The Nordic Capitals Railway report, published in December, was presented on Tuesday in Stockholm, where approximately forty attendees gathered at the Finnish Ambassador’s residence to discuss the significance of a high-speed rail connection linking Helsinki, Stockholm, and Oslo. The event highlighted the role of the Nordic growth centers as part of the economic and geopolitical strengthening of Europe as a whole.
The report was commissioned by the City of Turku, the Regional Council of Southwest Finland, the Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries RT, Ramboll, the Turku Chamber of Commerce, and Miltton Group.
Turku’s Director of Economic Development Vesa Palander introduced the report’s key message at the event: connecting the Nordic countries into a more integrated economic and labor market area is an opportunity to position the entire Nordic region more prominently at the heart of European policy and investment.
A connection linking the Nordic capitals would not merely be a transport project, but a strategic investment in Europe’s competitiveness. Growth and innovation require interaction between people, which in turn is built on functional connections and the resulting more dynamic labor markets.
Urbanization explains a significant portion of the GDP gap between the USA and Europe
One of the key observations from the discussion is that two-thirds of the GDP growth difference between the United States and Europe is explained by Europe’s lower level of urbanization.
According to international research, high-speed rail connections are the most effective way to integrate urban regions more closely and generate agglomeration benefits. Increased population density can significantly improve productivity in high-technology centers.
The panel emphasized strategic value, not just economic benefits
The publication was discussed at the event by Miltton’s Senior Adviser Maria Wetterstrand, Director of EU Affairs at the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise Lotta Nymann‑Lindegren, Ramboll’s Director Peter Molin, and Director of Business Policy at Byggföretagen, representing the Swedish construction industry, Tanja Rasmusson.
The panelists emphasized that joint Nordic projects and closer cooperation at all levels are now more important than ever. The changing geopolitical environment and the rise of cross-border cooperation at the EU level create a framework in which the Nordic countries must act more cohesively than before.
The panelists saw that a high-speed rail connection linking the capitals would have highly positive effects on the economy, employment, and security. Finland now needs closer connections to Sweden, the Nordic region, and Europe, especially as the eastern border has been closed for an extended period. The Nordic countries must jointly build a European growth area that strengthens the entire EU internal market.
Northern Europe has a unique political moment
“The Nordic countries have a once-in-a-century opportunity to launch an EU-level project of this magnitude. Cross-border transport corridors are at the very heart of EU policy right now. Until now, the Nordic countries have lacked major strategic visions for the development of shared transport corridors, but this is something we can change,” reminds Malla Rannikko-Laine, Director of Advocacy at the Regional Council of Southwest Finland.
“In the Turku Chamber of Commerce member survey in December 2025, nearly every second business executive rated the benefits this fixed link would bring to the region as a full ten on a scale of 1–10. Companies believe the project will make Turku part of the Stockholm economic area, thereby increasing growth and investment,” says Kaisa Leiwo, CEO of the Turku Chamber of Commerce.
The EU aims to connect capitals with high-speed rail connections by 2050, and the Commission has already proposed substantial increases in transport funding.
Further information:
Director of Advocacy Malla Rannikko-Laine, Regional Council of Southwest Finland, tel. 040 721 3429, malla.rannikko-laine@varsinais-suomi.fi
CEO Kaisa Leiwo, Turku Chamber of Commerce, tel. 040 556 6697, kaisa.leiwo@kauppakamari.fi
