The construction phase of the West Railway, a planned rail line between Helsinki and Turku will not be handled by the current government, Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne (Finns) told news agency STT.

Pekka Ottavainen, the head of the rail project company Länsirata Oy, confirmed to STT that the construction phase is set to begin in 2028. Finland is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in about a year, in April 2027.

According to Rantanen, a final decision about the construction phase will be made once ongoing bureaucracy surrounding the project comes to an end.

Last November, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP), who has long lobbied for the so-called West Railway and is originally from Turku, has previously suggested that construction of the line would start during his government's term.

At the time, Ranne, who has expressed scepticism about the project in the past, suggested that the construction phase would begin in 2028, rather than earlier, as local municipalities had also suggested.

Some opposition parties have criticised the new railway project plans as too expensive because Helsinki and Turku are already connected by rail.

The main goal of the planned line is to shorten the travel time between the cities. The journey on the existing Coastal Railway is just over two hours.

After Ranne's announcement on Thursday, Orpo weighed in, saying that no decision has been made about postponing the start of construction of the West Railway until after this legislative term.

According to Orpo, the goal is to get construction work started as quickly as possible. He told reporters that he remains hopeful that construction could begin during this government term, and reiterated that a decision on construction will be made before his cabinet leaves office.

He and Ranne had a similar public disagreement about the project's advancement last year as well.

Edit 17 April, 1.28pm: Updated with Orpo's comments.