In recent days, Finland’s permanent western connection from Helsinki to Stockholm has gained new momentum both domestically and at the EU level.
The approvals by the Lohja and Salo city councils mark progress for the Western Railway. At the same time, EU member states have added the Helsinki–Turku–Stockholm connection to their list of most important transport links. This is a decisive step towards making the connection eligible for EU funding in the future. The vision on the horizon is that in the future, one could travel overland from Helsinki to Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, and all the way to Central Europe. This would significantly improve Finland’s accessibility, competitiveness, and security of supply.
The EU is currently preparing the 2028–2034 budget, the so-called Multiannual Financial Framework. It includes the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), which funds transport connections, and whose funding has been proposed to be nearly doubled to 52 billion euros. In the future, projects may receive up to 50% support from the EU instead of the previous 30%.
Originally, the Commission proposed that funding would be directed primarily to cross-border transport projects between EU countries and military mobility. From Finland, the only cross-border project mentioned in the proposal was the so-called Bothnian Corridor, the connection running from Oulu through Tornio and Haparanda to Luleå. No projects from the Growth Finland region were included, despite several planned rail connections in the area that would strengthen Finland’s accessibility and economic growth.
However, as a result of active advocacy work, the situation changed on 15 December 2025. EU transport ministers approved a position that added two new connections concerning Finland to the transport funding priority list: Helsinki–Turku–Stockholm and Tampere–Helsinki–Tallinn.
This means that member states recognized the projects as strategically significant and producing European added value, which demonstrates the successful advocacy work of Finland and our region. Being included on the list is a signal of the project’s EU funding eligibility. Since the Western Railway is part of the Helsinki–Turku–Stockholm connection, it could therefore receive up to half of its total funding from the EU.
Simultaneously with the EU-level decisions, progress has also been made in Finland. The decisions by the cities of Lohja and Salo to fund the Western Railway mean the rail project will be implemented. In addition, Parliament granted the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency funding for a study on the permanent Helsinki–Turku–Stockholm connection earlier in December, in accordance with the proposal from Varsinais-Suomi. We hope that the national study can be completed during the current parliamentary term.
Why has the Helsinki–Turku–Stockholm connection emerged both in the EU and in Finland? The background is a broader assessment of where the real benefits of major transport projects arise.
Recent studies show that the greatest impacts of cross-border connections are not so much related to transport but primarily to the economy and labor markets. When large urban areas and economic regions are connected to each other through permanent infrastructure, broader labor markets are created, better matching of jobs and skills occurs, and conditions for productivity growth are established. These impacts are not generated by individual road or rail improvements.
The Nordic countries provide a clear point of comparison. The Øresund Bridge connecting Sweden and Denmark transformed the entire region’s economic dynamics. In the Nordic Capitals Railway report published in early December and conducted by Miltton, it is stated that as much as 70% of the project’s benefits have resulted from the integration of labor markets, not from the transport connection itself. A similar impact mechanism can be identified in the connection between Helsinki and Stockholm.
The studies also emphasize Finland’s changed position. After Russia’s war of aggression, Finland is no longer a logistical crossroads between East and West but the northern edge of Europe. In practice, almost all of our foreign trade passes through the Baltic Sea, which makes our system vulnerable. A permanent western connection would create an alternative route to Europe and strengthen the security of supply for the entire country. Improved security of supply would also enhance Finland’s attractiveness as an investment destination, which was highlighted in responses when the Turku Chamber of Commerce surveyed business leaders’ views on the western connection.
The security perspective is also strongly present. With Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO membership, the importance of Northern Europe in the joint planning of the EU and NATO has increased. Cross-border, so-called dual-use transport connections serve both civilian traffic and emergency needs. These are precisely the types of projects that the EU is now emphasizing in its funding.
It is essential to note that the Helsinki–Turku–Stockholm connection is not a local project, even though it passes through Turku. It is Finland’s western connection as a whole, linking the country more closely to the economic regions of Northern Europe and further to Central Europe. Geography determines the route, but the impacts extend to all of Finland.
Being included on the EU funding map and Parliament’s decision to commission a study demonstrate that this is no longer just a vision. The project has moved to a stage where its prerequisites are being assessed simultaneously both nationally and at the European level. What is now decisive is how Finland utilizes this situation in further preparation.
Finland must have a strategic vision for improving our country’s accessibility. Decisions on this vision must be made when Parliament decides on the Transport 12 plan, which guides transport development, at the beginning of the spring session. Our major transport projects must be brought to a level where they can compete for EU funding.
This article was originally published as an opinion piece in Turun Sanomat on 21 December 2025.
Photo: Tom Grünbauer / Unsplash.
