There are signs of strengthening growth in the economy, but at the same time there are proposals for cuts on the table that threaten its conditions. RT and INFRA are expecting decisions from the budget process that recognize the role of the road network as the basis for investments, competitiveness and internationalization. The financing of basic road maintenance must be brought to a level at which the growth of the road network's repair debt stops. A solution is also awaiting the digital railway.
"If implemented, the Ministry of Finance's budget proposal would collapse funding for basic road maintenance next year. For example, less than half of the average funding level for 2024–2026 would be available for repairing paved roads. The amount of repair debt would inevitably start to grow rapidly," INFRA's CEO Paavo Syrjö says.
The digital railway project, which was launched in 2019, is also under threat. It is intended to replace the railway network's aging access control system and thereby create the conditions for new train schedules and other increases in network capacity, as well as reduce disruptions and maintenance costs.
"The government programme states that access to EU funding must be maximised. Digital Railway is also a project where the conditions for receiving EU money are excellent," Syrjö points out.
Finland, an export-driven country with a fragmented economic structure, is dependent on functioning transport connections. Accessibility is therefore also a matter of economic, regional and security policy.
"Companies will only invest, renew and internationalize if the infrastructure serving them is reliable and sufficient for future needs. The lack of funding for basic infrastructure maintenance must be stopped. 1,8 billion euros of funding is needed annually, and it must be index-linked to permanently control the cycle of deterioration of infrastructure."
This is how cuts to highway funding would feel in everyday life
The scarce funding for the highways proposed by the Ministry of Finance would be felt in many ways in the everyday lives of people and companies.
Without digital railways, the safety and development potential of rail traffic would deteriorate. In the 2030s, train speeds risk falling to as little as 80 kilometers per hour – the level of the early 1900th century.
It would happen on the road The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency's calculations sharp decline in light. On a busy road paved this summer, you could encounter an asphalt roller once in 2037, on a medium-traffic road only in 2096. If your local road has little traffic and was paved in the summer, it is worth recording the matter in your family history, because the next time you could encounter pavers is in 2276.
"Road users would have to get used to lower speed and weight limits, deeper ruts and unexpected potholes – and because of them, damage to vehicles. Traffic safety would deteriorate, fuel and energy consumption would increase. Ultimately, the price of transportation and movement would rise, and repairing a road that has been left in a poor condition will cost clearly more in the future than repairing it now. Someone will always pay for the savings," Paavo Syrjö sums up.
See also previous announcement on highway funding
For more information:
Paavo Syrjö
CEO, INFRA ry
Tel:+358 40 560 1803
paavo.syrjo@rt.fi
Nina Raitanen
Leading expert, INFRA Association
Pooh: +358 40 744 2996
nina.raitanen@rt.fi