OREANDA-NEWS. September 09, 2014. Elron, the state-owned passenger railway operator, has asked the Ministry of Economic Affairs permission to increase ticket prices by up to 10 percent.

“The need for a price rise comes from a growth in train trips which will lead to increases in electricity costs, fuel costs, infrastructure and staff costs in 2015,” Andrus Ossip, the head of the company said.

He said the company is part of the state's regional policy and should not compete with bus companies. But tickets are up to 20 percent cheaper for trains compared to buses for some journeys, he said, adding that state subsidies should not completely be paid by everyone, but partly by the people who use the systems.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs is in charge of train ticket prices. Minister Urve Palo said at the end of June that prices will not increase sharply.