Suurten raidehankkeiden edistäminen

LVM031:00/2019 Development

In December 2020, the Finnish Rail Ltd (Suomi-rata Oy) and the Turku One Hour Train Ltd (Turun Tunnin Juna Oy) were established for the planning of the Finland Railway and the one-hour Helsinki-Turku rail link. The Finnish State’s share in the companies is 51 per cent. The Government decided on 28 October 2021 to authorise the Ministry of Transport and Communications to establish a limited liability company partly owned by the state for the eastern rail line planning.

Project status

Basic information Completed

Project number LVM031:00/2019

Case numbers LVM/235/01/2019 , VN/7618/2019

Set by Ministry of Transport and Communications

Term/schedule 10.9.2019 – 31.12.2021

Date of appointment 10.9.2019

Relation to the Government Programme

Marin

Strategiset kokonaisuudet Dynamic and thriving Finland

Strategiset kokonaisuudet Transport network development

Action Exploring the financing and investment opportunities for major railway projects

Goals and results

The task of the Finnish Rail Ltd (Suomi-rata Oy is to plan the railway infrastructure related to the rail connection between Helsinki and Tampere via Helsinki Airport until the construction is ready to begin. The task of the Turku One Hour Train Ltd (Turun Tunnin Juna Oy) is to plan the railway infrastructure related to the Turku-Helsinki high-speed rail connection until the construction is ready to begin. The task of the project company for the eastern rail link would be to plan the railway infrastructure related to the Lentorata–Porvoo–Kouvola railway line until the line is ready for construction.

Summary

In December 2020, the Finnish Rail Ltd (Suomi-rata Oy) and the Turku One Hour Train Ltd (Turun Tunnin Juna Oy) were established for the planning of the Finland Railway and the one-hour Helsinki-Turku rail link. The Finnish State’s share in the companies is 51 per cent. The Government decided on 28 October 2021 to authorise the Ministry of Transport and Communications to establish a limited liability company partly owned by the state for the eastern rail line planning.

Starting points

The Finnish railway sector faces a wide range of pressures for change. For example, increasing environmental awareness, the requirements for sustainable development and the fight against climate change require a holistic change in mobility and logistics. Accessibility of regions and areas is also central to Finland's competitiveness and success. Major rail projects, such as the one-hour Helsinki-Turku rail link, the Finland railway and the Itärata eastern rail link, would connect the regions and would be strategic projects for Finland as a whole.

The project companies set up to promote rail investments would enable more projects to be carried out. This conclusion was reached by both a parliamentary working group assessing transport financing (final report 28.2.2018) and a working group led by by the Ministry of Finance examining the implementation of the infra projects using the company model (final report, 20.12.2018). The Parliamentary Finance Committee also considers the project company model as a possible option, as the planned rail projects are so extensive that their implementation is not easy within the budgetary framework alone, nor can they be implemented solely through user charges and ticket revenues (Committee report VaVM 39/2018 vp — HE 323/2018 vp, HE 324/2018 vp. 2).

Additional information