General plan and environmental impact assessment
The Finnish Transport Agency and the City of Helsinki have commissioned a general plan and an environmental impact assessment for the City Rail Loop (Pisara-rata in Finnish).
The City Rail Loop is an underground railway passing under the Helsinki city centre, connecting the urban tracks of the main rail line and the coastal rail line. It is a double-track railway section and the trains move in two parallel tunnels for almost the entire distance. New underground stations have also been planned.
The general plan and the environmental impact assessment provide information about the project alternatives, on environmental impacts and costs. There is no decision yet on the implementation of the railway project. The further planning and construction would take approximately ten years.
Current situation and challenges
At the moment there is very little room for more trains between Pasila and the Helsinki Central Railway Station during peak hours, since the rail capacity between Pasila and Helsinki is nearing its maximum. The congested railway yard significantly increases the railway traffic’s sensitivity to disturbances and often the problems in Helsinki are reflected across the country. The City Rail Loop will make it possible to increase the railway traffic capacity between Helsinki and Pasila, whereby the reliability of railway traffic will improve and its sensitivity to disturbances diminish.
The urban railway traffic of Espoo, Kerava and the Ring Rail Line can be transferred to the City Rail Loop, which will allow most of the present eight tracks with a platform at the Helsinki Central Railway Station to be freed for other railway traffic. Regional and long-distance traffic use the Helsinki Central Railway Station.
