Public transport – a real alternative

A public transport system has to function around a country’s special features. Finland is a big country with a dispersed population, so a private car is often an essential means of transport outside urban areas.

However, Finland does not differ much from other EU countries in that our public transport policy has two important roles. One is providing everyone across the country with an opportunity to travel easily each day, and the other is controlling climate change by making public transport an attractive transport alternative.

The most popular mode of public transport in Finland is the bus, used by 58 per cent of public transport passengers. However, nearly 60 per cent of all trips are made by car, making it by far the most popular method of transport.

Therefore, our objective in urban areas is to develop competitive public transport as an alternative to private cars. The network should be functional, of good quality, and accessible. Public transport should be developed as a system in which different transport modes complement one another.

The State will participate in financing public transport in large urban areas for the first time during 2007-2011; providing that the money invested increases the use of public transport services and improves their competitiveness. The areas involved must also increase their investment in public transport.

The planning, arrangement and financing of public transport in large and medium-sized cities also needs to be reformed. Information technology can be used to provide citizens with real-time information and route selection services.

A reasonable level of public transport must be ensured in rural areas and small cities, and this can be achieved by means of more cost-effective public service procurement. Decreasing route traffic can be supplemented by demand responsive public transport.

One way to encourage people to use public transport services is the employer-subsidised commuter ticket system, introduced at the beginning of 2006. New and more effective models for increasing the popularity of the ticket are currently being sought.

Furthermore, investments have been made to reduce travel times on rail. In Autumn 2006, an entirely new stretch of railway line north of Helsinki was inaugurated. The new 63km line was the biggest railway project in Finland for more than two decades, and it has significantly increased the popularity of commuter trains. The new line is also able to provide high-speed trains that are expected to start operating between Helsinki and St. Petersburg in the coming years.

Some of the important rail projects in the Helsinki metropolitan area are the new link from the city centre of Helsinki to the Helsinki-Vantaa airport, and the extension of the metro line. The new rail link will offer the annual 12 million air passengers a rail connection to Finland’s main airport. Construction of the rail line will start in 2009. Extending the metro line from Helsinki to the neighbouring city of Espoo is being planned by the cities and the new connection will be taken into use as early as 2012.

We look forward to improving public transport by using new and progressive methods in the future. Much is expected of public transport, and we are confident that we will be able to meet these expectations in Finland.