Vuokatti wants to stand out from other slope resorts: new plans include train access to the slope

Electrifying the railway line to Vuokatti would cost around 7-8 million. The municipality of Sotkamo intends to develop Vuokatti as a whole in the future.

Vuokatti Tourism Region unveiled its new development plans at Matkamessu in Helsinki.

The plan includes investments of around €690 million in beach development, hotels, cottage accommodation, restaurants and services up to 2040.

In the future, a train station would also be built between the slopes and the Vuokatti Sports Academy. Funding for this will be sought from the private market.

The realization of the train plan would require the electrification of the track from Kontiomäki to Vuokatti, which would cost 7–8 million euros, according to Kilpeläinen’s estimate.

A basic improvement was made to the track section a few years ago.

After the first phase, the electrification could be continued towards the east, Kilpeläinen envisions. Then the passenger train would also reach Vuokatti from Joensuu.

Integrating the area

The new tourist areas will be closely connected with the already existing areas, such as Urheiluopisto and Katikulta.

Mika Kilpeläinen says that a significant factor for the implementation of the plan is the participation of all landowners in key locations and finding a common will.

According to Kilpeläinen, if realized, Vuokatti would be one of the most interesting tourist areas in Finland.

– However, the most important thing is that with the plan we will gain momentum in the development of the area. The scale of the plan is really big on the scale of Finland, and if realized, its significance for Vuokatti and for tourism in Kainuu as a whole will be significant, Korhonen sums up.