Tallinn-Helsinki tunnel analysis to be introduced at European Parliament
The results of the cost-benefit analysis of the Tallinn-Helsinki tunnel will be introduced at the European Parliament on Tuesday, daily Postimees writes.
The seminar will be led by Estonian MEP Urmas Paet and Finnish MEP Merja Kyllönen. The floor will be given to representatives of the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the city governments of Tallinn and Helsinki, the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council and Harju County Government.
The operating model of the trains was presented in the cost-benefit analysis of the FinEst Link project, in which trains would operate on a 20-minute schedule at speeds of 200 kilometers per hour during rush hour, making the trip between the two capital cities in 30 minutes. The cost of a single ticket would be €18, with the cost of single journey for season ticket holders estimated to be €15. Approximately 40 passenger trains would move between the two cities per day.
A car train, truck train and cargo trains, meanwhile, would operate approximately 30 times per day at speeds of 120-160 kilometers per hour.
According to the tunnel solution offered in the final report of the FinEst Link project, the most suitable solution would be to establish two railway tunnels between Tallinn and Helsinki, with two sets of rails in each, as well as a third service tunnel.
According to calculations of the FinEst Link project assessing the cost-benefit of the planned Tallinn-Helsinki tunnel, the cost of the tunnel is estimated to be approximately 16 billion euros and the construction time 15 years if construction starts in 2025.
FinEst Link is a research project funded by the European Union, which focuses on studying the feasibility of an undersea railway tunnel between Tallinn and helsinki. The total budget of the project is 1.3 million euros and it is co-financed from the Interreg Central Baltic program.
The project is led by the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council in partnership with the cities of Helsini and Tallinn, Harju County Government, the Finnish Transport Agency and the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
Source: BNS