Goal: Build sustainable infrastructure and promote sustainable industry and innovation

This goal has two targets:

• Develop quality, reliable and sustainable infrastructure 
• Upgrade infrastructure to make it sustainable. 
   

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency promotes the achievement of these goals and targets through longterm and methodical planning of measures and systematic assessment of impacts. The planning of the measures is based on up todate situational awareness of the transport networks regarding the current and future needs of transport system stakeholders. In addition, FTIA promotes the attainment of the SDGs through the targets set in its performance agreement.

The content of the targets is mainly in line with the objectives of the National Transport System Plan (Transport 12). An investment programme, planning programme and basic plan for transport infrastructure management will be relied on as part of implementing the National Transport System Plan. The investment programme is the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency’s knowledge based proposal regarding transport infrastructure projects and their impacts. The basic plan describes the allocation of appropriations to basic transport infrastructure management aiming to achieve the service level and targets, whereas the planning programme gives an overview of railway, waterway and road network planning.

The investment and planning programmes and the basic plan include different levels of impact assessment conducted with sustainability in mind. The following are examples of ways in which the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency accounts for the target in its operations:

• By making efforts to reduce emissions from the operations, for example by producing emission calculation data, improving energy efficiency and using renewable energy
• By promoting sustainable modes of transport, including walking, cycling and public transport
• By identifying ways to maintain and promote biodiversity in planning and construction
• By promoting sustainable construction and material efficiency in such activities as the design and construction of road infrastructure
• By acting responsibly together with different stakeholders while addressing the societal impacts of the decisions made.

In addition to systematic planning and impact assessment, successful asset management plays an important role in maintaining sustainable infrastructure. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency is the owner of the road, rail and waterway infrastructure and the structures and equipment associated with it. Asset management ensures that existing transport infrastructure assets preserve their value and that funding is used cost effectively. The objective of asset management is to provide the best possible service for transport infrastructure users responsibly.

The transport infrastructure assets are maintained in a condition that meets transport needs as cost effectively as possible. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency continuously collects information on the condition of the assets and analyses the impact of measures, enabling its experts to issue economically responsible maintenance recommendations. Knowledgebased decisions and timely measures extend the life cycle of transport infrastructure assets and improve the productivity of infrastructure maintenance. Costs and risks are managed effectively by means of anticipation and timely measures.
 

Achievements in 2023

 

In 2023, priority areas of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency's operational planning included strengthening knowledgebased transport infrastructure management and decisionmaking as well as an emissionfree transport system and environmental responsibility.

For example, knowledge and consideration of emission impacts were developed in the planning of transport infrastructure management and the transport system as well as in project planning and evaluation in 2023. Taking the targets set for reducing transport emissions into account in the planning of transport infrastructure management and the transport system as well as in project planning and evaluation plays an essential role in FTIA’s work. Consideration of environmental and health impacts was additionally developed in project evaluations. FTIA has also worked to improve the attraction of rail transport and cycling in cooperation with various actors. Efforts to reduce emissions have been integrated into the scheduling and prioritisation of transport network measures.

Different projects were prioritised in planning, construction and maintenance based on their impact. Commensurate and comparable calculation of emissions from the implementation of transport infrastructure projects lays the foundation for developing the activities and comparing different design and construction options. In October 2023, the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency published an assessment method for low-carbon infrastructure construction, the aim of which is to harmonise the assessment of climate impacts generated by infrastructure construction projects. Conducting an assessment following these guidelines is a requirement in all procurements of design work made by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency and ELY Centres in which projects are assessed following the project evaluation guidelines. CO2 emission calculation was integrated into the cost accounting system of infrastructure projects in 2023.

Practices for monitoring and assessing the impacts of walking and cycling have also been developed further and introduced.

Environmentally responsible and carbonneutral transport infrastructure management contains a number of different areas, especially as a result of different design solutions. Concrete examples of the efforts to reduce emissions and promote the circular economy include updated design criteria, enabling the use of recycled materials, and improved procurement criteria. Environmental criteria were also developed during the year, for example in the context of emissions calculation and the circular economy.

Building up the knowledge base and more efficient management of the collect-ed data are also key steps towards better and more proactive decision-making from the perspective of sustainability.

The Digirail project will upgrade the safety equipment and access control system of Finnish railways and put in place an ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) that conforms with EU regulation. This will enable realtime data processing and more frequent train departures. The repair backlog of safety systems can simultaneously be reduced in a controlled manner.

As the most significant achievement of the Digirail project in 2023 may be considered the completion of a test railway on the section between Kouvola,Kotka and Hamina and test runs launched on it. On the test railway, a system where messages guiding train operations were transmitted from the safety equipment to the locomotive via commercial radio networks was tested for the first time in Europe. This use of commercial networks is one of the key objectives of the Digirail project. The use of commercial radio networks will make it possible to carry out the project at a significantly lower cost while considerably reducing the environmental load and carbon footprint of the project.

 

Case: Dredging of Ajos fairway

The expansion of the Port of Kemi and the dredging of Ajos fairway were completed in late summer 2023, around two months ahead of schedule. The fairway dredging project was carried out by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, while the port company owned by the City of Kemi was responsible for the port expansion.

Ajos fairway was deepened by ten to twelve metres. A deeper fairway gives access to larger vessels, which means that a greater volume of cargo can be transported at once. This will improve the cost-effectiveness of vessels using the fairway, which in turn will reduce the environmental burden caused by traffic. The deepening and widening of the fairway also improved maritime safety.

As the harbour basin in the Port of Kemi was deepened and widened, a new dock was also built there, in addition to which the lighting, access control and gates of the port were upgraded. 

The dredging and expansion work was, among other reasons, motivated by the new bioproduct mill in Kemi. The port also has an important role in national security of supply, while it provides opportunities for attracting industrial investments to northern Finland. 
 

Case: Update of bridge asset management policy

The Bridge maintenance policy (in Finnish) describes the goals and procedures relating to the management of road and rail bridge assets. The policy was updated in spring 2023, and it covers the current Transport 12 plan period until 2032.

The policy is based on the current operating models, and its purpose is to harmonise and sharpen the focus of the activities in the ELY Centres and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
The main objectives of bridge asset management are ensuring traffic safety, meeting service level needs, and taking measures that ensure efficiency during a bridge's life cycle. Key updates of the policy include service level classifications for bridges, repair classifications of transport infrastructure used in prioritisation of measures, principles of selecting measures, and riskbased prioritisation of measures relying on a needs assessment.

The policy supports SDG attainment through longterm lifecycle management and timely measures. The activities are economically and environmentally sustainable when bridges are designed to have a long service life that meets service needs, and maintenance measures are scheduled and carried out systematically and proactively. 

The goals of social sustainability are accounted for by securing possibilities for mobility and conduct of business as well as safe transport for different population groups, also on roads with low traffic volumes. Addressing the needs of walking and cycling and promoting accessibility will also contribute to improving traffic safety.