Transport infrastructure

The purpose of the statistical process is to provide information on national roads, railways, navigable inland waterways, and air routes in Estonia.

Administrative data process

Length of national roads by type of road surface;

length of public railway running tracks by type of railway;

length of navigable inland waterways;

total length of air routes

No classifications are used in the collection, processing, or dissemination of data in this statistical process.

Transportation

Air route – a fixed route to direct the flow of air traffic

Automotive lockout – interval-based rail traffic control system in which the section between stations is divided into block sections. The signal light indications delimiting the block sections change automatically and transmit the corresponding signals to trains depending on whether the block section behind the signal is free of rolling stock or occupied.

Basic road – a road that connects cities with one another and with main roads

Electrified railway – a railway track equipped with an overhead catenary or a conductor rail to permit electric traction

Halt – stop-off point generally open to passenger traffic only and not usually staffed

Level crossing – any level intersection between a road and a railway (road – for the purposes of rail statistics, any public or private road, street or highway, including footpaths and bicycle lane). There are two types of level crossings: crossings with automatic signalling and crossings without automatic signalling.

Main road – a highway connecting the capital with other major cities, those cities with one another, and the capital and other major cities with important ports, railway junctions, and border crossing points

Navigable inland waterway – a stretch of water, not part of the sea, which by natural or man-made features is suitable for navigation, primarily by inland waterway vessels. The term covers navigable rivers, lakes, canals and estuaries.

Public railway – the railway infrastructure of a railway enterprise, the use of which, with regard to basic and extra services and fees, time, and other conditions of use, is ensured without discrimition to all railway enterprises for the provision of rail transport services on the basis of and pursuant to the procedure provided for in the Railways Act

Railway – a civil engineering structure permanently attached to a plot of land, the essential parts of which are the track bed and the superstructure consisting of rails, switch blades, sleepers, and ballast, supported by the track bed

Railway station – a generally staffed railway facility, open or not to the public, designed for one or more of the following operations: formation, dispatch, reception, and temporary stabling of trains; stabling and marshalling of rolling stock; boarding and alighting of passengers; provision of ticket purchase facilities where open to the public; loading and unloading of goods.

Ramp and connecting road – a structure for traffic management and the channeling of traffic flows in the junction area of roads that are grade-separated or at the same level

Running track – a track providing end-to-end line continuity designed for trains between stations or places indicated in tariffs as independent points of departure or arrival for the conveyance of passengers or goods

Secondary road – a road connecting cities with towns and small towns, towns and small towns with one another, and all of these with main and basic roads

Semi-automotive lockout – semi-automatic rail traffic system allowing the departure signal to be cleared and a train to enter the section between stations when an electric block signal “OK” is received from the stationmaster of the neighbouring station

Total length of railway – all railways which are connected, directly or by way of other railways, to a network of railways designated for public use (hereinafter public railways), including railways which are necessary for entry into or departure from depots or railway repair workshops (depot sidings) and railways which only support transport

Transport route

National roads;

public railways;

navigable inland waterways;

air routes

Estonia as a whole

1980–…

The data are published for the previous year; for example, data published in 2025 refer to 2024.

Not applicable

Length of transport routes – kilometre

Year

Official Statistics Act.

Agreements have been established with the following international organisations: Eurostat, OECD, UNECE, the International Transport Forum (ITF), and the International Road Federation (IRF)

None

The dissemination of data collected for the purpose of producing official statistics is guided by the requirements provided for in § 32, § 34, § 35 and § 38 of the Official Statistics Act.

On European level, Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

The dissemination of data collected for the production of official statistics is based on the requirements laid down in §§ 34 and 35 of the Official Statistics Act. The principles for treatment of confidential data can be found here: Data protection (Privacy policy).

No confidentiality measures are applied, as no microdata are used (the data are aggregated).

Notifications about the dissemination of statistics are published in the release calendar, which is available on Statistics Estonia's website. Every year on 1 October, the release times of the statistical database, news releases, main indicators by IMF SDDS and publications for the following year are announced in the release calendar (in the case of publications – the release month).

The release calendar is available to consumers on the website Calendar.

