The Government’s Economic Policy Committee has approved a plan for the progress of a new train route across Southeast Finland, connecting the Helsinki-Russia border with Porvoo and the hinterland via Kouvola.
An alternative route along the coast via Loviisa and Kotka now seems less likely, although the Kotka authorities have argued that the connection to the port would be crucial. The proposal for a more northern route from Lahti to Mikkeli also seems to be outside the table.
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The Ministry of Transport and Communications announced on Thursday that it will continue negotiations with the municipalities and other potential actors that will benefit from the establishment of a railway connection design project company with their new municipalities.
The state will pay just over half the cost
The company must be responsible for planning and financing the project through its completion. According to preliminary estimates, the price tag is around EUR 70 million.
The project company would be at least 51 percent state-owned, while other stakeholders would have to commit 49 percent of the costs. In the end, Parliament must approve the state funding of the project.
The center-left government under the Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) is committed to investing heavily in Finnish rail transport as part of its ambitious emissions reduction program. Almost all of VR’s trains on the state railways all run on hydroelectric power.
The cities along the proposed eastern route have already decided how much they are willing to put in for the project.
For example, Lappeenranta, close to the Russian border, is committed to about 3.6 million euros, while Kouvola says it is ready to invest almost five million euros.
The city of about 82,000 inhabitants is located 135 kilometers northeast of Helsinki.
Source: The Nordic Page