Finland plans to switch to the European railway gauge standard

Finland plans to abandon the usual railway gauge and switch to the European standard of 1,435 mm. Yle reported this on May 13, citing the country's Minister of Transport and Communications, Lulu Ranne.

According to her, the government will make a decision on this before July 27. She believes that the transition to the European standard is aimed at improving cargo safety and developing cross-border contacts with Sweden and Norway.

Ranne also called the innovation a joint project of Europe and NATO. Work on the transition to the new standard is planned to begin no earlier than the 2030s. According to her, significant funds will be needed to implement the project.

"It is important that the Nordic countries cooperate, even when it comes to logistics issues," Ranne said.

Orientation - North: NATO military exercises began near Karelia

Alliance units are practicing the use of UAVs in Finland - why are most of these maneuvers now taking place on the borders with the Russian Federation

On May 13, it was reported that Russian-speaking residents of Finland filed a new appeal against the decision of the Finnish authorities to close the border with Russia. According to Ivan Devyatkin, a member of the Lappeenranta City Council, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has recognized Russian-speaking residents living in the territory of the state as a national minority.