The Finnish Ministry of Transport and Communications wants to transform regional passenger rail transport by 2031 to meet targets set by the European Union (EU). The current procurement of regional passenger rail transport services expires in 2030. The programme intends to give regions and municipalities the right to independently plan and order the services they need. There are also plans to set up a company for broad-gauge rail vehicles, which will resell vehicles to the regional operators that are no longer needed by the Finnish state railway VR. The current open-access principle is no longer planned in the new government programme, as access to the Finnish market is proving difficult due to the different track gauge in contrast to the rest of Europe. Tenders for regional passenger rail transport services will be prepared by the Ministry between 2023 and 2025, with tenders to take place between 2026 and 2028 and services to begin operating from 2031.
