The Norwegian Railway Agency commented, “Our goal is to organize the best possible temporary solution for station services.”
The Finnish Railways Agency on Wednesday had to correct public misconceptions that Turku’s new Logomo bridge will serve as a temporary station building for the city before the new travel hub is completed.
According to the Finnish Railways Agency, the misunderstanding arose from the announcement published on Monday, explaining how to organize temporary station services in relation to the Logomo bridge as seamlessly as possible, when train traffic from Helsinki returns to Turku station. End of 2024.
Ilta-Sanomat also reported the matter on Tuesday.
Read more: Logomo Bridge will become Turku’s main railway station
– The Logomo bridge is not intended to serve as a station building. Since access to the new platforms will be via the Logomo Bridge, temporary station services will be located near the Logomo Bridge, explains Erki Makela, project manager for the Norwegian Railway Agency.
Planning for temporary station services is still a work in progress. According to Jarkko Sadanen, director of Owner Control for the City of Turku, solutions for organizing temporary station services have been mapped out “in good cooperation in the joint working group of the Finnish Road Administration, the City of Turku and VR”.
According to Valavirasto, the first phase of temporary station services will be completed by July 2024, when Tampere-bound rail traffic will move to the new platforms. The system in question is part of the Kupitta–Turku railway project.
– We aim to provide the best possible temporary solution for station services. We plan to bring ticket machines to the new passenger ferries and are exploring the possibility of implementing a nearby luggage storage, says Petri Martola, VR’s development manager.
The second phase of temporary station services are not part of the Kupitta–Turku railway project, but are a separate entity of their own.
First stage temporary station solutions can be more modest than second stage long term temporary station solutions. It serves passengers up to the new travel center in the city of Turku. The new permanent position is targeted to be completed in 2029.
The Logomo Bridge is a pedestrian bridge of approximately 140 meters which opened to the public in November 2021. The bridge’s completion was delayed for several years, and ended up costing 21.6 million euros instead of the original five million euros.
VR announced last week that it plans to abandon 25 of its passenger stations over the next few years, including Turku Central Railway Station and Kupitta Station.
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The Finnish Railways Agency said on Monday that Turku’s new passenger platforms will be located in the area between Braahenkatu and Ajurinkatu. They can be accessed via the Logomo Bridge.
