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Improving the Savonian railway transport capacity should be highlighted as an exemplar project. Travel times on the Savonian railway are significantly longer than in the rest of Finland. As a result of the disruption of connections with Russia, the raw material economy of the industry is becoming more domestic and timber transport in particular is congesting the already poor capacity of the Savonian railway. The increase in traffic on the Savonian line has been far greater than on the rest of the railway network and it is causing congestion, which also affects the smooth flow of passenger traffic. The Savonian railway must be improved as part of the Eastern railway project. 

The Kuopio train depot has been identified in the Strategic situational picture of the transport network as one of the central and most critical targets for improving the rail network. The State is committed to the first phase of the Kuopio train station area improvement. The second phase of the Kuopio freight depot should as soon as possible become a project to be implemented in the State investment programme for transport networks. 

The Eastern railway, which is currently in planning stage, is a major long-term project with high expectations. The planned Eastern railway to Helsinki via Kouvola and Porvoo is a long-term goal shared by seven provincial centres.  The Eastern railway will provide fast and smooth traffic connections to the whole of Eastern Finland. A limited liability company has been established for the planning of the Eastern railway. 

The investment programme for state-owned transport network states that the national road Vt 5 Leppävirta–Kuopio is a key project in the transport strategy for Eastern Finland. The improvement of national road Vt 5 must be included in the 2024 implementation programme. The project will significantly improve the traffic flow and safety of the road section, which will improve the reliability of business transport and the predictability of journey times, among other things. The project is of vital importance for the transport of North Savo’s high-growth sectors and leading companies. In the future, Vt 5 will also need repairs between Siilinjärvi and Iisalmi. 

The measures proposed in the development report for the VT 9 sections Jyväskylä–Kuopio and Kuopio–Joensuu should be implemented immediately. The Vt 9 link from Kuopio to Joensuu (126 km) is the main road between the provincial centres and part of the nationally important transverse connection from Turku to Niirala border crossing point, and should therefore also be included on the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency’s investment list. The road section is part of Eu’s comprehensive TEN-T network. The planning site Vt 9/Riistavesi–Melalahti is located in Riistavesi in the eastern part of Kuopio. The aim is to improve the safety and smooth flow of traffic. 

The air services in our university city need constant attention and development. The flight time from Kuopio to Helsinki is less than an hour, and it is important to have the possibility to make a one-day business trip to Europe. Kuopio needs more operators in the air transport sector, which would have a positive impact on the price levels. 

Water transport: As timber transport has increased on the railway network, the same has happened with water traffic. In 2022, Kuopio cargo harbour handled around 215,000 m3 of raw timber, compared to the 80,000 m3 in the previous year. The growth is expected to continue. Continued attention to waterway development is needed. 

In addition to the above, adequate and competitive data connections are of paramount importance for the region. This has become particularly important with the increase in remote and multi-location work.