Transport in Finland
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The transport system of Finland is well-developed. Factors affecting traffic include the sparse population and long distance between towns and cities, and the cold climate with waterways freezing and land covered in snow for winter.
The extensive road system is utilized by most internal cargo and passenger traffic. As of 2010[update], the country's network of main roads has a total length of around 78,162 kilometres (48,568 mi) and all public roads 104,161 kilometres (64,723 mi). The motorway network totals 779 kilometres (484 mi) with additional 124 kilometres (77 mi) reserved only for motor traffic.[1]: 23, 42 Road network expenditure of around €1 billion is paid with vehicle and fuel taxes that amount to around €1.5 billion and €1 billion, respectively.
The main international passenger gateway is
Despite low population density, taxpayers spend annually around €350 million in maintaining 5,865 kilometres (3,644 mi) railway tracks even to many rural towns. Operations are privatized and currently the only operator is the state-owned
Icebreakers keep the 23 ports open all year round. There is passenger traffic from Helsinki and Turku, which have ferry connections to Tallinn, Mariehamn, Sweden and several other destinations.
Roads
Road transport in Finland is the most popular method of transportation, particularly in rural areas where the railway network does not extend to. As of 2011[update] there are 78,162 kilometres (48,568 mi) of public roads, of which 51,016 kilometres (31,700 mi) are paved.[1]: 42 The main road network comprises over 13,329 kilometres (8,282 mi) of road.[1]: 23
Highways
64% of all traffic on public roads takes place on main roads,
There are no toll roads in Finland.[3]
Speed limits
Speed limits change depending on the time of the year; the maximum speed limit on motorways is 120 km/h (75 mph) in the summer and 100 km/h (62 mph) in the winter. The main roads usually have speed limits of either 100 km/h or 80 km/h (50 mph). Speed limits in urban areas range between 30 km/h (19 mph) and 60 km/h (37 mph). If no other speed limit is signposted, the general speed limit in Finland is 50 km/h (31 mph) in built-up areas and 80 km/h (50 mph) outside.[4]
Vehicles
As of 2013[update], there are 4,95 million registered
Public transport
Local bus services inside cities and towns have often been tightly regulated by the councils. Many councils also have their own bus operators, such as Tampere City Transit (TKL), which operates some bus lines on a commercial basis in competition with privately owned providers. Regional bus lines have been regulated by the provincial administration to protect old transit companies, leading to cartel situations like TLO in the Turku region, but strong regional regulating bodies, like the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL/HRT), whose routes are put out to tender exist as well and will become the norm after the transitional period during the 2010s.
Accidents
In 2015, number of road traffic accidents involving personal injury was 5,164. In them, 266 persons were killed.[9] The number of road deaths per million inhabitants is just below the European average. Traffic safety has improved significantly since the early 1970s, when more than one thousand people died in road traffic every year.[10]
Parking
Municipal law 30-31 § gives right to
Cycling
In Finland, where 13% of the population reports cycling as their primary form of movement. In 2016, the first Bicycle-sharing system, Helsinki City Bikes was opened in Finland.
Rail transport
Railways
The Finnish railway network consists of a total of 5,919 kilometres (3,678 mi)[13] of railways built with 1,524 mm (5 ft).[14] 3,072 km (1,909 mi) of track is electrified.[13] In 2010, passengers made 13.4 million long-distance voyages and 55.5 million trips in local traffic.[13] On the same year, over 35,000,000 tonnes (34,000,000 long tons; 39,000,000 short tons) of freight were transported.[13]
Finland's first railway was opened between
The Helsinki area has three
Metro
The
High-speed rail
There are plans to link Helsinki to Turku and Tampere by high-speed lines resulting in journey times of an hour between the capital and the two cities.[17] A link to Kouvola is also planned. The estimated cost of these lines is €10 billion.
Trams and light rail
In Finland there have been four cities with trams:
In November 2016, Tampere city council approved the construction of a new light rail system. Construction of phase 1 begun late 2016 and finished in 2021. Tampere trams are already operating but the official opening date is 9 August 2021. Turku also has preliminary plans for new tram system, but no decision to build it has been made.
