AFRY awarded with rail engineering assignment for One Hour Train between Helsinki and Turku, Finland

AFRY is responsible for the section between Suomusjärvi and Salo of the high-speed rail link named One Hour Train project. The other selected companies are Sweco Infra & Rail Oy (Espoo–Vihti), Ramboll Finland Oy (Vihti–Lohja) and Sitowise Oy (Lohja–Suomusjärvi).  

AFRY’s section is about 30 kilometers long and is located in a varied landscape where bridge and tunnel design capabilities play a central role. The section includes six tunnels and 28 bridges. The combined length of the tunnels is 6.5 kilometers, and the longest bridge is about 1.5 kilometers long.  

“Once completed, the One Hour Train between Helsinki and Turku will significantly improve the Finnish railway system. Traffic solutions are in the core of AFRY’s strategy when we accelerate the transition towards a sustainable society. It is important for us to design more and more sustainable and functional traffic connections, which improve people’s everyday life as well as business opportunities”, says Kari Fagerholm, Market Area Manager, Road and Rail Engineering, AFRY.

First railway project using project partnership model in Finland

The planning of the high-speed rail link between Turku and Helsinki has been transferred from the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency to Turku One Hour Train Ltd.

“This is the first time that rail connections are being planned as a project partnership in Finland. We are delighted that the agreements have been signed and the work can begin in earnest”, says Pekka Ottavainen, the Managing Director at Turku One Hour Train Ltd.

In addition to the state, the project partnership includes the cities of Turku, Espoo, Helsinki, and Lohja, the town of Salo, and the municipalities of Vihti and Kirkkonummi. EU’s CEF (Connecting Europe Facility) funding has been granted for the planning stage of the project due to its importance.