Itärata (English: East Rail) is a proposed railway line in the planning stage to provide a more direct connection between Helsinki and Kouvola, Finland than the current route via Kerava and Lahti.
Plans for a railway line to run east of Helsinki to the Russian border, passing through Sipoo, Porvoo, Kotka and Hamina (known as "HELI-rata" in Finnish) were agreed in principle by Uusimaa Regional Council in 2010.
The line would run through a tunnel to Pasila railway station and Helsinki Airport[1] before following the route of the Finnish national road 7 to St Petersburg.
Negotiations are ongoing with the municipalities and possibly other public entities benefiting from the railway line to establish a project company.
[6] Porvoo, with a population of around 50,000, is the largest municipality in Finland without a scheduled railway service, and would gain a station on the new line allowing a 33-minute travel time to Helsinki.