Arterial railways – decree and service level
This situational picture provides information about the decree on and the service level of arterial railways in Finland. The situational picture is primarily updated twice a year. The information is produced by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. The information is part of the strategic situational picture of the Finnish transport network.
DECREE ON THE ARTERIAL ROADS AND RAILWAYS AND THEIR SERVICE LEVEL
The decree on the arterial roads and railways and their service level determines the sections of track belonging to arterial railways. The decree also defines service level requirements for the railway network.
The rail sections on the arterial railways are classified into passenger traffic and goods transport routes based on their primary traffic profile. The speed on the passenger traffic routes of the arterial railways must be at least 120 km/h. The speed on the goods transport routes of the arterial railways must be at least 80 km/h. The axle load on the goods transport routes must be at least 22.5 tonnes. The minimum speed and axle load can be deviated from due to traffic safety and local conditions connected to the environment and land use.
Approximately 3,400 km of tracks are considered arterial railways, which is 57% of the scope of the entire railway network. Approximately 85% of all passenger traffic on railways and approximately 90% of all goods transport on railways occurs on arterial railways. The arterial railways meet the service level requirements mentioned above.
Figure: Arterial railways and the rest of the railway network on a map of Finland.