17.10.2014
The Finnish government is proposing a budget of EUR 2 854 million to the Ministry of Transport and Communications for 2015. The transportation section is proposed with a budget of EUR 1 886 million and communications section with EUR 546 million.
Six new development projects will be started in 2015. Three of these projects are on the highways to improve safety and eliminate the most dangerous accident sites. And the other three are on the railways to make train traffic more efficient and to decrease harmful emissions.
The government has agreed to support the new Pisararata (ring railway around Helsinki) and Länsimetro (west metro) projects in Helsinki area, as long as the objectives of the projects are fulfilled. The estimated cost for Länsimetro is EUR 801 million, out of which the state would finance 30 % but at the most EUR 240 million. The Pisararata project is estimated to cost about EUR 900 million.
The logistic competitiveness in Finland is being improved by raising the limits of size and weight for heavy traffic. In 2013 the government gave funding of EUR 55 million to improve the most critical locations for logistics and for 2015 the amount is EUR 10 million. The government has also proposed EUR 907 million to maintain the state owned transport network. One of the maintenance projects is in the main railways’ ground frost and soft soil areas, where the budgeted costs are about EUR 85 million. This project would improve safety and precision in the train traffic. (Source: www.lvm.fi, 15.9.2014)