Finland tests rail sleepers for possible gauge change

Finland’s Transport Infrastructure Agency is testing a new type of railway sleeper between Simo and Kemi that could help enable a future change from Finland’s 1,524-millimetre gauge to the 1,435-millimetre European standard gauge, Yle reports.

The approximately 600-metre test section is being built as part of the Oulu–Laurila project. About 1,000 new concrete sleepers will be installed.

The sleepers have alternative attachment points, allowing the gauge to be changed if necessary by moving one of the rails. At this stage, however, the gauge will not change: the rails will be installed at Finland’s current gauge.

“The trial will give us practical experience of how this type of sleeper solution is suited to Finland’s railway network,” Simo Toikkanen, a unit manager at the agency, said in a statement.

Finland’s railway gauge is 89 millimetres wider than the standard gauge used in Sweden and much of Europe. Because the difference is small, both gauges cannot be installed on the same track using three rails, as there would not be enough space between the rails for train wheels.

The trial examines whether the change could instead be made by moving one rail to a pre-designed attachment point. Changing the gauge would also require modifications to points and the railway electrification system, among other infrastructure.

The trial does not represent a decision to change the gauge between Simo and Kemi or elsewhere on Finland’s railway network. The gauge will remain unchanged on the test section. The use of the European standard gauge in Finland is also being examined in the Rail Nordica project.