Post by ferryfast admin on Feb 8, 2012 12:20:52 GMT -5
Surge in traffic to Estonia brings congestion
Helsinki traffic snarled by
lorries driving to and from
Tallinn ferries
Helsingin Sanomat
www.hs.fi/english/article/Surge+in+traffic+to+Estonia+brings+congestion/1135270358482
Ulla Tapanainen, Professor of Maritime Logistics at the University of Turku, says that Helsinki and the Estonian capital Tallinn need to make rapid decisions on how to deal with growing passenger and goods traffic between the two cities.
Tapanainen is involved in a project aimed at outlining options for transport between Helsinki and Tallinn.
The volume of transport is not seen as a threat by Professor Tapanainen; she notes that it opens up considerable opportunities for growth in both countries.
Tapanainen says that there is a “virtual bridge” between the two cities, with fast connections by ship across the Gulf of Finland, and for those in the greatest hurry, there is a helicopter connection.
On Monday Helsingin Sanomat wrote about the possibility of excavating a railway tunnel between the two cities, which could establish a rail connection between Helsinki and the core of Europe through the planned Rail Baltica network.
Professor Tapanainen would be ready to examine the option of a tunnel, but she does not feel that it would be realistic “in the short perspective and with a short payment schedule”.
The cost of a railway tunnel beneath the Gulf of Finland would be at least EUR 3 billion - a prohibitive price in the view of Finland’s Ministry of Transport and Communications.
“Decisions on the backlog of lorries should be made in a couple of years, and those involving a tunnel should be made in a couple of decades.”
About seven million passengers travel between Helsinki and Tallinn each year. A huge number of lorries also cross the Gulf of Finland, many of them on the same vessels.
The greatest increase has involved transport for companies doing business in both countries. For instance, towels and bed sheets for Helsinki hotels might be laundered in Tallinn.
In the future, traffic volumes are likely to increase as the economies of Poland and other East European countries grow.
Cargo shipping between Helsinki and Tallinn is handled mainly by the Vuosaari harbour in the east of Helsinki. However, much of the goods that are transported between the two cities are carried in lorries on the car decks of passenger ferries, which dock in central parts of both Helsinki and Tallinn.
Increasing numbers of passengers are also taking their own cars with them. Moving passenger shipping to Vuosaari is not easy, as the harbour was built mainly for cargo, and not for passengers. The remote location of Vuosaari would also be inconvenient for passengers.
Transporting goods vehicles on the car decks of passenger ferries is a lucrative business for shipping lines.
Helsinki traffic snarled by
lorries driving to and from
Tallinn ferries
Helsingin Sanomat
www.hs.fi/english/article/Surge+in+traffic+to+Estonia+brings+congestion/1135270358482
Ulla Tapanainen, Professor of Maritime Logistics at the University of Turku, says that Helsinki and the Estonian capital Tallinn need to make rapid decisions on how to deal with growing passenger and goods traffic between the two cities.
Tapanainen is involved in a project aimed at outlining options for transport between Helsinki and Tallinn.
The volume of transport is not seen as a threat by Professor Tapanainen; she notes that it opens up considerable opportunities for growth in both countries.
Tapanainen says that there is a “virtual bridge” between the two cities, with fast connections by ship across the Gulf of Finland, and for those in the greatest hurry, there is a helicopter connection.
On Monday Helsingin Sanomat wrote about the possibility of excavating a railway tunnel between the two cities, which could establish a rail connection between Helsinki and the core of Europe through the planned Rail Baltica network.
Professor Tapanainen would be ready to examine the option of a tunnel, but she does not feel that it would be realistic “in the short perspective and with a short payment schedule”.
The cost of a railway tunnel beneath the Gulf of Finland would be at least EUR 3 billion - a prohibitive price in the view of Finland’s Ministry of Transport and Communications.
“Decisions on the backlog of lorries should be made in a couple of years, and those involving a tunnel should be made in a couple of decades.”
About seven million passengers travel between Helsinki and Tallinn each year. A huge number of lorries also cross the Gulf of Finland, many of them on the same vessels.
The greatest increase has involved transport for companies doing business in both countries. For instance, towels and bed sheets for Helsinki hotels might be laundered in Tallinn.
In the future, traffic volumes are likely to increase as the economies of Poland and other East European countries grow.
Cargo shipping between Helsinki and Tallinn is handled mainly by the Vuosaari harbour in the east of Helsinki. However, much of the goods that are transported between the two cities are carried in lorries on the car decks of passenger ferries, which dock in central parts of both Helsinki and Tallinn.
Increasing numbers of passengers are also taking their own cars with them. Moving passenger shipping to Vuosaari is not easy, as the harbour was built mainly for cargo, and not for passengers. The remote location of Vuosaari would also be inconvenient for passengers.
Transporting goods vehicles on the car decks of passenger ferries is a lucrative business for shipping lines.