Helsinki and Tallinn are once again examining proposals for a bridge or tunnel link between the two cities. The city authorities of Helsinki and Tallinn, as well as the Harju county local authority have put in tenders for a feasibility study into a cross-Baltic Sea link between the two capitals.
The project, christened Talsinkifix, will draw on the work of previous impact assessments and set out proposals for how the scheme should move forward.
Ulla Tapaninen, an international logistics specialist from Helsinki’s planning department, says that the current study will examine whether the project is economically viable enough to warrant making more detailed construction plans, and whether the current modelling could be improved upon.
The most recent scheme has been for a tunnel between the two capitals, with the intention of boosting the competitiveness of the metropolitan areas. However the new study will also consider a combined bridge and tunnel crossing.
Estonia’s published national strategy – along with local and regional development plans - already outline proposals for a link between the two capitals by the year 2030, However Helsinki City has not yet produced any such concrete schemes for the project.
”Should a tunnel prove viable, the aim would be to draw up schemes and find a place for them. But before we get to that stage, we have to examine whether it makes sense to go ahead, and whether we are looking at a link for people or goods. Both passenger and cargo traffic has grown in recent years, but the volumes are relatively small at the moment, meaning it’s not yet worthwhile,” Tapaninen said.
Tapaninen cautioned that the tunnel would be an expensive investment and hard to afford in the current economic climate. ”Even if it doesn’t run along the sea bed, the construction bill would be enormous – around nine billion euros,” Tapaninen added.
If the tunnel is given the green light, and includes a rail link, this would connect Helsinki to the Rail Baltica network - a new railway joining the Baltic states with Central Europe, scheduled for completion in 2024.
