The administration of transport and communications in Finland will undergo a change as of 1 January 2019, at which time the Finnish Transport Agency will become the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. The primary name to be used for the agency will be in Finnish “Väylä”.
Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency will be an expert agency of about 400 people, concentrating on planning, developing, and maintaining road, rail, and maritime transport infrastructure and on the coordination of transport and land-use. In addition, it will also be responsible for arranging traffic control and winter navigation. FTIA will operate in the planning of transport systems as the primary partner of regional councils, municipalities, urban regions, and other players.
Finnish Transport Agency Director General Kari Wihlman will continue as the Director-General of the agency. “Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency is a strong authority that commissions work from outside contractors. Our annual budget is about two billion euros and the value of the transport route property that we administer is 20 billion euros. Officially we employ more than 12,000 people” says Director-General Kari Wihlman.
The new agency deals with the service level of transport, thus promoting well-being in Finnish society and Finnish business competitiveness. “FTIA’s task is to respond efficiently and responsibly to customer needs stemming from changes in transportation and to produce a growth platform for society in the form of a functional and safe infrastructure”, Director General Wihlman explains. “In addition, we do our part to promote development and responsible construction in the infrastructure field.”
Logo shows three types of transport routes
The agency logo is formed by the word “Väylä” as well as an emblem with shades of blue. The logo shows three types of transport routes, the letter V, and the transport route. The colour scheme keeps the shades of the logo of the Finnish Transport Agency. The primary name to be used for the FTIA will be “Väylä”.
Cooperation beyond organisational boundaries
“Close cooperation among the different players of transport will continue into the future. The division of labour will emerge as the change takes place”, Wihlman says.
The division of labour and the interface with Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency will be as follows:
The traffic control tasks for road traffic, rail traffic, and maritime routes will be incorporated as of 1 January 2019 into Traffic Management Finland Group, a state-owned company with a special mission. Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency will order services for traffic control from the company.
Regional maintenance of roads will continue to be the responsibility of Finland’s ELY Centres. Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency will deal with the implementation of the national level of service. Daily road maintenance will be handled by contractors based on competitive tenders.
The new Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) will be responsible for transport licences, competences, supervision, and safety. Operations to be transferred to the new agency from the present Finnish Transport Agency will include maritime mapping, transport and land use tasks, and tasks connected with transportation services and public transport services.
(Source: FTA)
