Sweco to design a railway project from Laurila to Haparanda to improve security of supply for Finland and Sweden
Press Release
Published 20.3.2023, Helsinki
The Laurila–Tornio–Haparanda railway project is the joint effort of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, the National Emergency Supply Agency and Sweden’s Trafikverket. The railway will also be part of the Europe-wide traffic network. The railway project to be implemented in 2023 and 2024 will have special significance for the security of supply in Northern Scandinavia, as the rail line from Finland to Sweden can replace international maritime transport in exceptional circumstances.
The commission includes the construction of the Tornio train depot, safety equipment on the Tornio-Haparanda section, rail engineering and construction planning, safety equipment construction planning and geometry review between the national border and Haparanda and the Torne River Bridge project A new passenger dock and parking area, which will be harmonised with the protected station buildings beloved by the Torne River Valley residents, will also be constructed on the Tornio train depot.
The project to construct the section of electrified railway stretching 23 km from Laurila to Haparanda through Tornio is exceptional because it crosses national borders. Railway development planning will be implemented at Sweco in collaboration between Finnish and Swedish regional companies within the group, which will allow for the different rail gauges in both countries to be taken into account. Finland still uses the old gauge of 1,524 mm and Sweden uses the narrower trans-European 1,435 mm.
The Swedish designers are responsible for rail engineering and the ground investigations and terrain surveys carried out on the Swedish side. The Finns are responsible for the design of the safety equipment.
“Cooperation between countries is a major advantage, because sufficient planning resources are no longer taken for granted in railway projects. Our solution to the market situation is international cooperation”, says Tuomo Lamberg, who is in charge of cross-border projects at Sweco.
Cross-border cooperation is also an interesting opportunity for the designers, which is reflected in the harmonisation of working cultures and special vigilance in using the correct terminology. The project language will be English, but the plans will be drawn up in Finnish. Sweco has bilingual experts in both regional companies.
“Because the project involves cross-border cooperation, we will face many issues that would rarely come up in other projects,” says Project Manager Terhi Honkarinta from the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
The project will also improve the cost-effectiveness of transport, which will affect the competitiveness of industry. The project will also develop safety at level crossings and create the preconditions for the future opening of cross-border passenger transport, which would require separate decisions to start.
The most demanding locations in terms of design are the railway plans to expand the Torne river bridge, because the electrified line system must also be able to fit onto the track in terms of height due to the electrification process.
Further information:
Tuomo Lamberg, Business Development Manager, Sweco, +358 40 555 7801, tuomo.lamberg@sweco.fi
Tim Karike, Head of PR & Media Relations, Sweco Finland, +358 44 507 5562, tim.karike@sweco.fi