Finland applied for EU rail funding
Published: Mon, 2015-03-16 10:03The Finnish government has applied for funds from the TEN-T programme for several railway projects, including 12.2 million euros for the planning and 66.8 million euros for the building of the Helsinki City Rail Loop.
This project was sanctioned by the Finnish Transport Agency in February 2012 as a means of relieving pressure on Helsinki’s main station. The estimated cost is 956 million euros at 2020 prices, with a time-scale of five years and work beginning in 2016 at the earliest. The EU had pledged 5 million euros for planning.
Disagreements over funding led to the announcement in February that the project is on hold, but the Prime Minister’s office subsequently issued a statement saying that 40 million euros is reserved for planning, and negotiations with local authorities on further financing are on-going.
The plans could change again after the general election, which is due to take place in May.
Source: MM Media Ltd