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Aerial photography of the Eastern Railway line are set to begin

Aerial surveys of the proposed route for the Eastern Railway Line between the Helsinki metropolitan area and Kymenlaakso will be carried out in the coming weeks. The aircraft conducting the aerial surveys may attract people’s attention, as it will be flying relatively low, at an altitude of around 600 metres.

Aerial photography will begin as early as this weekend, weather permitting. The photography will be carried out using a small twin-engine aircraft.

– An aircraft flying at a fairly low altitude and moving back and forth may attract attention, which is why we want to provide as much detail as possible about the aerial photography in advance. At present, it looks as though we will be able to start the aerial photography over the weekend. However, it is difficult to predict the exact start time of the aerial surveys, as the weather cannot be forecast with complete reliability in advance. The surveys cannot be carried out in cloudy weather, says Minna Weurlander, Planning Manager at Itärata Oy.

Depending on weather conditions, the aerial surveys will continue until early May and will be carried out along a 100-kilometre stretch of the Eastern Railway line between Vantaa and Kouvola.

A preliminary flight plan for the aerial surveys is drawn up the day before the actual flight. The final decision on whether to fly is always made on the morning of the flight, once the cloud conditions are known with sufficient accuracy.

For aerial surveying, a signalling system has been set up along the railway line by installing cross-shaped markers in the terrain to serve as survey control points. The markers are white, measuring 50 cm by 10 cm, and are either painted onto the tarmac or constructed from wood.

The aerial surveys that are about to begin are linked to the elevation and terrain models to be used in the Eastern Railway Line master plan, which will provide planners with a digital, accurate and consistent picture of the terrain and the built environment. Elevation and terrain models will be utilised in tunnel design, amongst other things. The actual drafting of the master plan will commence in late 2026.

A flight plan for aerial photography marked on a map along the route of the Eastern Railway
Flight plan for aerial surveys of the Eastern Railway on the map.
A twin-engine aircraft in the air
Aerial photography is carried out using a twin-engine aircraft. The aircraft shown in the image is not necessarily being used to photograph the Eastern Railway line; the image is simply intended to illustrate the aircraft’s size.
aerial photography Eastern Railway

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