Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (Finnish: Väylävirasto, Swedish: Trafikledsverket), shortened to FTIA, is a Finnish government agency responsible for the maintenance of Finland's road, rail, and waterway systems. The agency's annual budget is 1.6 billion euros.[2] The FTIA's parent organization is the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Väylävirasto
Trafikledsverket
Government agency overview
Formed1 January 2010
Preceding agencies
  • Finnish Road Administration
  • Finnish Rail Administration
  • Finnish Maritime Administration
TypeGovernment agency
Jurisdiction Finland
HeadquartersHelsinki, Finland
Employees400[1]
Annual budget1.6 billion € (2019)[1]
Government agency executive
  • Kari Wihlman
Parent Government agencyMinistry of Transport and Communications of Finland
Websitevayla.fi/web/en

History

The FTIA was founded on 1 January 2010. The agency took over the operations of three separate transportation agencies; the Finnish Rail Administration (RHK, Finnish: Ratahallintokeskus, Swedish: Banförvaltningscentralen), the Finnish Maritime Administration, (Finnish: Merenkulkulaitos, Swedish: Sjöfartsverket) and the Finnish Road Administration (Finnish: Tiehallinto, Swedish: Vägförvaltningen). Until 1 January 2019 the name of the agency was Finnish Transport Agency (Finnish: Liikennevirasto, Swedish: Trafikverket).

Operations

Road network

The Finnish road network consists of highways, municipal street networks and private roads. In tandem with the fifteen regional ELY centers, the FTIA is responsible for the maintenance and development of the state-owned road network. There are 78,000 kilometres of highways maintained by the FTIA, of which about 50,000 are paved.[3] In all, the Finnish road network is 454,000 kilometers long, of which about 350,000 are privately-owned. There are a total of 5,000 kilometers of pedestrian walkways and bicycle tracks in Finland.

Railway network
Main article: Rail transport in Finland

The FTIA is responsible for the planning, construction, maintenance, and traffic control of the Finnish railway network. For most of the rail network's history, the primary user has been VR, but this has been projected to change with the Sipilä Cabinet's rail reform program.[4] At the end of 2014, the total length of the Finnish railway network was 5,944 kilometers, of which 3,256 was electrified. The FTA spends about 200 million euros on rail infrastructure maintenance annually.[5]

Waterways

The FTIA maintains approximately 8,300 kilometers of coastal fairway and 8,000 kilometers of inland waterways as part of Finland's waterway network.[6] FTA is also responsible for producing charts (ENC & RNC) covering Finland waterways and coastal waters.

References
  1. "Operating philosophy". Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  2. Liikenneviraston toiminta- ja taloussuunnitelma 2015 - 2018 liikenne- ja viestintäministeriölle (PDF) (in Finnish). Finnish Transport Agency. 2013. p. 4.
  3. "Road network - Finnish Transport Agency". www.liikennevirasto.fi. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  4. "Finnish opposition slams government over rail reform". Yle Uutiset. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  5. "Railway network - Finnish Transport Agency". www.liikennevirasto.fi. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
  6. "Waterways - Finnish Transport Agency". www.liikennevirasto.fi. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
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