Arctic Railway
The Arctic Railway is a planned railway line linking the Norwegian Arctic port of Kirkenes with the Finnish railway network.Background
Proposals for a rail link between Lapland and northern Norway began serious consideration in 2017, with the aim of linking the Finnish railway network to Arctic shipping routes.Route options under consideration included starting at Rovaniemi or Kemijärvi to either Kirkenes or Murmansk in Russia; Kolari or Tornio to Narvik or Tromsø. The Rovaniemi to Kirkenes route has been determined the most feasible, with an estimated cost of €2.9 billion. €2 billion would be covered by the Finnish government, with the remaining €900 million covered by the Norwegian government.Controversies
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.
