Passenger train at the railway station in Petrozavodsk. Photo: Thomas Nilsen
The Karelian government is developing a plan to improve the infrastructure at the Russian, Finnish border crossings point Wärtsilä – Lytän to facilitate for rail connection. The hope is to get the border upgrade included into the 2012-2020 federal investment program on national borders, reports Vesti Karelia.
In 2011, some 1,5 million border-crossings were counted between the Republic of Karelia and Finland and the queues of cars at the borders are long during peak hours. Passenger trains across the border will bring along much better comfort to travelers.
The idée is to establish a journey starting in Petrozavodsk to the town of Sortavala near the border, then cross into Finland towards the town of Joensuu before finally arriving in Oulu in Lapland.
Further south, the newly established express train between Helsinki and St. Petersburg is becoming a success, exceeding all expectations in numbers of passengers, BarentsObserver reported in December.
