“Finland should not a logistical dead-end. We should be a central hub for passenger, goods and information traffic,” Minister of Transportation and Communication, Anne Berner, told Huvudstadsbladet. A 500-km railway would help develop a new transport route for goods from Asia to Europe via the Arctic Ocean as the northern sea ice vanish due to climate changes. Minerals, containers and other goods could be reloaded from ships to railway in Kirkenes and sent directly to markets in Europe by rail via Finland.