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Rail track overhaul vehicle in Finland. (Image credit: VRs overhauling company TRACK)
Finnish transport infra with rail routes in need of 2.4 billion
Published: Tue, 2014-12-16 10:47-
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To restore rail routes to acceptable standards
A parliamentary working group report from the Ministry of Transport and Communications in Finland has found that the condition of transport infrastructure in the country has deteriorated over the span of several consecutive governments.
The group said that government will have to spend more money to restore road and rail routes to acceptable standards.
A parliamentary working group presented the report on 12 December declaring that the state of roads, railways and waterways in Finland is developing in a worrying direction.
The total repair deficit is currently calculated at 2.4 billion euros, representing the funds required to restore the transport infrastructure to a satisfactory state that would correspond to present need.
According to the working group, funding for basic infrastructure maintenance should be increased annually by 100 million euros from its current amount, if it wants to stave off further deterioration of the network - and greater costs.
Even this, however, is not enough to reduce the deficit, as an additional 50 million per year would be required for that purpose. This annual injection of 50 million euros would be needed to keep pace with daily maintenance and repair, among other things.
The Ministry of Transport and Communication is responsible for maintaining and developing the transport infrastructure of the country. Transport infrastructure includes all roads and streets, private roads, railways, maritime and inland waterways, and the metro and tram systems.
The Finnish Transport Agency, which operates under the direction of the Ministry, is responsible for road, railway and waterway maintenance. The Transport Agency outsources this work to businesses through competitive tendering.
Source: Ministry of Transport and Communications in Finland
Av Markku Björkman
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