Helsinki Airport Train Link to Open This Summer

Helsinki Airport's will get its long-awaited train connection this summer when the Ring Rail Line opens providing an easy connection between the airport and the Helsinki city centre.

Not only will will the train link provide a better connection between the Helsinki Airport and the city centre but will be an attractive option for Russian flight passengers as they will be able to take the train all the way from St. Petersburg to Helsinki Airport.

Construction of the Ring Rail Line began in 2009 and is being built under the auspices of the Finnish Transport Agency. The project has also involved the City of Vantaa and Finavia Corporation.

Trains will start running between Helsinki Airport and the Helsinki city centre in summer 2015. The rail line will be 18 kilometres long with 8 kilometres of that being tunnels.

The Helsinki Airport and Aviapolis stations will be located 40 metres below ground.

Ville Haapasaari, the director of Helsinki Airport at Finavia, said, "The Ring Rail Line will provide a new travel alternative for flight passengers that have easy access to train services. It will also be important for people working in the airport area. They already number about 20,000 and according to forecasts thousands will be added to this total in the next few years. The rail link will also provide a major boost to the development of business areas, such as Aviapolis, which will have its own train station"

Helsinki Airport is preparing to serve 20 million passengers each year by 2020. The increased passenger volumes will create about 5,000 new permanent jobs in the area over the next six years. At the same time, the development programme is estimated to provide employment amounting to about 14,000 person-years.

There are currently direct flights to 130 international destinations from Helsinki Airport.