Connectivity and competitiveness
Connections drive growth and strengthen security.
Transport
A thriving Finland needs significant investment in transport infrastructure in Eastern and Northern Finland as well, both to strengthen competitiveness and to support balanced national development. Connectivity is a key competitive factor for North Savo’s leading growth sectors.
Transport infrastructure is a matter of national competitiveness and security of supply. An effective transport system requires long-term planning and funding, and EU funding should be utilised to the fullest extent possible for the development and maintenance of the transport network.
Kuopio’s priorities are to reduce journey times and increase capacity on the Savo railway line, establish a dedicated national funding framework for the TEN-T network in Eastern Finland, develop Kuopio Airport as an airport of national importance, and include the Finnish National Road 5 corridor in the TEN-T Core Network.
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Increasing capacity on the Savo railway line should be made a priority project. Journey times on the Savo railway line are significantly longer than elsewhere in Finland. Industrial raw material transport places additional pressure on a railway line that already has limited capacity and affects the smooth operation of passenger services. The Savo railway line should be improved as part of the Eastern Railway project.
The Eastern Railway, currently in the planning phase, is a shared long-term objective of seven regional centres. The proposed connection to Helsinki via Kouvola and Porvoo aims to provide fast and smooth connections throughout Eastern Finland.
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National Road 5 between Leppävirta and Kuopio is a priority project in Eastern Finland’s transport strategy. The project will improve traffic flow and safety, as well as the reliability of business transport and the predictability of journey times. Improvements will also be needed on the Siilinjärvi–Iisalmi section in the future.
The proposed measures for National Road 9 between Jyväskylä and Kuopio and between Kuopio and Joensuu should be implemented. The Kuopio–Joensuu connection forms part of an important national east-west route and the EU’s comprehensive TEN-T network. National Road 5 should be included in the EU TEN-T network due to its importance for security of supply.
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Air services to a university city require continuous attention and development. The flight from Kuopio to Helsinki takes less than an hour, and it should be possible to make a business trip from Kuopio to Europe within a single day. Kuopio needs more airline operators.
Logistics
The competitiveness and security of supply of Kuopio and North Savo require effective rail, road, air, waterway and telecommunications connections. Reliable transport chains serve the region’s industries, food production and other sectors critical to security of supply.
Central government transport infrastructure management must address Eastern Finland’s maintenance backlog, east-west connections and connections to Northern Finland. Developing inland waterway transport and telecommunications connections complements the region’s overall connectivity.
MAL Agreement
The Kuopio City Region MAL Agreement covers the period 2024–2035. The parties to the agreement are central government and the municipalities of Kuopio, Lapinlahti, Leppävirta, Siilinjärvi, Suonenjoki and Tuusniemi.
The agreement strengthens cooperation between the municipalities and between the city region and central government in coordinating land use, housing and the transport system. It creates conditions for a diverse housing supply, sustainable urban and regional structures, transport system development, and the growth and connectivity of the city region.
MAL agreements cover a 12-year period. Jyväskylä, Kuopio and Lahti joined the agreement framework in 2022. The content and objectives of the agreements are revised for each government term. As a result of the 2024 negotiations, central government allocated EUR 10 million to small-scale transport infrastructure improvements in the Kuopio region and EUR 4.4 million to public passenger transport services for 2024–2027.
Preparations for the next agreement period, 2028–2031, have begun. The focus is on promoting public transport, implementing new trunk routes and transport improvement projects, and advancing planning readiness for a double-track railway between Kurkimäki, Kuopio, Rissala and Siilinjärvi.
Read the Kuopio City Region MAL Agreement.
Regional cooperation
Kuopio works closely with neighbouring municipalities
Regional cooperation involves developing new ideas, making use of existing good practices, preparing development projects, monitoring legislation, and introducing new knowledge and examples across the city region to support the development of sustainable and vibrant urban and regional structures. Particular emphasis is placed on collaborative solutions and on strengthening the vitality and competitiveness of the region as a whole.
In addition to developing and coordinating land use, housing and transport, the broader objectives of regional cooperation in Kuopio include advocacy, business development, employment services and cooperation between municipalities in service provision.
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The Kuopio region is investing in cross-municipal cooperation in service provision. A development initiative covering environmental health services, building control and environmental protection was launched in 2025. Its aim is to develop options for cost-effective public authority services within a clear administrative structure.
Municipalities need to organise services on a stronger foundation in terms of both expertise and population. The initiative also supports the provision of statutory municipal services under all circumstances and the availability of skilled professionals in the region. Services are being considered more comprehensively in light of changes in the operating environment, while preparing proactively for future developments.
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The Kuopio City Region Plan 2030+ was prepared for the municipalities covered by the MAL Agreement. The plan places particular emphasis on responding to climate challenges and achieving carbon-neutral communities.
The City Region Plan represents the shared vision of the MAL municipalities for the development of the region. It sets out population growth and the location of new jobs by municipality and guides new detailed planning towards urban centres and public transport corridors.
Further work examines issues including the conditions for business development, workforce availability, sustainable everyday mobility, management of urban expansion and climate change adaptation.
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The Transport System Plan aims to define the strategic direction through to 2040. It also seeks to integrate the development of the Kuopio region’s transport system more closely with regional and national transport system planning, the City Region Plan and the MAL agreement process.
The planning area comprises Kuopio, Siilinjärvi, Lapinlahti, Tervo, Vesanto, Rautalampi, Suonenjoki, Leppävirta, Tuusniemi and Kaavi.
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Advocacy is an integral part of regional cooperation and is carried out together with a wide range of stakeholders. The aim is to promote the vitality of the region and ensure that key development priorities and projects are recognised at different levels of decision-making.
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Regional cooperation is coordinated through the monitoring of the MAL Agreement, cooperation between municipal leaders and expert groups. This cooperation ensures the preparation, implementation and monitoring of shared objectives.