The Ring Rail Line will provide an important public transport link between the main line and the Vantaankoski line, via the airport.

The Ring Rail Line will be an essential part of the urban line network that will improve public transport in the entire Helsinki region. The line will connect residential and job areas. It also provides a rail link to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.

The 18-kilometre line will bring rail services to new areas in Vantaa, and feeder traffic will allow people living farther away to take advantage of services as well. The Ring Rail Line will reduce the need for bus and car traffic along with associated environmental impacts and thus promote the EU's climate policy objectives.

Rail link from the centre of Helsinki to the airport

New SM5 low-floor trains designed for commuter services will operate on the Ring Rail Line. These will run at 10-minute intervals in both directions during peak periods. Rail capacity can be utilized more efficiently since trains will be able to run in a loop. The journey time from the centre of Helsinki to the airport will be about half an hour. The maximum line speed will be 120 km/h.

Passengers coming on long-distance trains from the north can change trains in Tikkurila. The trip from Tikkurila to the airport will take about eight minutes.

Four new stations to begin with

The Ring Rail Line will be a two-track urban line reserved exclusively for passenger traffic. It will have surface stations in Kivistö and Leinelä as well as the Aviapolis and Airport tunnel stations. Plans allow for additional stations under ground in Ruskeasanta and Viinikkala and on the surface in Vehkala and Petas. The busiest stations will be Kivistö and Airport.

The Ring Rail Line will go under the airport in an 8-kilometre tunnel with two tubes. Coming from the west the tunnel will begin on the northeast side of the Katriinantie-Tikkurilantie intersection and will resurface in Ilola to the east of Laaksotie and south of Koivukylänväylä.

Connecting corridors will be excavated at intervals of about 200 metres between the two tubes. In an emergency these can be used to exit to the other tube. Special emphasis will be placed on operational safety in planning and execution.

Construction costs and execution

The total cost estimate for the Ring Rail Line project is 605 million euros. Financing will be divided between the Finnish state (419 million euro) and the City of Vantaa (186 million euros). The Ring Rail Line receives partial funding from the European Union´s TEN-T programme.

The cost estimate also includes improvements to Highway 3 between Ring III and Keimola and the first stage of the Tikkurila travel centre.

The Ring Rail Line project will be conducted under the direction of the Finnish Traffic Agency, Rail. Other cooperation partners are the City of Vantaa, the Finnish Traffic Agency, Road  and Finavia.

Construction of the Ring Rail Line began in spring 2009 and the line will go into operation in the middle of 2014.

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