FINLAND: Companies have been established by the government and local authorities to plan two major rail projects.
Suomi-rata Oy, or Finnish Rail, will develop plans for new alignments and additional tracks needed to provide a 1 h journey time on the main corridor between Helsinki and Tampere, with long-distance trains running via Helsinki Airport.
The government has a 51% stake, with the other shareholders being airport operator Finavia Corp and local authorities in Helsinki, Tampere, Vantaa, Hämeenlinna, Janakkala, Riihimäki, Lahti, Akaa, Jyväskylä, Oulu, Pori, Seinäjoki, Vaasa, Kangasala, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Ylöjärvi, Kokkola and Parkano.
‘Efficient logistic connections from the Helsinki metropolitan area to northern Finland are vital to Finland’s competitiveness in terms of both passenger transport and freight transport’, said board Chair Kari Savolainen. ‘What is also important from the point of view of accessibility is that Finnish Rail makes it possible to integrate railway and air transport into efficient travel chains.’
Turun Tunnin Juna Oy, or Turku One Hour Train, will plan the infrastructure works for a 300 km/h connection offering a journey time of 75 min (despite the project’s name) between Helsinki and Turku, compared to around 2 h at present. This would include a new direct line from Espoo to Salo via Lohja, the Espoo regional railway, Salo – Turku double-tracking and works in the Turku yard area.
In addition to the government’s 51% stake, the shareholders are the cities of Turku, Espoo, Helsinki, Salo, Lohja, Vihti and Kirkkonummi.
The government has granted €40m to cover the costs of planning, and completion is planned for the late 2020s.
‘The Turku One Hour Train is a large-scale project that will genuinely benefit climate and lay the foundation for wellbeing in Finland’, said Chair Minna Forström.
Minister of Transport & Communications Timo Harakka explained that establishing the companies was ‘an important milestone in our efforts to promote two large-scale railway projects and obtain full EU subsidies.’
‘In addition to the Finnish government, a total of 26 cities and municipalities and Finavia are involved in the project companies’, he said. ‘This proves that we are strongly committed to developing all of Finland. Investing in rail transport is essential when we move towards sustainable transport.’
