Finland plans to become a triggering factor in identifying new mobility solutions that would significantly reduce congestion and emissions and meet the citizens’ mobility needs, while ensuring a sustainable development. Transport authorities and a university from Finland have decided to implement a project aimed to identify new environmentally friendly transport solutions. Apart from this research programme, two Finnish cities are developing projects for the growth of the public rail transport system as an efficient and decisive solution to change the transport system to encourage a green transport system.
Finland plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by taking a closer look to the transport system. As many other countries, Finland is affected by the negative effects of individual motorised transport which must be reduced or even eliminated. In order to identify new solutions and to transform the transport system into a more sustainable one, the Finnish Ministry of Transport, the Transport Safety Agency (Trafi) and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences are implementing and also financing a joint project to promote more flexible, non-polluting and eco-friendly transport solutions (Mobility as a Service MaaS). Moreover, the research project will try to identify the way in which people are changing and will change mobility customs. The project was launched in November 2016 and will be completed in 2019. “Transportation is becoming a comprehensive service. To help in decision-making we need an increasing number of new transportation services, as well as research on mobility behaviour, for example,” Laura Eiro, Director of the Markets Unit at the Ministry of Transport said.
Intelligent mobility solutions are at the core of Metropolia’s research and development activities and the objective is to build an international multidisciplinary research network used to collaborate and identify solution for shifting transport to a sustainable mobility culture.
“The interdisciplinary approach combines technology, human behaviour, social change and the opportunities presented by the services market. The new possibilities made available by technology will be approached primarily from a user experience perspective while applying design thinking,” PhD Arto O. Salonen said.
Urban rail development
Apart from the digitalisation and automation projects, a sustainable transport system means effective public transport projects. Some of Finland’s representative projects are the LRT construction projects in Helsinki and Tampere. At the end of 2016, Tampere Council approved the city’s first LRT project. With a budget of EUR 238.8 million, in the first phase, the project includes the construction of Hervanta-University Hospital Railway and, according to plans, the route will be extended to Lentävänniem suburbs. The network will include two railways of 23.5 km and 33 stations, providing transport services for 48,000 passengers/day. In June, EIB announced they were evaluating the project and could grant EUR 165 million. At the end of 2016, the authorities also signed the construction contract awarded to Pöyry, YIT and VR Track consortium, while Transtech was selected to supply the vehicles in the first phase of the project.
2016 was a success for the development of the public transport system in Helsinki, too. The city authorities signed the financing agreement worth EUR 100 million with EIB for phase 2 of West Metro. A credit facility of EUR 450 million was also approved for this second phase. The extension of the line to Espoo will be opened in two phases. The first section includes a 14 km line providing connection between Ruoholahti and Matinkylä, for which EIB granted EUR 450 million in 2011. The authorities announced that as of January necessary tests will be launched so that the railway could be put in service.
The second phase of West Metro, Finland’s largest infrastructure project, includes the development of a 7 km railway and 5 stations between Matinkylä and Kivenlahti.
Another public rail transport in Helsinki is the acquisition of new trams, Helsinki City Transport, and signed the EUR 60 million loan contract with Nordic Investment Bank. The project stipulates the procurement of 40 trams, manufactured by Transtech, to replace the existing rolling stock fleet with vehicles manufactured in 1970. The new vehicles will be much more energy-efficient and will have a capacity by 50% higher than the trams that currently run on the city network.
One of the important transport projects in Helsinki is Crown Bridges, a project approved in September by the authorities. The project includes the construction of a tram link between the capital’s centre and Laajasalo, the group of islands that form the southern proximity area of Helsinki. The project includes the construction of 10 km of line, three bridges (the longest measuring 1.2 km), pedestrian routes and cycling lanes. According to the study, the railway will cross Hakaniemi, in the city centre, then the north in Laajasalo, crossing Yliskylä.
The railway will be built through the central section Central Railway Station–Yliskylä and Kolmikulma–Haakoninlahti section, the additional railway to Kruunuvuorenranta.
In September, the city council approved the project worth EUR 260 million, and, according to the project plan, the construction will be launched in 2018 and services will begin in 2026.
The budget plan for 2017 approved by the council stipulates the allocation of 30% of investments to public transport development projects. The total budget of investments in 2017 is EUR 657 million, of which EUR 169 million will be allotted to Helsinki City Transport (HKL) transport company. In 2017-2019, there are three essential public rail transport projects that will receive financing: EUR 114 million for Joker LRT, including rail and tram systems; EUR 68 million for the Crown Bridges LRT including infrastructure systems, bridges, cycling lanes, pedestrian routes, tram procurement and EUR 51 million to the ongoing tram procurements.
by Pamela Luica
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