Arctic Railway

Proposals for a rail link between Lapland and northern Norway began serious consideration in 2017,[2] with the aim of linking the Finnish railway network to Arctic shipping routes.[3]

Route options under consideration included starting at Rovaniemi or Kemijärvi to either Kirkenes or Murmansk in Russia; Kolari or Tornio to Narvik (via Sweden) or Tromsø.[4] The Rovaniemi to Kirkenes route has been determined the most feasible,[5] with an estimated cost of €2.9 billion.[6] €2 billion would be covered by the Finnish government, with the remaining €900 million covered by the Norwegian government.

In early 2019, a Finnish-Norwegian working group assembled by Finland’s Ministry of Transport and Communications stated that the volume of cargo was too small to justify the project's costs.[7] After plans for the railway stalled, entrepreneur Peter Vesterbacka announced an alternative plan for the project in May 2019, claiming the railway could be built through private investments from China and the European Union, and with an underground route. As of March 2020, Vesterbacka and Chinese investors are aiming to build an "undersea railway tunnel" with a route between Helsinki and Tallinn.[8][7]

Environmental and cultural sensitivities exist which affect these plans, with concerns from the indigenous Sámi people that the proposed line would pass through reindeer grazing lands.[9] Indigenous reindeer herders have criticized the plans, arguing that a railway would cut off reindeer migration paths and cause accidents, killing herds.[10][7] Tiina Sanila-Aikio, the former president of the Sámi Parliament of Finland, has stated that section 17 of the Finnish constitution legally prohibits the approval of the railway, since it "assures the Sami’s right to maintain and develop their own culture", which she states includes "reindeer herding, fishing and hunting in the area".[7]

• Rail transport in Finland
• Rail transport in Norway