All users have been granted equal access to official statistics: dissemination dates of official statistics are announced in advance and no user category (incl. Eurostat, state authorities and mass media) is provided access to official statistics before other users. Official statistics are first published in the statistical database. If there is also a news release, it is published simultaneously with data in the statistical database. Official statistics are available on the website at 8:00 a.m. on the date announced in the release calendar.

Year

Not published

Not published

Data are published in the statistical database in all tables under the subject area Economy / Transport/ Transport infrastructure:

KVT02: Length of transport routes, 31 December;

KVT022: Length of national roads by type of pavement, 31 December;

KVT026: Railways registered in the Estonian Railway Traffic Register.

The following data tables, previously published within this statistical process, have been discontinued:

KVT024: Length of national roads by county, 31 December (2004–2015);

KVT03: Network of urban streets by administrative unit, 31 December (2001–2008);

KVT04: Bridges and viaducts by type of road and county, 31 December (2001–2015);

KVT05: Length of local roads and streets by administrative unit, 31 December (2000–2008);

KVT06: Local bridges and viaducts by administrative unit, 31 December (2000–2008);

KVT08: Road keeping costs of and investments in city streets by administrative unit, 31 December (2008);

KVT09: Road keeping costs of and investments in local roads by administrative unit, 31 December (2008);

KVT1: Bridges on state roads by departments of the road administration (1997–2002);

KVT10: Length of state roads by departments of the road administration (1997–2002);

KVT11: Length of national roads by departments of the road administration (1997–2002);

KVT12: Length of secondary or regional roads by departments of the road administration (1997–2002);

KVT13: Length of local roads by departments of the road administration (1997–2002);

KVT14: Distance of the city and rural municipality from the county centre and tallinn, 2003;

KVT21: Gas pipelines by type, 31 december (2002–2016);

KVT22: Pipelines (1994–2001).

The database tables related to the statistical process were viewed 178 times in 2024, 211 times in 2023, 289 times in 2022, 341 times in 2021, 504 times in 2020.

These figures include only updated data tables; views of discontinued tables are not included. Each table view is counted as a separate viewing. This is based on the database URLs, which show that the data have been selected and the table formed.

Statistics Estonia receives aggregated data; no microdata are used.

The data are transmitted to Eurostat once a year via the EDAMIS data transmission system using the Eurostat/OECD/UNECE Common Questionnaire.

The metadata related to the statistical process were viewed 43 times (1 January 2024 – 31 December 2024). This figure does not represent the number of viewers, as the metadata may have been viewed multiple times by a single user.

Glossary for transport statistics (prepared by the Intersecretariat Working Group on Transport Statistics – Eurostat, ITF and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe).

This statistical activity is guided by the European Statistics Code of Practice – revised edition, 2017.

To assure the quality of processes and products, Statistics Estonia applies the European Statistics Code of Practice and the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (ESS QAF). Statistics Estonia is also guided by the EFQM Excellence Model and the requirements in section 7 “Principles and quality criteria of producing official statistics” of the Official Statistics Act.

Statistics Estonia performs all statistical activities according to an international model (Generic Statistical Business Process Model – GSBPM). According to the GSBPM, the final phase of statistical activities is overall evaluation using information gathered in each phase or sub-process; this information can take many forms, including feedback from users, process metadata, system metrics and suggestions from employees. This information is used to prepare the evaluation report which outlines all the quality problems related to the specific statistical activity and serves as input for improvement actions.

Quality is managed by the quality manager.

At the national level, the primary users of the data are the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and the Ministry of Climate.

At the international level, the main users of the data are the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations (UN), the International Transport Forum (ITF), and the International Road Federation (IRF).

Since 1996, Statistics Estonia has conducted reputation and user satisfaction surveys. Surveys conducted at least once a year target both the existing and potential consumers of statistics. All results are available on Statistics Estonia's website in the section User surveys. The survey referred to does not concern a specific statistical activity but is a general satisfaction survey.

Information on user satisfaction can also be obtained through user feedback, which has been mostly positive.

The data are complete and comply with the definitions of the Eurostat/OECD/UNECE Common Questionnaire on Transport.

All required indicators have been collected and calculated (completeness 100%).

The type of survey and the data collection methods ensure sufficient accuracy.

Not applicable as this is not a sample survey.

Not applicable as this is not a sample survey.

