Helsinki-Tallinn tunnel project triggers controversy

A widely discussed plan of building a subsea railroad tunnel between Helsinki and Tallinn triggered heated debate as the official feasibility report of the project was published on Wednesday.

The planned railroad would be 100 kilometers long and cross the Gulf of Finland at a depth of 160 meters. The track would connect the Tallinn Ulemiste airport with the Helsinki-Vantaa airport.

Passengers could board the train at both airports, and also at the Helsinki central railway station. Two artificial islands could be created, one outside Tallinn and the other further north.

If financing is available, construction could begin in 2025 and trains would operate in 2040. Currently, some 9 million people travel across the Gulf of Finland on ferries and boats.

The report said the tunnel would raise the number of passengers to 23 million, with 12.5 million using the tunnel. Freight services would grow essentially as well, it added.

The cost of the Finnish-Estonian project would range between 13 and 20 billion euros, estimated the report.

Barely profitable, the tunnel will nonetheless bring positive economic impact which may exceed the construction cost within a few years, concluded the joint study.

Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas said in Tallinn on Wednesday that the tunnel would improve the competitive edge of both Helsinki and Tallinn. Mayor of Helsinki Jan Vapaavuori told a Finnish language newspaper Helsingin Sanomat that he used to consider the tunnel as a "mad dream", but now he considered it "a dream". He cautioned against excessive optimism though.

An estimate of 40 percent of the budget needs to be financed by the European Union (EU), said the probe. However, Finnish media said the EU has not included the Helsinki-Tallinn tunnel in its Ten-T project list meant to clear regional bottlenecks in Europe, while the railroad from Estonia to Poland is on the list.

The tunnel project is not currently on any EU plan for investigations, reported Helsingin Sanomat.

The official feasibility report was commissioned by both cities and the transport ministries of Finland and Estonia.

Finnish media reported a parallel plan initiated by private entrepreneur Peter Vesterbacka, a veteran co-founder of Angry Birds' producer, Rovio. He told Finnish broadcaster Yle on Wednesday that his plan would be operational much faster.

Criticizing the public venture for its slowness in progress and uncertainty to raise fund, Vesterbacka said the construction would be completed in 2024 under his plan.

He expressed disbelief in the willingness of European states to finance the tunnel, and said his financing would be from China and from Nordic pension companies.

The plan promoted by Vesterbacka would give the tunnel a different routing at the Finnish end with a terminal in Espoo, the neighboring city west of Helsinki, and would then continue to the Helsinki-Vantaa airport.

Meanwhile, Minister of Transport and Communications Anne Berner termed it significant project for all of Finland and Europe, according to an official press release.

“The tunnel would together with the Rail Baltica railway project and the Arctic railway line connect the Arctic region with the heart of Europe via Finland. The tunnel could thus be a significant project for all of Finland and Europe, not only for Helsinki and Tallinn,” said Berner.

Berner emphasized the increasing importance of the Arctic region from the viewpoint of both the Nordic countries and the EU.

Well-functioning transport and telecommunication connections in turn are a prerequisite for the sustainable development and growth of the Arctic region, she added.