Helsinki currently operates 10 tramlines on a network of approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) of track in passenger service. The trams have annually 57 million passengers.[18][19]
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New Škoda Artic tram in Helsinki
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NewThe Artic XL tram in Helsinki
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New Škoda Artic tram in Tampere
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Funicular in Turku
Air transport
There are 148 airfields, 74 of which have paved runways.
Helsinki-Vantaa airport is Finland's global gateway with scheduled non-stop flights to such places as
Other airports with regular scheduled international connections are
Water transport
The Finnish Maritime Administration is responsible for the maintenance of Finland's waterway network. Finland's waterways includes some 7,600 kilometres (4,700 mi) of coastal fairways and 7,900 kilometres (4,900 mi) of Finland waterways (on rivers, canals, and lakes).
The largest general port is Port of Hamina-Kotka. Port of Helsinki is the busiest passenger harbour, and it also has significant cargo traffic.[24] By cargo tons, the five busiest ports are Hamina-Kotka, Helsinki, Rauma, Kilpilahti and Naantali.[25]
Icebreakers keep 23 ports open for traffic even in winter. The ports in Gulf of Bothnia need icebreakers in average six months a year, while in Gulf of Finland icebreakers are needed for three months a year.[26]
Frequent ferry service connects Finland with
Waterways/Canals
Finland's canals are primarily located in inland waters. The canals of the Finnish sea area are mostly made for small boating. In terms of water traffic, a significant reason for canalization has been floating operations. For water management, canals have been built especially for Log driving and hydropower projects.
In order to lower and drain Lake Pohjalanjärvi, the depression of Rautajoki was deepened by canalization. The Finnish Waterways Association was founded in 1981 to promote the development of waterways and the construction of canals.
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-952-255-699-8. Archived from the original(PDF) on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- ^ Transport and communications ministry – Rail Archived 18 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Guide to Driving In Finland – Drive Safe in Finland Rhino Car Hire
- ^ "Driving in Finland". Visit Finland. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Liikenteessä olevien ajoneuvojen määrä kasvaa tasaisesti – 5 miljoonan raja lähellä" (in Finnish). Trafi. 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "New Car Sales". Automotive Industry Finland. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Tämä auto oli Suomen myydyin vuonna 2014 – tarjolla kaikki käyttövoimaversiot". Iltasanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ Long Distance Bus & Train Services in Finland Expat Finland
- ^ "Road Traffic Accidents". Statistics Finland. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Finnish Annual Road Safety Review 2013" (PDF). Trafi. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ Kansan valta Suora demokratia politiikan pelastuksena Toim Saara Ilvessalo ja Hensrik Jaakkola into 2011 Saara Ilvessalo Byrokratiavyyhdistä suoraan demokratiaan pages 36–38
- ^ WHAT EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR A SUSTAINABLE URBAN TRANSPORT? Archived 17 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine MAY 2007 [1] Archived 28 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ISSN 1798-8128. Archived from the original(pdf) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- ]
- ISBN 978-1566565448.
- ^ "Tulihevonen saapui ensi kerran Hämeenlinnaan 150 vuotta sitten" [The "fire horse" arrived first time in Hämeenlinna 150 years ago]. Yle Häme (in Finnish). Yle. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ "Finland earmarks funds for new rail links between Helsinki, Turku and Tampere". Helsinki Times. 4 February 2019.
- ^ "By tram". Helsinki. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Helsinki, tram track network". Raitio.org. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ CIA Factbook Finland CIA
- ^ "Matkustajat 2016" (PDF). Finavia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Helsinki ja Lappi vetivät Finavian lentoasemaverkoston uuteen matkustajaennätykseen" (in Finnish). Finavia. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ Saimaa Canal Archived 13 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine Go Saimaa
- ^ Kiiskinen, Lauri (2013). "Security Threats of the Roro-ships in the Gulf of Finland" (PDF). Kymenlaakso polytechnic. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Statistics on International Shipping" (PDF). Statistics from the Finnish Transport Agency. 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
- ^ "Climate change creates new prerequisites for shipping". Climate guide. Archived from the original on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
External links
- VR (The main site of the Finnish railway company)
- Search engine for all public transit in Finland Archived 5 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- Finnish Maritime Administration
- Finnish Road Administration Archived 24 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Transport statistics at Findicator