Start of designing a new high-speed rail line in Finland

The design of a new high-speed rail line from Helsinki to Turku has begun in Finland. The investment will be co-financed from EU funds, informs Railway Supply magazine citing Rynek Kolejowy.

The idea of building a line that would connect the Finnish capital by the shortest route with the oldest Finnish city of Turku emerged in the late 1970s. Until the idea is implemented, it takes two hours to run 196-kilometer route along the coast. However, a few years ago, One Hour Train was founded, which, as the name implies, set itself the goal of realizing the Helsinki-Turku high speed rail concept.

The project contractor will first design a 95 km double track section between Espoo and Salo, which will operate at a speed of 300 km/h. In July 2020, 37.5 million euros were allocated for this purpose from the European Foundation Connection Europe. The railroad should be ready by 2030.

There are almost 500 kilometers of railway tracks in Finland with the speed from 180 to 200 km/h. Thus, these routes meet the HSR definition. On the other hand, the 75 km Kerava-Lahti section can be moved at a speed of 220 km/h, and this option is used by the Allegro trains between Helsinki and St. Petersburg.

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