The general plan and environmental impact assessment of the City Rail Loop was submitted for consultation on 13 May 2011. Responses are invited from a wide range of parties affected by the project. The Finnish Transport Agency will decide on the acceptance of the general plan based on the statements received.
The general plan and the environmental impact assessment were drafted through a joint planning project of the Finnish Transport Agency and the City of Helsinki. The project materials are available on the Finnish Transport Agency’s website at www.liikennevirasto.fi/pisara (in Finnish).
Improved connections for passengers
The City Rail Loop will run underground via Helsinki city centre. The City Rail Loop is part of the urban line connecting the main line from Kerava with the coastal line to Kirkkonummi. There are two implementation options: a short one with three underground stations, and a longer one with five. Both options offer passengers considerably better connections to various locations in Helsinki city centre and connections to other public transport.
In the project evaluation, the short City Rail Loop, which connects the underground line to the south of Pasila station to the existing urban line, was the preferred option both in economic and operational terms. The comparison criteria between the City Rail Loop options was the terminal to be constructed at Pasila. The estimated costs of the more advantageous City Rail Loop option is approximately EUR 750 million at the projected cost level of the implementation time in 2019. The cost-benefit ratio is extremely good (1.5).
The project is demanding, and it makes sense to combine the next statutory planning stage, i.e. preparing the track plan, with construction planning. This will ensure reliability of the project budget. At the same time, the Centre, Hakaniemi and Töölö stations should be designed since these accommodate underground premises supporting commercial operations. The planning costs for this stage are approximately EUR 40 million. The design will take about three years. Hereafter, the decision on the line's implementation can be made.
The City Rail Loop will increase volume or railway traffic
Although the City Rail Loop will be implemented as an urban line, it will serve the interests of the entire railway transport system, because tracks reserved for commuter traffic will be released for the purposes of long-distance traffic. The existing traffic volume has already congested the main railway of Helsinki. Railway traffic cannot be increased without the City Rail Loop or the new Pasila passenger terminal, which is designed to be constructed to the west of the existing platforms on two levels.
The City Rail Loop requires a western platform track to be constructed on the same level as the existing tracks at Pasila. This is necessary to minimise the present disturbances caused by current traffic. This is to be implemented as a separate project as part of the construction of the first Central Pasila block.