Not applied

There is no coverage error, as complete information on the population units is available in registers.

The data are validated by data holder.

Not applicable

The data are validated by data holder.

Not applicable

The data are published 120 days after the end of the reference year ( T+ 120 days).

The data are published once ( T+ 120 days).

The data are published once ( T+ 120 days).

The data have been published at the time announced in the release calendar.

100% of the data has been published on time (as announced in the release calendar).

The data are internationally comparable and comply with the definitions of the Eurostat/OECD/UNECE Common Questionnaire on Transport.

KVT02: Length of transport routes, 31 December – the data are comparable over time from 1980 onwards;

KVT022: Length of national roads by type of pavement, 31 December – the data are comparable over time from 2004 onwards;

KVT026: Railways registered in the Estonian Railway Traffic Register – the data are comparable over time from 2009 onwards.

KVT02: Length of transport routes, 31 December – 37 comparable reference periods;

KVT022: Length of national roads by type of pavement, 31 December – 21 comparable reference periods;

KVT026: Railways registered in the Estonian Railway Traffic Register – 16 comparable reference periods.



The following data tables, previously published within this statistical process, have been discontinued:

KVT024: Length of national roads by county, 31 December (2004–2015) – 12 comparable reference periods;

KVT03: Network of urban streets by administrative unit, 31 December (2001–2008) – 8 comparable reference periods;

KVT04: Bridges and viaducts by type of road and county, 31 December (2001–2015) – 15 comparable reference periods;

KVT05: Length of local roads and streets by administrative unit, 31 December (2000–2008) – 9 comparable reference periods;

KVT06: Local bridges and viaducts by administrative unit, 31 December (2000–2008) – 9 comparable reference periods;

KVT08: Road keeping costs of and investments in city streets by administrative unit, 31 December (2008) – 1 comparable reference periods;

KVT09: Road keeping costs of and investments in local roads by administrative unit, 31 December (2008) – 1 comparable reference periods;

KVT1: Bridges on state roads by departments of the road administration (1997–2002) – 6 comparable reference periods;

KVT10: Length of state roads by departments of the road administration (1997–2002) – 6 comparable reference periods;

KVT11: Length of national roads by departments of the road administration (1997–2002) – 6 comparable reference periods;

KVT12: Length of secondary or regional roads by departments of the road administration (1997–2002) – 6 comparable reference periods;

KVT13: Length of local roads by departments of the road administration (1997–2002) – 6 comparable reference periods;

KVT14: Distance of the city and rural municipality from the county centre and tallinn, 2003 – 1 comparable reference periods;

KVT21: Gas pipelines by type, 31 december (2002–2016) – 15 comparable reference periods;

KVT22: Pipelines (1994–2001) – 8 comparable reference periods.

Not applicable

Not applicable as data are not published for periods shorter than one year.

Not applicable as not directly usable in national accounts.

The outputs of the statistical activity are coherent.

Total time of filling in reports of the statistical activity: 4 hours (data for 2024).

Costs are not calculated separately for different statistical activities.

The data revision policy and notification of corrections are described on Statistics Estonia's website in the section Principles of dissemination of official statistics.

Published data may be revised if the methodology is modified, errors are detected, or new or improved information becomes available.

Revision here refers to corrections to data received from the data provider. Data for the two most recent years may be revised.

The length data for paved national roads for 2018 was revised on 23 April 2020.

Not applied

The statistical process is based on administrative data sources.

Data on railways from the Estonian Railway Traffic Register are obtained from the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority. The data are collected using the official statistics questionnaire “Railways and rolling stock ”.

Data on national roads, inland waterways, and air routes are obtained from the Estonian Transport Administration.

Year

The Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority extracts data from the Estonian Railway Traffic Register and submits them using the official statistics questionnaire “Railways and rolling stock”.

Data on national roads, inland waterways, and air routes are obtained from the Estonian Transport Administration.

The data are validated by the data holder.

The collected data are converted into statistical output. As only aggregated data are used, they are generally published at the same aggregation level as received.

Imputation rate shows the share of imputed values among all values.

The data values are not imputed.

Not applied

Not applicable as the reference period is one year.

Until 2018, the questionnaire "Gas pipelines" was also used.