Espoo City Council approved West Railway shareholders’ agreement
The City Council approved the shareholders’ agreement of West Railway Ltd at its meeting on 17 November 2025. The decision was made by 49 votes to 26. According to the City Council’s decision, Espoo agrees to contribute EUR 170 million to the first phase of the West Railway. The estimated total cost of the first phase is EUR 1.32 billion, of which 33 per cent will be covered by the municipalities and 67 per cent by the government.
The following sections will be built during the first phase: Espoo–Hista, Hista–Vihti, Vihti–Lohja, Salo–Hajala and Nunna–Kupittaa. The second phase (Lohja–Salo and Hajala–Nunna) will be built later. If the government makes the required investment and financing decisions by the end of 2031, the municipalities have offered to contribute a total of EUR 300 million to the second phase.
In Espoo, the most important impact of the West Railway project is that it will enable a significant amount of housing and jobs in the new Hista district, which would rely on the West Railway train services. In the future, Hista could be home to 17,000 people. In addition, the West Railway project includes a station reservation in Myntinmäki. The City of Espoo’s land use revenues related to the construction of Hista are expected to remain significantly positive even after municipal infrastructure costs.
The estimated travel time by train from the Helsinki Central Railway Station to Hista is 26 minutes, which is shorter than the metro ride from Kamppi to Kivenlahti or Vuosaari. The train ride from Espoon keskus to Hista would only take six minutes. The construction of the West Railway and Hista is expected to support the development of Espoon keskus as a transport hub and a vibrant urban centre.
The municipalities will contribute a total of EUR 400 million to the first phase, and the government will also contribute EUR 400 million. In addition, West Railway Ltd will be authorised to obtain external capital of up to EUR 520 million. According to the shareholders’ agreement, the financial liabilities between the municipalities and the government are clearly defined, also in terms of the scheduling of payments.
The West Railway project supports Espoo’s strategic goals, such as carbon neutrality and sustainable growth, as well as the implementation of the component master plan for northern and central Espoo. The project is also in line with national climate objectives and part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
The shareholders’ agreement concerning the financing of the project, which was now approved in Espoo, will be discussed by the decision-making bodies of all six West Railway municipalities and the government in November and December. The construction of the West Railway could start at the end of 2027.