High-speed rail in Finland
Although
A new service called
Between 2007 and 2010 the Russian line from the Finnish border to Saint Petersburg was electrified and improved to allow higher running speeds. The Finnish line (
Current proposals
There are proposals for high speed rail links between Helsinki and other major Finnish cities, with the
In September 2019, the
Helsinki–Turku
The only rail link between Helsinki and Turku is the Rantarata railway line, with journey times of around two hours. The first examination of a more direct rail link between the two cities Espoo and Salo took place in 1979.[10] The current plans for the new railway line involve the construction of 95 km (59 mi) of track between Espoo and Salo with maximum running speeds of 300 km/h (190 mph) per hour, allowing for a journey time of an hour between Helsinki and Turku compared to the current two hours; expecting to add a further 1.6 million annual passenger rail trips a year.[11] In 2017, the Finnish government provided €10 million in funding towards the planning and construction of the line, with half of this being eligible for European Union TEN-T funding. [12] As of October 2018 the line is scheduled for completion by 2031.[13]
Helsinki–Airport–Tampere
The Lentorata has been included in the
In 2019, Helsinki Times reported that a new rail connection is under consideration with an expected travel time of one hour from
Helsinki–Tallinn tunnel
As possible future project connected to the Rail Baltica project, an undersea rail tunnel between Helsinki and Tallinn is proposed, linking the Finnish rail network to continental Europe.[18] An estimated 12.5 million annual passengers would use the tunnel.[19]
Helsinki–Airport–Kouvola
In 2018, a study was commissioned into the construction of a new 106 km (66 mi) rail line from Helsinki to
Former proposals
Helsinki–Jyväskylä
In 2011 the region of Central Finland produced a study into a high-speed rail connection between Helsinki and Jyväskylä, narrowed down to three options; via Tampere, Riihimäki or Lahti; with a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph)–250 km/h (155 mph) and estimated costs of €580–970 million. No further work has progressed as of 2019.[22]
Lahti–Mikkeli
A further section of high-speed track under discussion is a 126 km (78 mi) line from Lahti to Mikkeli with one intermediate station at Heinola. This would shorten the distance by rail between the two cities by 29 km (18 mi); with a 42-46 minute travel time reduction if built to a maximum speed of 220 km/h (140 mph), or a 50-56 minute reduction if 300 km/h (190 mph). The projected cost of this project in 2019 was €1.5 billion.[23] This route offers faster journey times to Mikkeli, Kuopio and Kajaani, but not Joensuu and Lappeenranta.
See also
References
- ^ "Liikennenopeudet". Archived from the original on 4 October 2008. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
- ^ "Väylävirasto - Rautateiden verkkoselostus 2019 - Rataosien perustiedot" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- ^ VR Group (6 September 2007). "Karelian Trains orders high-speed trains for Helsinki-St Petersburg route". Archived from the original on 16 May 2008.
- ^ "Finland". Hs.fi. Retrieved 2015-03-28.
- ^ "Green League: Finland should invest €10bn in railway infrastructure". Helsinki Times. 14 December 2018.
- ^ "Marin: Government to only plan three large rail infrastructure projects". Helsinki Times. 7 June 2019.
- ^ "High-speed rail links simply can't be build [sic] in the coming years, reminds Marin". Helsinki Times. 22 July 2019.
- ^ "Finland to establish new companies to manage major rail projects". International Railway Journal. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ "Finland one step closer to one-hour train to Turku". YLE. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- ^ "Espoo-Salo-oikorata". Liikennevirasto. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ a b c "Suomen valtiolta jättimäinen panostus raidehankkeisiin – Tunnin juna etenee". Uusi Suomi. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ "Tunnin juna synnyttäisi 1,5 miljoonan ihmisen työssäkäyntialueen". YLE Uutiset. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "Berner: New rail link between Helsinki and Turku set to be completed in 2031". Helsinki Times. 16 October 2018.
- ^ "Lentoaseman kaukoliikennerata, Ratayhteysselvitys" (PDF). Finnish Transport Agency. 2010. p. 7. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ "Ring Rail Line trains will stop at all stations". HSL. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ "Finavia backs rapid rail link between Helsinki Airport and Tampere". YLE Uutiset. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ^ "Finland earmarks funds for new rail links between Helsinki, Turku and Tampere". Helsinki Times. 4 February 2019.
- ^ Sinervä, Jukka (5 January 2016). "A tunnel to Tallinn? Helsinki believes it's feasible". Yle. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- ^ "FinEst Link Project results: Helsinki–Tallinn railway tunnel to become an engine of regional growth". FinEst Link. 7 February 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
- ^ "Henkilöliikenne Kouvolan kautta Itä-Suomeen on kasvussa — Liikennemäärien noususta haetaan pontta itärata-hankkeelle". Kouvolan Sanomat (in Finnish). 25 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "Helsinki – Kouvola direct link "not economically viable"". International Rail Journal. 5 April 2019.
- ^ https://www.keskisuomi.fi/filebank/21935-Nopea_ratayhteys_Jkl-Hki_raportti.pdf Nopea ratayhteys Jyväskylästä Helsinkiin, Alustava tarveselvitys 3/2011 - Keski-Suomen liitto
- ^ "Selvitys: Rantarata itään maksaisi miljardi euroa enemmän kuin Itärata Porvoon kautta Kouvolaan". YLE (in Finnish). 10 April 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.