World’s Longest Undersea Rail Tunnel Back on Track

• 29 January 2021
• Construction Focus
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The world’s longest undersea railway tunnel project worth over US$17 billion connecting Finland to Estonia appears to be back on track after the Estonian government rejected it due to environmental, economic and safety concerns last year, according to Bloomberg on 26 January

The railway will be over 100 kilometres long, mostly spanning under the sea. In addition, there will be also at least one artificial island built to support this route.

The project was proposed by Finnish entrepreneur Peter Vesterbacka last year and if approved, it will be implemented with a budget of about US$17 billion, funded by China’s Touchstone Capital Partners Ltd.

However, the Estonian government did not approve the project at the time due to environmental, economic and social concerns.

On 24 January, the Estonian government announced plans to restart positive talks with Finland and will do so on a national level if confirmed by Cabinet, with a vote in Parliament.

• Mega Infrastructure and Engineering