Finland has given the green light to the planning of Rail Nordica, a project to build a European standard gauge railway to connect to Sweden. 20 million euros is earmarked in the national budget from 2026 to 2029 for the planning, announced the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications.
Finland’s Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne called the launch a “historic decision”, highlighting its importance for Finland’s security, economy, and employment.
Rail Nordica is described by the Ministry as a long-term, billion-euro project. Its first phase will plan a new line between the Haaparanta–Tornio border crossing and Kemi, a town in northern Finland near the Gulf of Bothnia between Sweden and Finland. Preliminary estimates put the cost of construction from northern Finland to Oulu at over 1.5 billion.
At present, Finland’s railway track gauge is 90 millimetres wider than the standard of 1435 mm used in most of Europe, as Finland was part of the Russian Empire when its first railway line was built. Extending the European gauge is seen as vital for improving military mobility across the Nordic region and connecting Finland more closely to Western European networks.
NATO and regional economy
The project is closely linked to military mobility, with Tranport Minister Ranne saying it “responds to NATO’s needs”. However, she also emphasised that it is more than that: it should also improve Finland’s supply lines, and boost growth and regional development.
The Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) regulation, since being revised in 2023, obliges EU Member States to examine European track gauge in countries which differ from this norm. In April 2023, the Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications concluded that the costs of changing the track gauge on the entire TEN-T network in Finland to the European track gauge was deemed to outweigh the potential benefits. However, when constructing this new line to connect to the Swedish tracks, European gauge is seen as viable.
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency began studying a potential gauge transition in northern Finland in 2024. The main findings are expected by June 2025.
More Finnish rail investments
Beyond Rail Nordica, Finland’s Government has also announced a 2.5 million investment from 2027 to launch new rail passenger services between Tampere and Rauma, two cities in southern Finland. As part of broader efforts to strengthen the economy of eastern and northern Finland, a 42 million programme will upgrade capacity and reduce travel times on the Savo railway service, linking towns such as Kuopio and Pieksämäki in the east of the country.
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