On a national scale, Vantaa’s Ring Rail Line is a major investment in transport which will have a significant impact on land use and infrastructure. The significance of the track is much greater than just the traffic flow. It is a user interface that influences Vantaa’s ability to absorb the growth of the metropolitan area and enables people and business to find new ways to operate. In addition, it has influenced and will continue to influence the decisions of local industry and of housing production which, in turn, affect people’s mobility requirements. The Ring Rail Line connects the main north-south railway line out of Helsinki to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport impacting the city’s international mobility significantly.
These findings emerge from the wider impact evaluation of the Ring Rail Line which was completed in March. The report summarises the qualitative and quantitative aspects of a broader impact analysis. Effectiveness is important to consider in both the short and long term, meaning a period of more than ten years. At present, however, there is no single national evaluation framework to which cities and urban areas could be more strongly linked. There is therefore a growing need for a broader and more comprehensive evaluation framework which combines both quantitative and visionary information. MDI worked together with WSP on the project for the client, the City of Vantaa.