the fact that they will not always get on board their train of desire. Especially now that, in wake of last week’s tragic accident, one of the longer trains is in repairs.

«When one goes to the Tartu bus station and there’s no more tickets for a bus, then the bus is full. But with trains there’s still the understanding that people may enter indefinitely,» said Elron CEO Andrus Ossip.

With a four-carriage train damaged due to the April 16^th accident, the company had to decide which line would have a shorter train – by one car – this past Sunday. «The options were the popular lines and, in our estimate, Viljandi was the line we could send the three-carriage train,» said Mr Ossip. He was unwilling to expound on the options, but admitted it was basically a choice between Tartu and Viljandi. «But that (Tartu – edit) is definitely the most popular line,» added the Elron chief.

According to Elron’s marketing manager Norbert Kaareste, the exact amount of people who failed to get on the Viljandi-Tallinn train this past Sunday cannot be defined; even so, it was dozens, rather than hundreds. Also, to Elron’s knowledge that was the only departure unable to take all on board.

The incident with people coming from Pärnu unable to make the connection in Lelle, and having to wait for the next train, was a surprise for Elron, as the numbers say this is the fifth-sixth line in popularity, on the Tallinn-Viljandi direction. According to passenger statistics, a three-car train would do on that line. 

Though letters of explanation by train driver and ticket sellers had not yet reached the managers by the time of the interview, both Mr Ossip and Mr Kaareste were convinced the decision to leave some people behind was justified.

«With people already on board and it happens as it did during the Kloogaranna Festival (due to overload, the train stopped for 40 minutes last summer – edit), then it is twice as complex to solve the problem,» claimed Mr Ossip. «Who is the one to say you are the one to get off so the train weight would return to normality and it might continue the ride?» he asked, rhetorically.

According to Elron rules, ticket sellers are to assess the situation; should there be too many people standing and there is trouble passing through, then no more people are taken aboard. Once ticket seller and train drive have passed the decision, the train’s information system will notify the passengers; then, in the stops to follow, only the mid-train C-area door will open. «Then it will be guaranteed that the personnel can control the situation,» said Mr Ossip.

As related the incident of two days ago, some have said Elron ought to have sent an extra train to Lelle, or order a replacement bus. According to Mr Kaareste, that has not helped.

«Looking at the railway traffic on the Viljandi direction, it is often impossible for trains to move during the peak hours – as was the case here – this being a one track line,» he explained. Also, sending an extra train is complicated by the fact that on Fridays and Sundays, most of the trains are in use anyhow.

Mr Kaareste added that even with an extra train launched from Pääsküla, it would have reached Lelle at the same time as the next scheduled train headed towards Tallinn.

Replacement buses, however, are used if train traffic is disrupted. «Is an extra bus launched when one is sold out? The answer is no,» he said.

According to Mr Ossip, train traffic is an interesting means of transport that inflow of passengers is impossible to stop. In addition to seats, standing places are designed on the trains; therefore, say the Elron chiefs, it is impossible to only sell seat-tickets. «In that case, many people would miss the chance to ride,» said Mr Ossip.

Mr Ossip said people will have to understand that the changes on railways cannot come in a snap of a finger. «To have a long train return from Viljandi, it must get there first,» he explained. In train traffic, success spells optimal use of rolling stock; meanwhile, things are complicated by the fact that the trains cannot be «reconstructed» wherever. 

«The trains are in use and the circulation pre-planned; they cannot just be put together and cut shorter at a whim,» said Mr Ossip. Ideally, Estonia would have such stops where trains filled with passengers can be linked with other trains; currently, the infrastructure will not allow that.

«By both us and the [economy] ministry, negotiations are underway on the South-Western direction, that the Edelaraudtee infrastructure company would create such capacity,» said Mr Ossip. First in line, such capacity might be created in the Lelle station; then, the Pärnu train could be linked to the Viljandi one there.