Agreement reached on the construction of City Rail Link

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the City of Espoo, and the City of Kauniainen will make an agreement on the construction of Espoo’s City Rail Link. The agreement to be processed by the City Board includes provisions on the detailed division of costs, the implementation method, and the schedule, among other matters.

“The City Rail Link will support Espoo’s sustainable growth and carbon neutrality goals. It also offers new opportunities for residential construction and creating jobs sustainably by the railway. Furthermore, it supports the changes in the Kera area and further improves the public transport connections in the changing Espoon keskus,” says Head of Technical and Environment Services Olli Isotalo. 

Isotalo emphasises that the Espoo City Rail Link is also a prerequisite for the ‘one-hour train’ which is vital for the development of the entirety of southern Finland.

The parties to the agreement will agree on the construction of the City Rail Link through joint funding, as specified in the railway plan approved in 2015. The state and the municipalities will divide the implementation costs of 275 million euros in half. Espoo’s share of the total project costs will be 40%, while Kauniainen’s share will be 10%.

The European Commission has granted a subsidy of 11 million euros for the construction planning. Planning’s share of the total costs will account for 22 million euros. EU subsidies will also be requested for the actual construction of the City Rail Link.

The City Rail Link is a part of the ongoing development of public transport in the metropolitan area. It will improve the punctuality of local public transport in Karjaa, Kirkkonummi, and Espoo, and also make long-distance transport to Turku smoother.

In practice, the City Rail Link will be made of two additional tracks built between Leppävaara and Kauklahti. Two tracks will be used by long-distance transport and rapid local transport, while two will be used by the frequent commuter trains.

The City Rail Link’s construction planning is intended to start in February 2021, at the latest. The construction is planned to start in 2022. The estimated year of completion is 2028.