Vainikkala is the most significant border crossing point for rail traffic between Russia and Finland. It handles about 18 million tons of cargo and 640,000 passengers a year. The yard consists of two parts, Vainikkala station and Vainikkala cargo, of which the cargo in particular has challenges in terms of traffic volumes with, among other things, rail capacity. The survey identified the development measure needs of the Vainikkala traffic site on a needs-based basis. The measures were divided into four different baskets in order of urgency:
Basket 0+: The most urgent measures for which design work is already underway.
Basket 1: Measures that should be implemented as quickly as possible and that improve the functionality of the yard in a cost-effective way.
Basket 2: Measures that should be taken in the near future in the face of a small increase in traffic volumes.
Basket 3: Measures that require a significant increase in traffic volumes in order to be profitable.
Proxion’s traffic design team as well as infrastructure, electrical and safety equipment teams were involved in the survey. The digital services team also conducted a review of Vainikkala’s interlocking device data, which was used as an aid, e.g. in making the development path of measures.
The work was carried out as part of the survey of the South-East Finland railway network, in which, in addition to Vainikkala, the Luumäki – Vainikkala track section, Lappeenranta and Lauritsala traffic points and the Luumäki – Imatra – Imatrankoski border section were examined in various surveys. A separate summary report was also compiled.
