By: Arya Prindipolu
Finland and Estonia are looking into building an undersea railway tunnel to connect their capitals: Tallinn, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland, which are separated by the Baltic Sea. Many Estonians commute to Helsinki and many tourists from Finland visit Tallinn.
Three ferry companies currently operate the Tallinn-Helsinki ferry route, the fastest taking two hours. The proposed undersea railway would cut travel time to 30 minutes. The railway, called Rail Baltica, will be built in 2020 and finished by 2025. It would dramatically increase Finnish access to the rest of continental Europe. Finns will be also able to visit Poland overland for a day trip. The proposed undersea railway is expected to cost up to 13 billion euros. As of yet, the tunnel still needs funding; Estonia and Finland are both working to improve their transit systems. In 2016, there will be a joint travel pass, and a better connection between the ferry terminal and airport.
