Riga - Tallinn by train: is this 4-minute change realistic?

Question

I'm looking into travelling from Riga to Tallinn by train. From the invaluable Seat 61, I know that this involves a cross-platform change at the border station of Valga, arriving 13:55 and departing 13:59. A four-minute change is no problem if the first train is on time, but potentially a major problem if it isn't.

Under the circumstances it seems reasonable to expect that the Valga - Tallinn service would wait for a slightly delayed Riga - Valga arrival. However, reasonable expectations aren't always met, so does anyone know whether this is likely to happen in practice?

(I know that it's faster, and often cheaper, to take the bus between Riga and Tallinn, but I am specifically interested in going by train and too impatient to wait for Rail Baltica :).)

Answer 1

I spoke to my uncle who did this twice a few years ago. This his recollection.

The first time his train was around 10 minutes late, the other train was still waiting, and moved off almost immediately.

The second time did not go so well, and he was delayed on the first train by almost 90 minutes. The connecting train had departed.

He had a long and uncomfortable wait for the next train.

I would imagine the train operators have some minor amount of leeway built in (as @alamar highlights they are 'coordinated' but schedules probably can't cope with such an extended delay.