Leader of the NHO in Troms County, Arne Eidsmo, says to NRK that the socalled Ice Sea Railway project linking the Finnish railway grid with Skibotn can become the most important industrial project in the region in decades.
As BarentsObserver has reported, the projected railway line connecting Skibotn with the Finnish railway hub of Kollari could give Finnish industry a new desired export route and significantly strengthen cross-border business relations in the Nordic High North.
Mr. Eidsmo stresses that the authorities in Oslo now have to open their eyes for the major opportunities in the region. Both Finnish and EU authorities are positive towards the project, he maintains.
As BarentsObserver reported, Finnish Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, Paavo Väyrynen, during his visit to Kirkenes and Tromsø in 2008 confirmed that Finland is considering the possibility to build a railway line from Kolari in Northern Finland to the Norwegian town of Skibotn.
In September this year, a feasibility report written by Sweco for regional authorities recommended that the 312 km long cross-border railway line from Kolari to Skibotn is built. The infrastructure initiatives come as major new mineral and metal resources are being prepared for exploitation in northern Finland and Sweden. Those resources will need smooth export routes, and the industry is eager to find alternative transport routes away from the crowded Baltic Sea.
Regional industrial interests also considers other infrastructure projects in the area. The International Gold Exploration in a new report on its Rönnbäcken nickel reserves outlines perspectives for the upgrade of road infrastructure to Mo i Rana in northern Norway. In Mo i Rana the Swedish company could take use of the existing local port for exports of the ore.
In addition, several companies also believe an extension of the Rovaniemi railway line to Kirkenes near the border to Russia would be attractive.
