Transport problems revive interest in Helsinki-Tallinn tunnel

Finnish and Estonian capitals want to examine feasibility of rail link under Gulf of Finland

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Flight bans caused by volcanic ash, the closure of harbours by strike action, and other problems facing transport in Finland recently have again revived interest in the idea of setting up a railway tunnel between Helsinki and the Estonian capital Tallinn.
      Olli-Pekka Hilmola, Professor of Logistics at Lappeenranta Technical University, says that if the effects of harbour strikes and possible natural disasters on air and sea traffic are taken into consideration, the construction of such a tunnel could be seen as viable.
     
Such a tunnel would not be part of the proposed Rail Baltica project funded by the European Union, for a new and improved rail link from Tallinn to Warsaw.
      The tunnel project has not moved forward so far because it has been seen to be too expensive.
      Based on experiences from previous tunnel projects, Hilmola calculates that the construction of an undersea passage from Helsinki to Tallinn would cost EUR 6-7 billion. Previous estimates have been lower.
      Himola is part of a project involving a number of institutes, examining the impact of exceptional situations on the supply of essential goods to Finland. For instance, an oil accident in the Gulf of Finland would have a serious effect on ordinary sea transport.
     
Hilmola says that a tunnel from Helsinki to Tallinn would not be economically viable under normal conditions, but the flight ban resulting from volcanic ash in the atmosphere underscored the importance of alternative routes.
      “It was very difficult to find capacity that would replace [air services]”, he says.
      Many obstacles remain before a tunnel can be set up. Even the Rail Baltica project has suffered from the economic crisis.
     
There is support in the City of Helsinki for the tunnel plan. In the autumn the city is launching a study with Tallinn pondering the viability of such a tunnel.
      “In the long term the tunnel is needed, and it should be built”, says Mayor Jussi Pajunen.
      However, Pajunen does not believe that this will happen in the very near future, and no detailed planning for such a project is on the horizon.
      A direct rail link from St. Petersburg via Helsinki to Central Europe is nevertheless an attractive idea.
      “The problems caused by the ash cloud emphasise that from the point of view of the European Union, Finland is an island”, Pajunen says.
     
Minister of Transport and Communications Anu Vehviläinen says that the matter has been discussed frequently with Estonia’s Ministry of Transport. There is agreement that there are greater priorities in the transportation networks of both countries.
      Vehviläinen says that Rail Baltica has been seen as an important route, but the tunnel is an exaggeration in her view. A more realistic alternative in her opinion would be to transport freight trains over the Gulf of Finland on ferries.
     
Director Kari Ruohonen of the Finnish Transport Agency also takes a sceptical view of the tunnel project. He notes that the Eurotunnel did not make a profit for years, even though it links Britain and France - two countries with more than 50 million inhabitants each.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Helsinki-Tallinn tunnel to be re-examined (20.8.2008)
  Mayors of Helsinki and Tallinn revive proposal for rail tunnel under Gulf of Finland (31,3,2008)
  A slow train from Tallinn to Riga (13.3.2010)
  Mayor Jussi Pajunen continues to believe in Helsinki-Tallinn railway tunnel (21.1.2009)
  No EU funding forthcoming for Helsinki-Tallinn train tunnel (13.1.2009)

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