Menos uma ilha ferroviária na Europa

 

Os governos finlandêses, com a sua aura de "frugais", alinhavam com os governos portugueses na política ferroviária de conservação da sua bitola, diferente da bitola europeia. 

Há alguns anos, o governo finlandès encomendou a um consultor internacionnal a análise da política ferroviária a seguir. O relatório concluiu que não era economicamente viável mudar a totalidade da rede da bitola 1524mm para a standard 1435mm. O governo português, a IP e seus assessores, e o agrupamento europeu de interesse económico do corredor atlêntico de mercadorias RCF4 rejubilaram por se sentirem acompanhados no conservadorismo duma bitola específica nacional. Mas omitiram que o relatório também dizia que haveria vantagens numa nova linha em bitola standard para uso misto (passageiros e mercadorias) desde a fronteira no norte com a  Suecia (em Tornio, na rota do ferro celebrizada na II guerra mundial) até Tampere e Helsínquia, e que conviria estudar uma nova linha para Turku (um porto na latitude aproximada de Estocolmo).

Nos tempos que correm, com as orientações do novo regulamento 2024/1679 sobre o duplo uso da ferrovia e mobilidade militar motivados pela invasão da Ucrânia, o governo finlandês resolveu investir anunciando a conversão de toda a rede ( ver artigo da RailTech). Pessoalmente, julgo economicamene preferivel manter duas redes separadas, pelo menos a médio prazo, e que se deveria  planear e começar o projeto do tunel Helsinquia-Tallin para ligar ao Rail Baltica.  Esperemos que o novo comissário dos Transportes Tzitzikostas ajude. Restarão, uma vez que a Rail Baltica está em construção, embora com atrasos, como ilhas ferroviárias na União Europeia, Irlanda, Chipre e Malta, que são ilhas, e Portugal ...

https://www.railtech.com/all/2025/05/16/goodnight-russian-rail-finland-vows-now-or-never-shift-to-eu-standard-gauge/

Published on 16-05-2025 at 12:11

Finland Minister of Transport Lulu Ranne greets European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas. © EPA/Olivier Hoslet/ANP EPA/Olivier Hoslet/ANP

Finland has announced it will convert its entire rail network from the Russian gauge to the European standard, severing one of its last infrastructural ties to its former imperial ruler. The move comes amid growing pressure from NATO to improve military mobility and rising tensions with Russia. “It’s now or never,” said Transport Minister Lulu Ranne, urging swift action while EU funds remain available.

In a move that signals both a historic break with its past and a bold new alignment with Europe, Finland has confirmed it will abandon the Russian railway gauge and convert its entire network to the European standard. The decision, announced in Helsinki earlier this week by Transport Minister Lulu Ranne, marks the most sweeping overhaul of Finnish rail infrastructure since the first lines were laid under the Russian Empire in the 1800s.

“This is not just Finland’s project. This is a joint effort with Europe and NATO,” Ranne said. While the idea has been circulating since the EU’s revised TEN-T regulation demanded feasibility studies from countries using non-standard gauges, the Finnish government is now determined to press forward with a multi-decade transition.

“We have already decided to start. Now it is just a matter of the timetable and the financing,” Ranne told Hufvudstadsbladet. She added, “If we do it now, it will be controlled and we can use all possible EU funds. The Commission is waiting for Finland to make progress on this.”

Initial works will begin in the north of the country, near Oulu and the Norwegian Sea corridor, where defence and logistical needs are highest. Finland’s 1,524 mm broad gauge—just 89 mm wider than the EU norm—is a legacy of its 19th-century ties with the Russian Empire. The decision to dismantle that inherited system is being framed not simply as a technical upgrade, but as a generational shift in Finland’s geopolitical orientation.

Finland invests in planning for Rail Nordica to connect to European gauge network

Billions in funding, but a long horizon

Ranne acknowledged the scale of the task, describing it as both expensive and time-consuming. Though a full cost estimate has yet to be finalised, the northern lines alone could cost around 1.5 billion euros, and the national conversion will likely require many more billions over several decades.

However, under EU regulations, 50% of design and planning costs and 30% of construction costs can be covered by European funds, making early progress critical to securing financial support. Ranne stressed the urgency: “The time is right to start now. Of course, we are very pragmatic and realistic—we cannot do this in five years. Planning will continue until the end of the decade, and maybe in 2032 we can start construction.”

The previous Finnish government ruled out such a move in 2022 on cost grounds. But shifting European security dynamics and new TEN-T obligations have brought the project back to the top of the agenda.

Finland NATO membership changes the stakes

Finland’s 2024 accession to NATO amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has dramatically shifted the country’s strategic priorities. With the Baltic Sea region becoming more tightly integrated into NATO’s defence architecture, infrastructure interoperability has taken on new urgency. Ranne cited military mobility as one of the key drivers behind the decision.

Finland’s historic Russian rail gauge is going European. © Wikimedia Commons

In a joint statement issued during the Helsinki meeting, Nordic transport ministers called for stronger coordination of defence logistics and supply security, linking transport infrastructure more explicitly to regional security goals.

“The main scenario is that if Finland needs NATO reinforcements, they will arrive at ice-free ports in Norway and be transported via Sweden,” said Per Skoglund of the Swedish Defence University, speaking to Seznam Zprávy. “Then it is desirable to avoid transshipment of soldiers and equipment in the north. We don’t want the trains to stand still.”

Currently, military transport between Sweden and Finland is constrained by the break of gauge, forcing costly and time-consuming transfers. Standardising Finland’s rail network is increasingly seen as essential for EU and NATO logistics in the north.

Strategic direction: north–south focus

The government intends to prioritise north–south rail corridors, particularly from Lapland through Tampere to Helsinki, and possibly along the western coast. These long-distance routes are critical not only for defence logistics but also for freight transport, as they facilitate the movement of goods between industrial centres, ports, and future NATO supply lines. In contrast, east–west connections—where distances are shorter and road infrastructure more developed—may see slower conversion due to their lower strategic value.

As Ranne noted, former Russian allies such as Ukraine and Moldova are already reconfiguring their networks, and the Baltic states have committed to European gauge through the Rail Baltica megaproject. Part of a wider eastern European realignment away from Russian-designed infrastructure toward fully interoperable systems, it appears that Moscow’s split from its former sphere of influence is ironically catalysing connectivity in the EU – but it won’t happen overnight.