Task force formed to examine project details

The Finnish transport and communications ministry has set up a task force to examine whether and how to proceed with the FinEst Link, the railway tunnel project between Helsinki and Tallinn, said an official press release.

The move comes on the wake of the final report on the project under planning published on February 7.

“A railway tunnel between Tallinn and Helsinki would be a significant step in improving connections between Finland and Europe. It is now important to continue the good research work together with the key stakeholders,” said Minister of Transport and Communications Anne Berner.

One of the assignments of the task force is to examine the need for further studies and how that could be financed. In its work, the group will take into account the results and recommendations of the FinEst Link study completed in February.

The team will also have to consider the far-reaching economic impacts of the tunnel, questions related to financing, connections between transport and logistics and the related business models, smooth travel chains, and future technological development, among other things.

The task force has representatives from the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications, Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, and the cities of Helsinki and Tallinn. In support of its work, the group will also hear other parties related to the project.

The task force is scheduled to complete its assignments by spring with the deadline set in May.

The widely discussed plan of building a subsea railroad tunnel between Helsinki and Tallinn triggered heated debate after the official feasibility report on the project had been published on February 7.

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

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

If adequate financing is available, the construction of the tunnel railway may begin in 2025 and trains would start to ply in 2040. Currently, some nine 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 February 7 report.

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