The ''Lentorata'' ('Flight track') is a planned railway line in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

, designed to link

Helsinki Airport Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (; fi, Helsinki-Vantaan lentoasema, sv, Helsingfors-Vanda flygplats), or simply Helsinki Airport, is the main international airport of the city of Helsinki, its surrounding metropolitan area, and the Uusimaa region. ...

to the Finnish long-distance railway network and to complement the current airport connection via the

Ring Rail Line The Ring Rail Line ( fi, Kehärata, sv, Ringbanan; formerly ''Marjarata'') is a railway route in the area of the city of Vantaa, in the Greater Helsinki Metropolitan Area of Finland. It connects Helsinki-Vantaa Airport and the adjacent Aviapolis ...

. Construction of the line is not expected to start until 2030, with the line operational several years later.

History

The ''Lentorata'' has been included in the

Finnish Transport Agency The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency ( fi, Väylävirasto, sv, Trafikledsverket), shortened to FTIA, is a Finnish government agency responsible for the maintenance of Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Rep ...

's plans since 2010. Following the opening of the

in 2015, Helsinki Airport gained its first railway connection through the

Helsinki commuter rail Helsinki commuter rail ( fi, Helsingin seudun lähijunaliikenne, sv, Huvudstadsregionens närtrafik) is a commuter rail system serving Greater Helsinki and the surrounding county of Uusimaa. The system is a joint venture between the regional t ...

network. Long-distance trains stop at Tikkurila railway station where frequent commuter trains take passengers to the airport. However, a need has also been identified for a rail link at the airport for long-distance traffic, with support from

Finavia Finavia Oyj, formerly the Finnish Civil Aviation Administration, is the public limited company responsible for maintaining and developing Finland's airport network. Finavia manages and develops 20 airports around the country, 18 of which primari ...

, the mayors of Helsinki and

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population ...

and the chief executive of the state-owned national rail company

VR Group VR-Group Plc ( fi, VR-Yhtymä Oyj, sv, VR-Group Abp), commonly known as VR, is a government-owned railway company in Finland. VR's most important function is the operation of Finland's passenger rail services with 250 long-distance and 800 co ...

Route

The line is planned to travel in a long tunnel under built-up areas and to serve the underground

Helsinki Airport station Helsinki Airport station ( fi, Lentoaseman rautatieasema, sv, Flygplatsens järnvägsstation) is a Helsinki commuter rail station located at Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland. Helsinki Airport station is on the Ring Rail Line, located between t ...

, allowing direct access to the airport terminal from long-distance rail services, as well as to free the rail capacity taken up by long-distance traffic in the current main corridor (the Helsinki–Riihimäki railway) for the increasing local commuter traffic. The tunnel would surface at

Kerava railway station Kerava railway station ( fi, Keravan rautatieasema, sv, Kervo järnvägsstation) is located in the town of Kerava, Finland. It is located approximately from Helsinki Central railway station. Six tracks run through the station, three of which hav ...

, and the line would then continue northward to Tampere as either an upgraded

Riihimäki–Tampere railway Riihimäki–Tampere railway is a railway running between the Riihimäki railway station and the Tampere railway station in Finland, and it is part of the Finnish Main Line. The line between Riihimäki and Hämeenlinna was opened in 1862 as a part ...

or a brand new parallel line; and eastward to

Kouvola Kouvola () is a city and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located along the Kymijoki River in the region of Kymenlaakso, kilometers east of Lahti, west of Lappeenranta and northeast of the capital, Helsinki. With Kotka, Kouvola is ...

using the planned new

Itärata Itärata ( en, East Rail) is a proposed railway line in the planning stage to provide a more direct connection between Helsinki and Kouvola, Finland than the current route via Kerava and Lahti. History Plans for a railway line to run east of Hels ...

railway.

Cost

In 2019, ''Helsinki Times'' reported that, as part of a new rail connection with an expected travel time of one hour from

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

via the airport, the project would cost a total of €5.5 billion.

References

{{Railway lines in Finland Railway lines in Finland Proposed railway lines in Finland 5 ft gauge railways in Finland Railway tunnels in Finland Airport rail links

History

Route

Cost

See also

References