Major railway construction underway in Finland, disrupting train services for five weeks
In Espoo and Kauniainen, Finland, a rapid construction of a new railway line is underway. Due to the work, the Rantarata line between Leppävaara and Kauklahti is completely closed for five weeks. The long-distance rail traffic between Helsinki and Turku is also suspended. Rail traffic has been replaced by buses until late July. This is one of the largest construction sites in the capital region at the moment, with hundreds of people working on the 12-kilometer stretch from Espoo’s Leppävaara to Kaupunginkallio tunnel during the interruption.
The most startling aspect is that the old tracks have been largely dismantled. This is due to the need to strengthen the bed of the track at places which are made of clay. Some of the track foundations date back to the 19th century. The project manager, Tommi Rosenvall, says they are replacing poor-quality soil with more load-bearing materials and are performing stabilization work, among other things, by installing robust slab piles. The tracks have also been removed at places so that stones detached from the bedrock could be processed more efficiently.
One of the most noticeable tasks is the blasting of rocks. Over 130,000 cubic meters of rocks are being blasted for the new tracks, a volume greater than the Finnish Parliament House. The blasted rock is transported away by thousands of truckloads. The rock material is crushed and intended to be used in the structures of the urban railway. The project also involves the construction of several new bridges.
The urban railway track between Espoo’s Leppävaara and Kauklahti is being expanded from two to four tracks. The stations are Leppävaara, Kilo, Kera, Kauniainen, Koivuhovi, Tuomarila, Espoo, and Kauklahti, with an estimated construction time from 2024 to 2028. The project will cost about 350 million euros and will enable denser local traffic intervals. It will reduce disturbances in train traffic and improve punctuality in both local and long-distance traffic.
Despite some minor surprises, such as the need for additional excavation due to found blasted rock, the works are progressing on schedule. The rail traffic is expected to resume as planned at the end of July. Similar disruptions in train traffic due to construction work are also expected in the coming years, with traffic stopping for five weeks after midsummer in 2025-2027.