Transport infrastructure
- Duties of the Ministry of Transport and Communications
- Well-being and competitiveness through high-quality transport and communications networks
- Infrastructure development and maintenance
- Trans-European transport networks (TEN-T)
- Finnish Transport Agency - implementer of infrastructure projects
1. Duties of the Ministry of Transport and Communications
Legislation on transport infrastructure is drafted by the Ministry of Transport and Communications. These statutes, including the Private roads act (358/1962), Highways Act (503/2005) and the Rail tracks act (110/2007), provide the basic rules for the planning, construction and maintenance of the transport infrastructure, as well as for their closure.
2. Well-being and competitiveness through high-quality transport and communications networks
In developing the transport infrastructure and networks, the Ministry's key goal is to ensure safe and effective travel and goods transport. At the same time, effort is made to minimise emissions and other adverse effects.
The Ministry's aims to boost the efficiency of infrastructure development by seeking new forms of cooperation with various fields and by making use of intelligent transport services. This new approach to transport policy is known as the Transport Revolution.
3. Infrastructure development and maintenance
The Ministry is involved in maintaining and developing the
transport infrastructure of the country. Transport infrastructure
includes all roads and streets, private roads, railways, maritime
and inland waterways, and the metro and tram systems. The Finnish
Transport Agency, which operates under the direction of the
Ministry, is responsible for road, railway and waterway
maintenance. The Transport Agency outsources this work to
businesses through competitive tendering.
Finavia Corporation, a user-financed state-owned limited liability
company, is in charge of airports. Municipal authorities are
responsible for the street network in their own area, and for
keeping it in good condition. Municipal income tax is used to fund
the maintenance of these street networks and the investment made in
them. Most of Finland's ports are also owned by municipalities. The
maintenance and improvement of private roads is generally the
responsibility of private road maintenance associations,
landowners, different kinds of communities or companies.
- The total length of public roads in Finland is some 78,000 kilometres, of which the main road network (class I and II main roads) accounts for about 13,300 kilometres. The total length of motorways is 765 kilometres. Approximately two thirds of all roads in Finland are paved.
- The length of the Finnish operational rail network is 5,900 kilometres, about 52 per cent of which is electrified. About 90 per cent of the network consists of single-track lines.
- The network of maritime and inland waterways maintained by a state enterprise is approximately 16,200 kilometres in length. Nearly 4,000 km of this consists of merchant shipping routes, of which the total length of fairways with a minimum depth of 8 metres is 2,100 kilometres. This includes all fairways leading into winter ports.
- The combined value of all transport infrastructure and terminals in Finland is approximately EUR 30 billion, of which the state's share is some EUR 19 billion.
4. Trans-European transport networks (TEN-T)
The European Union supports the development of Trans-European transport networks (TEN-T). The TEN-T network includes road, rail and flight connections, together with inland and maritime waterways, in the 27 Member States of the European Union. The purpose of this interoperable transport network is to enhance the EU's internal market and regional cohesion and to promote a sustainable transport system. An equally important goal is to improve regional competitiveness and employment.
The steps to improve the TEN-T network are relevant to, for example, completing missing links on major transport routes, eliminating transport bottlenecks and contributing to the functional interoperability of different modes of transport.
5. Finnish Transport Agency - implementer of infrastructure projects
The responsibility for implementing infrastructure projects adopted by Parliament lies with the Finnish Transport Agency. The Ministry sets annual targets for the Transport Agency, including ones related to the service standard and condition of infrastructures, safety, and the reduction and prevention of environmental damage. The Transport Agency submits to the Ministry biannual reports detailing the use of funds and the achievement of targets.