Planning of the One Hour Train commences

The planning of the high-speed rail link between Turku and Helsinki has been transferred from the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency to Turku One Hour Train Ltd. The project partnership will commission the plans for the railway line, which will be used as the basis for building the new rail link. The aim is to have the plans ready by the end of 2023.

– This is the first time that rail connections are being planned as a project partnership in Finland. We are delighted that the agreements have been signed and the work can begin in earnest, says Pekka Ottavainen, the Managing Director at Turku One Hour Train Ltd.

In the planning stage, five separate plans for railway lines are produced comprising the railway sections Espoo–Lohja, Lohja–Salo, Salo–Hajala, Hajala–Nunna, and Nunna–Kupittaa. These plans will be developed further for the construction stage as individual entities.

Planning of the connection between Espoo and Salo begins in October

The planning of the direct railway line between Espoo and Salo is the most significant component of the entire project. Tenders for the work were accepted from four different design offices.

Plans for the section between Espoo and Vihti will be produced by Sweco Infra & Rail Oy, the section between Vihti and Lohja by Ramboll Finland Oy, and the section between Lohja and Suomusjärvi by Sitowise Oy, and the section between Suomusjärvi and Salo by Afry Finland Oy. The combined value of these contracts is 21 million euros.

In addition to the state, the project partnership includes the cities of Turku, Espoo, Helsinki, and Lohja, the town of Salo, and the municipalities of Vihti and Kirkkonummi. EU’s CEF (Connecting Europe Facility) funding has been granted for the planning stage of the project due to its importance. The funding granted for the planning of the Espoo–Salo direct line and the double-track section between Salo and Turku amounts to 50 percent of the total cost, up to a maximum of 37.5 million euros.

Further information:

Pekka Ottavainen, Managing Director, Turku One Hour Train Ltd, tel. +358 (0)400 261 097, pekka.ottavainen(a)tunninjuna.com

Annika Salokangas, Project Director, Turku One Hour Train Ltd, tel. +358 (0)40 866 5315, annika.salokangas(a)tunninjuna.com