Finland to seek EU funding for 1-hour Turku-Helsinki Rail Link

The state of Finland will apply for funding for the planning process of the One-hour Turku-Helsinki Rail Link and the Finland Railway from the European Commission, said an official press release.

Funding will also be sought for the planning of the Espoo city rail link, improving the Pasila-Riihimäki track and the Vantaa Tram.

The funding will be sought through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme that promotes investments to the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The Cabinet Finance Committee endorsed the applications on 20 February 2020.

Earlier, on February 13, 2020, the state and municipalities reached a consensus on forming project companies to promote the planning of the Finland Railway and the One-hour Turku-Helsinki Rail Link as well as on funding shares for the different parties.

The EU's CEF funding will be sought for the following projects:

One-hour Turku-Helsinki Rail Link

The Ministry of Transport and Communications will seek EUR 37.5 million to develop rail traffic between Helsinki and Turku. The total budget for the planning phase is EUR 75 million.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications will seek EUR 11 million for the planning of the Espoo city rail link. The project's total budget is EUR 22 million. As a part of the project, the track, bridges and a tunnel need to be planned.

The Espoo city rail link is part of the One-hour Turku-Helsinki Rail Link. Planning for the Espoo city rail link is already on its way and it does not fall under the jurisdiction of the One-hour Turku-Helsinki Rail Link. No separate funding has been allocated to the project in the state budget.

Finland Railway

The Ministry of Transport and Communications will seek EUR 11.7 million to develop the Helsinki-Tampere track. The project's total budget is EUR 23.4 million. The Helsinki-Tampere track is a busy railway link and part of the Europe-wide TEN-T Core Network.

Improving the Pasila-Riihimäki track

The Ministry of Transport and Communications will seek EUR 6.5 million to develop railway traffic between Pasila and Riihimäki. The project's total budget is EUR 13 million. No separate funding has been allocated to the project in the state budget.

Vantaa Tram

The city of Vantaa will seek EUR 10.15 million in CEF funding to develop the Vantaa Tram as a part of the Helsinki light rail network.

The funding is issued by the European Commission to promote investments to the Trans-European Transport Network. Successful applications also require local funding. The projects must be completed by 31 December 2023.