Russian Railways plans to establish a suburban train connection between St. Petersburg and Finland

The Russian Railways now works on a route map for the suburban trains, which should connect St. Petersburg and neighboring Finnish cities: Imatra and Lappeenranta. It is estimated that the realization of this plan might take three years.

The project has been discussed already for approximately 20 years. Recently, in March 2019, it has been decided to revise it once again: to launch suburban trains in addition to the speed train connection between St. Petersburg and Finland. At the current moment, it is important to complete the route map. This idea has received the approvement by the border and customs authorities and support from the Oktyabrskiy Railway, Regional union of the South Karelia and the scientific communities of Russia and Finland. The connection line "St. Petersburg — Vyborg — Svetogorsk — Imatra" can become a popular route among residents of St. Petersburg and Finland. The volume of passenger traffic might reach one million per year.

According to the senior vice-president "Transportnaya Integratsiya" Svetlana Vorontsova, the suburban trains would go from St. Petersburg, through Vyborg to the Svetogorsk, Imatra, and Lappeenranta.