Municipal deputies in Helsinki are claiming that Finland has been cut off from the European mainland for too long and are backing the idea of creating an undersea tunnel between Helsinki and Tallinn.

The municipality of Helsinki's policymakers have expressed their willingness to bolster the creation of a submarine tunnel between the Finnish and Estonian capitals, which would be aimed at linking the existing transport networks of the two countries.

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Emma Kari, the head of the Finnish Greens, insists that it is the time to push ahead with the project. "A preliminary study indicated that it is worth it to keep working on the plan," she said, adding that nobody would win from slowing down the process.

Kari considers the current economic downturn a reason to bolster the implementation of the plan, regardless of the fact that the project would cost up to €9-13 billion.

"In such a poor economic situation, these investments give us the chance to trigger further growth. The tunnel would bring us closer to Europe, improve transport links and benefit the economy," Kari said.

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Pajamaki bemoaned the fact that Finland has not been yet incorporated in the European railway network: "The tunnel would link Finland to Central Europe and vice versa," he said.

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The preliminary study, conducted by Sweco Group together with experts from Estonia and Finland in February 2015, showed that the income generated by the €9-13 billion tunnel would cover the service and maintenance costs within the operating phase. At the same time, the project would require about 40-50 percent of its funding from the Estonian and Finnish governments and the EU, while the financing model of the tunnel construction would be based on that of a joint-stock company. It is expected that the tunnel will be complete by the end of the 2030s.