Turku to host final seminar on Local Train to Southwest Finland project, with Tampere rail lessons

A closing seminar for the Local Train to Southwest Finland project will be held at Visitor Centre Joki in Turku on Thursday, 26 November, focusing on regional mobility and commuting patterns.

Doors open at 13:00 for coffee and networking. The formal programme begins at 13:15 and runs until 15:30 in the Cave Theatre at Lemminkäisenkatu 12b, with time for questions and informal discussion after the presentations.

Key speakers include Timo Aro, strategy director at the City of Turku, on whether the growth triangle will form a unified commuting area by 2050; Pauliina Forsman, senior specialist at the City of Turku, presenting the project's key findings and future outlook; Kimmo Sinisalo, development manager at HSL, on obstacles to implementing local train services; Eero Kauppinen, transport system manager for the Tampere region, offering lessons from Tampere; and Kaisa Leiwo, CEO of the Turku Chamber of Commerce, on business expectations for local rail.

The seminar will examine future travel needs in Southwest Finland, the development of work catchment areas and practical opportunities for commuter rail. Registration is open until 18 November via the event page.

It follows earlier calls to advance a Tampere–Turku passenger rail link from Southwest Finland MPs. It also comes after Traficom’s September deadline for regions including Tampere, Turku and Oulu to commit to trainsets for planned 2031 commuter services to commit to 2031 commuter trains.