1. The Great Arctic Railway
Kemijarvi – Kola – Murmansk alternative route
Kola – Zapolyarnaya – Kirkenes rw connection possibility
Arctic Business Forum 2018, Kemi

2. Arctic Ocean Railway Report
Finland and Norway agreed on March 9, 2018 to explore constructing an Arctic rail link from northern Finland to the Barents Sea coast to develop trade routes and business opportunities in the region.
The proposed link would run from Finland’s northern city of Rovaniemi to Norway’s ice-free deep-water port of Kirkenes, located some 15 km from the border with Russia.
The link would cost around 2.9 billion euros ($3.6 billion) and would open in 2030, the study by the two governments showed.
It would be the first rail connection from a European Union member state to an Arctic Ocean port.
An Arctic Ocean Railway Report has been issued by the Finnish Transport Agency in collaboration with the Norwegian Railway Directorate.

3. 5 Alternative Routes as per Arctic Ocean Railway Report
Rovaniemi – Kirkenes Kolari – Skibotn - Tromso
Kolari – Narvik Kemijarvi - Murmansk
Tornio – Narvik

4. Rovaniemi – Kelloselka – Ruchyi Karelskiye

5. Ruchyi Karelskiye – Kola - Nickel
Industrial North magazine, No , Head of Murmansk Division of October rw Mr.Polikarpov on the capacity of the main line:
“… I can reassure you that the capacity is sufficient for the quantity of cargo delivered to and from Murmansk Region enterprises. It was the case during the peak summer season when we had additional pairs of passenger trains and, considering the cargo base traditionally delivered to the regional center, but still the capacity was sufficient. No ne port was idling due to the railway’s fault. Today we are transporting 28 million tons to Murmansk Region and the same quantity from Murmansk region. And we are able to increase the flow of cargo at least by 10 million tons.”
Railway
Section
Distance (km)
No.of Tracks
Permitted Load (mt/axis)
Electrification
Gauge (mm)
Notes
RZD (Russian)
Ruchyi Karelskiye - Polyarnye Zori 56 2 25
25 kV AC
1520
main line Petrozavodsk - Murmansk
Polyarnye Zori - Kola
240
1 with 2tr. insert
Total Ruchyi Karelskiye - Kola:
296
Kola - Luostari
140 1
20 ??? no
freight traffic, average train speed 24 km/h
Luostari - Nickel 46
Total Kola - Nickel:
186

6. Nickel – Bjornevatn - Kirkenes
Acticle in "Komsomolskaya Pravda" newspaper dated Oct.2016:
"By Russian standards, Murmansk cannot be called a metropolis. There are just over three hundred thousand inhabitants in the city. But here, beyond the Arctic Circle, not only are there less trees. In the nearest Norwegian town of Kirkenes, the population is just three and a half thousand people. Half of them come from Murmansk. There is no railway there, and there is no railway connection between our countries either.
The inhabitants of Murmanks believe that this is justified. And economically expedient. If the railway were to lead to the north of Norway, some of the cargo would go around Murmanks port, and "why do we need it"?
In the years of the Great Patriotic War (II World war) the lack of rail service, oddly enough, also played a positive role. The fascist troops (Norway was occupied by Germany during the war years) did not have the opportunity to quickly deploy forces in the direction of Murmansk"

7. Summary technical data

8. Pros and Cons of Kelloselka Alternative
Minimal investments
Shortest time frame
Option to use Kandalaksha, Murmansk (expansion underway) or Kirkenes in case rw connection is established
Avoiding environmental and cultural consequences implied by other alternatives
Cons:
Possible impact of current political situation on projects for cross-border connections
Loss of economic security
Lack of regional economic development for Polar Finland and Norway
No significant change to logistical position of Finland and Norway