Keith Dawson
e-mail: kmdawson@dlc.fi
27 July 1997
Risto Niinikoski's thoughts on the capital region's rail developments (LV 25.6.) avoid one important part - finance. At the moment all available State and local council reserves are expected to be channelled towards extra tracks from Helsinki to Leppävaara. Because of VR's inability to make full use of the resources it already has to run additional trains, more beneficial projects will be stuck in the planning stage for the next ten years due to the lack of funding. Even though VR is legally a commercial enterprise is still does not have to pay the real costs of providing the infrastructure to run its trains - via RHK the nation pays this 2.000.000.000markka bill on its behalf. Without competition or real commercial discipline, VR can continue to run an old-fashioned railway and plead for more money when people ask for a better service.
The first losers if this “pet" project goes ahead are all other areas which are served by VR's Rantarata local-traffic services, especially those beyond Espoo's borders. VR has become increasingly reliant on support from YTV to fund new trains and additional services. Already, unsupported local-traffic services to Karjaa have been cut almost to non-existence. If extra tracks are built to Leppävaara as the only answer to get more trains, how will additional services to Espoo/Kauklahti/Kirkkonummi be possible without a repeated request for extra tracks and new trains? Who will complain? Not VR - it has a nice comfortable income from YTV which also helps it get State support for extra tracks and new trains without the pain of having to become more efficient. At the same time fare-paying customers from outside the YTV area must wait for a (railway) revolution before services are improved and expanded.
Regards,
Keith Dawson