Development of the Imatra border crossing point
In the project, the infrastructure at the Imatra border crossing point was renovated and improved and a new X-ray scanner built for rail traffic. The project, completed in June 2023, is part of the South-East Finland – Russia CBC.
Background to the project
The Imatra border crossing point is one of the busiest international border crossing points for road traffic between Finland and Russia. The border crossing for rail traffic is operating under the status of a temporary border crossing point, which enables goods transport from Russia to Finland.
The border control station is responsible for the maintenance of border security and performance of other statutory border control tasks within its area of operation.
On the Russian side, the border crossing point of Imatra is called Svetogorsk. The Imatra border crossing point is the third busiest crossing point on the eastern border of Finland: in 2019, a total of 1,588,000 border crossings were recorded, of which 700 000 were vehicles.
Project costs and funding
The South-East Finland – Russia CBC 2014-2020 is a cross-border programme aimed at promoting the attractiveness of the region. The programme is funded by the European Union and Finland.
The ENI CBC (European Neighbourhood Instrument, Cross Border Cooperation) grant funding agreement relating to the development of the Imatra border crossing point entered into force between the Managing Authority of the South-East Finland – Russia CBC programme and FTIA on 1 March 2019.
The budget for the development project was EUR 5.23 million, of which the grant covered EUR 4.18 million.
Objectives of the project
The development project of the Imatra border crossing point improved traffic safety and flow of traffic in both road and rail traffic. The operating environment for rail transport at the border crossing point was enhanced by installing a new X-ray scanner for rail traffic for Customs use.
The lane arrangements for road traffic were developed to improve the flow of traffic by, for instance, relocating the tax-free refund office. The development of control systems improved the working conditions of the border control staff. These arrangements increased slightly the capacity of the border crossing point, making it sufficient long into the future.
The partners in the project were the FTIA, the ELY Centre for South-East Finland, the Finnish Border Guard, Customs, ITM Oy and Finrail.
Progress of project
The construction began in spring 2020 and was completed in June 2023.
The South-East Finland – Russia CBC 2014–2020 is a cross-border cooperation programme funded by the European Union and Finland.
