Legislation on traffic control reorganisation circulated for comments

The Ministry of Transport and Communications circulated a proposal for an act on incorporating traffic control functions for comments on 22 December 2017. The deadline for giving statements is 7 February 2018.

According to the proposal, the Finnish Transport Agency's tasks related to traffic control and management functions in the road, maritime and rail transport sectors will be incorporated into a fully state-owned special assignment company.

The business operations of the traffic control company would primarily be based on a strategic partnership and agreements with the Finnish Transport Agency, which is responsible for the transport route network. In the future, the company could also provide services on commercial terms.

The special assignment company would be a group consisting initially of a mother company and the current state-owned traffic control companies, or Finrail Oy, which is responsible for rail traffic control, and Air Navigation Services Finland Oy, which controls air traffic. Traffic control services in the maritime and road transport sectors would be separated into companies specific to each mode of transport at a later date.

The goal of incorporating the traffic control functions is to clarify the division of duties between transport sector agencies and companies and to streamline regulation, ensuring a good balance between society's needs, the steering of the company and its freedom to conduct business.

- During the drafting process, an effort was made to ensure that the legislation is a clear-cut whole. As the corporatisation goes ahead, the plan is to dismantle overlaps related to traffic control in different modes of transport and clarify the roles of the customer, the service provider and supervision, explains Juhapekka Ristola, Director-General at the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The corporatisation of traffic control functions also responds to increasing digitalisation, servicification and automation in transport, the growing importance of data, and changes in the operating environment. The reform strives to promote the opening up of data produced in connection with traffic control and to speed up the development and growth of new business based on it.

When preparing the corporatisation, particular attention has been paid to effective cooperation between the authorities, ensuring its high quality, reliability and undisrupted continuation during and after the reform. The Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Interior have been involved in preparing the project.

The Act on Cooperation within Government Agencies and Public Services and the principles of good governance will be complied with in this project.

Further information:

Raimo Tapio, Director General, Finnish Transport Agency, tel. +358 29 534 3614