JHL (30.03.2016 - Heikki Jokinen) A campaign called Raidepuolue (Rail Party) started in March with a public event at the Helsinki railway station. The goal of the campaign is to stimulate debate on Finnish rail transport and its future.

Behind the campaign are Railway Professionals JHL and the Locomotive Drivers Union VML. The time for the action is right now, as the Government is planning to open up domestic passenger rail transport to private competition.

This could mean an end to many local rail connections. Railway Professionals JHL fears that the whole future of Finnish rail transport could be under threat.

Railway Professionals JHL is part of the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors JHL comprising those JHL members who work on rail transport.

The campaign started in the middle of March and will continue to the end of the year. It will go to 18 cities with a campaign tent in front of railway stations and visits to the rail transport working places.

One feature of the campaign is the web site raidepuolue.fi. It includes a lot of information (in Finnish) on rail transportation: how is it working now and what is the outlook for the future?

The purpose of the web page is to provide decision makers with information, be a place to check facts and help media professionals in their work acting as a data bank on rail transportation.

The web site also explains about rail transport work, collects news on international experiences and presents a lot of updated facts and figures on rail transport in Finland.