An investment programme designed to support the development of trans-European rail networks has backed Helsinki’s City Rail Loop.
The project, which is part of the Nordic Triangle railway/road axis, includes the construction of an underground double-track railway underneath Helsinki city centre.
Commuter trains in the Helsinki region will be diverted to a loop-shaped track south of Pasila to ease pressure on the current link, which is nearing maximum capacity.
The plans also include proposals for three new underground stations – Töölö, City Centre and Hakaniemi.
The EU has promised to put 5 million euros toward the City Rail Loop, allowing key studies to be carried out as part of the planning phase.
Finnish transport agency Liikennevirasto has said that the railway network must be developed to ‘enable the Helsinki region to function well in the future’.
The project is set to be completed by December 2014.
