UUDET RAUTATIELIIKENTEEN KULJETUSKÄYTÄVÄT JA NIIDEN VAIKUTUS NEWNORTH HANKEALUEELLE

NEW RAILWAY TRANSPORT CORRIDORS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE NEWNORTH PROJECT AREA

The Kainuun Regional Council is a partner in the NewNorth project funded by the Interreg Aurora program. The project's goal is to strengthen cross-border cooperation between regions and lay the foundation for continuous collaboration and systematic development to ensure smooth, safe, functional, and sustainable development of cross-border transport chains and accessibility. The current geopolitical situation and the rapidly developing industry in northern regions affect the need for the development of logistics and transport corridors. At the same time, the green transition and the commitment of states and the EU to challenging car-bon neutrality goals require sustainable and energy-efficient multimodal transport solutions. The Kainuun Regional Council is a co-implementer in the project's work package 4 Green Transport Corridors (railway). The aim of the work is to describe new or developing existing railway transport corridors that would impact the freight traffic, vitality, and development of the project area, as well as the location of businesses. The project area refers to the geographical area of the Interreg Aurora program and the NewNorth project. The aim of the work is to compare and assess what added value these new railway transport corridors would bring to the eastern and northern parts of the project area if the existing railway network were developed with the measures described in the initial data. Additionally, the aim of the work is to compare railway transport to future zero-emission freight transport and to assess which mode of transport would be more economical for business operations and transport in the eastern and northern parts of the project area. The work involves preparing a report on new potential railway transport corridors that would impact freight transport in the project area.The work includes: 1.A concise, clear, and visual description of new or existing railway transport corridors to be developed from Northern and Eastern Finland to European markets and overseas destinations, including potential bottlenecks and other obstacles. The description will highlight the background information and planning status of the new transport corridor The study will also assess the need for European gauge for new railway transport corridors. The focus will be on the railway transport corridors within the project area, but key transport corridors and hubs affecting and linked to the project area will also be considered •New or developing railway transport corridors within the project area: i.Coastal railway Haaparanta-Oulu-Raahe and southwards (considering Rail Nordica planning) ii.Haaparanta-Tornio-Kolari iii.Haaparanta-Tornio-Rovaniemi iv.Rovaniemi-Kirkkoniemi railway v.Haaparanta-Oulu-Kontiomäki-Joensuu vi.Future possibilities for freight transport on the planned new Tunturirata / Aurora (Kemijärvi-Sodankylä-Kolari) vii.Kemijärvi-Kontiomäki railway viii.Kolari-Troms railway ix.Oulu-Kuusamo railway x.Otanmäki-Tuomioja (Bothnia Green Rail) railway connection xi.Pajala-Svappavaara xii.Double track Ofotban-Malmban xiii.Narvik-Bardufoss •Haaparanta-Tornio as a key hub •The potential of the ports of the Gulf of Bothnia for train ferry transport •Fixed transport connection across the Gulf of Bothnia •Possible new railway projects and railway transport corridors in Sweden and Norway that would impact freight transport in the project area •Other new railway corridors identified during the study •New railway transport corridors linked to the project area: i.Itärata ii.Fehmarnbelt iii.Baltian corridor 2.Analysis and comparison (e.g., SWOT) of the added value that new railway projects, or which of them, would bring to the project area and nationally compared to the development of the current railway network. The assessment will highlight the specific features of new railway transport corridors and the conditions under which the significance of each new transport corridor is emphasized (considering the needs of freight transport such as the significant increase in demand for critical minerals, bioeconomy transport). The assessment will also consider the investment potential of the northern region and scenarios from the previous Current status study. Additionally, the study will assess the feasibility and cost estimate (general estimate) of new railway transport corridors with Finnish/European gauge. The study will propose an overall picture for the implementation of European gauge in the project area (northern and eastern Finland) and a proposal for the timeline, when and in what order they could be implemented. 3.Compare railway transport to future zero-emission freight transport (road, sea, inland waterway, air) and assess which mode of transport would be the most economical and emission-free for business operations and transport in different parts of the project area in the future.