 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2022) |
| Rail transport in Finland | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Trains at Helsinki Central Station, 2019 | |||||
| Operation | |||||
| National railway | VR | ||||
| Infrastructure company | Finnish Transport Agency | ||||
| Statistics | |||||
| Ridership | 14.9 million / year long-distance 77.9 million / year inHelsinki commuter traffic[1] | ||||
| System length | |||||
| Total | 9,216 km (5,727 mi) | ||||
| Electrified | 3,249 km (2,019 mi) | ||||
| Track gauge | |||||
| Main | 1,524 mm (5 ft) | ||||
| Electrification | |||||
| Main | 25 kV 50 Hz ACoverhead wiring | ||||
| Features | |||||
| Longest tunnel | Savio, 13.5 km (8.4 mi)[2] | ||||
| |||||
TheFinnish railway network consists of a total track length of 9,216 km (5,727 mi).Railways inFinland are built with abroad1,524 mm (5 ft) track gauge, of which 3,249 km (2,019 mi) is electrified. Passenger trains are operated by the state-owned enterpriseVR that runs services on 7,225 km (4,489 mi) of track. These services cover all major cities and many rural areas, though the coverage is less than the coverage provided by the bus services. Most passenger train services originate or terminate atHelsinki Central railway station, and a large proportion of the passenger rail network radiates out of Helsinki. VR and other private operators also operate freight services. Maintenance and construction of the railway network itself is the responsibility of theFinnish Rail Administration, which is a part of theFinnish Transport Agency (Finnish:Väylävirasto,Swedish:Trafikledsverket). The network consists of six areal centres, that manage the use and maintenance of the routes in co-operation. Cargo yards and large stations may have their own signalling systems.
Finnish trains have a reputation for being spacious, comfortable and clean.[citation needed] The scenery surrounding the railway lines is considered to be of outstanding natural beauty, especially inEastern Finland with its many lakes. Since the density of population is low in most parts of Finland, the country is not very well suited to railways. Commuter services are nowadays rare outside theHelsinki area, but there are express train connections between most of the cities. As in France, passenger services are mostly connections from various parts of the country to the capital, Helsinki. Currently[when?] there are about 260 passenger round trips driven daily in Finland, excludingHelsinki commuter rail. Nightly passenger trains only operate on the busiest lines between Helsinki or Turku via Oulu to Lapland (minimum distance of 676 km (420 mi)), leaving most tracks free for nightly freight traffic (about 40 million tonnes per year).[clarification needed] In addition there are also good long-distance bus and airplane connections; buses are sometimes faster and/or cheaper than trains (e.g. Helsinki–Pori).
The first rail line between Helsinki andHämeenlinna (today part of theFinnish Main Line) was opened on January 31, 1862. As Finland was then theGrand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous state that was ruled by theImperial Russia, railways were built to the broad1,524 mm (5 ft), that was used also in Imperial Russia back then. An extension fromRiihimäki to the newFinland Station inSaint Petersburg was opened in 1870.However, the Finnish and Russian rail systems remained unconnected until 1912. Russian trains could not have used the Finnish rail network due to a narrowerload gauge. Later the Finnish load gauge was widened to match the Russian load gauge, with hundreds of station platforms or tracks moved further apart from each other.
Further expansion occurred in the 1800s and by 1900 much of the network had been constructed with 3,300 km of track built.
TheFinland Railway Bridge across the RiverNeva in Saint Petersburg, opened in 1912, connected the Finnish State Railways toRussian Railways. Following Finnish independence, the Russian part of the line was handed over to Russia.
All passenger rail connections with Russia ceased in March 2022 following theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[3]
Track doubling projects are taking place in various sections of the Finnish rail network. Following a previous project to double the single-line sections of railway fromSeinäjoki toOulu which was completed in 2017,[4] theLuumäki-Imatra(-Simpele) section will be fully doubled by 2023.[5]
Since the 1970s[citation needed] the Finnish Transport Agency has been discussing the possibility of building aHelsinki–Turku high-speed railway, allowing for a faster journey time between the two cities. TheOrpo Cabinet has decided to fund the segments fromTurku toSalo as well as fromHelsinki toLohja, with the remaining segment between Lohja and Salo to be completed later.[6]
The plannedItärata (East Rail) would link Helsinki and Kouvola viaPorvoo, shortening journey times to eastern Finnish cities such asKuopio andJoensuu. More direct lines from Helsinki toPori[7] andJyväskylä[8] have also been studied.
Proposals for arail link toLapland in northern Finland, viaKemijärvi orKolari, from theNorwegian port ofKirkenes are in the planning stages.[9] However, environmental and cultural sensitivities exist which affect these plans, with concerns from the indigenousSámi people that the proposed line would pass through reindeer grazing lands.[10]
In 2022 the European Union proposed for all new rail lines to be constructed to standard gauge and for the gradual conversion of other gauges to the European standard gauge. At the time of the proposal, the Finnish and Estonian governments expressed criticism of this plan, including questioning the balance between cost/benefit.[11]
In June 2024, theMinistry of Transport and Communications directed the Transport Agency to investigate the need, options and costs of expanding standard gauge network from Sweden into Finland.[12] On 13 May 2025, Transport MinisterLulu Ranne announced that planning was underway to convert Finland's railways to standard gauge in line with EU regulations with work expected to commence north of Oulu sometime in the early 2030s at the earliest.[13]
The national railway companyVR had a monopoly on passenger transport. In Helsinki local traffic,class Sm5 EMUs are owned byPääkaupunkiseudun Junakalusto Oy [fi], but are operated by VR.
While private rail operators can transport freight since 2007, most trains are still run by VR.Ratarahti Oy [fi] was granted its safety certificate by the Finnish Transport Safety Agency in September 2011[14] and it will start shunting work at theImatra rail yard in 2013, with first test runs on 5 December 2012.[15][needs update]Fenniarail Oy received its safety certificate in May 2011[16] and has started usingused locomotives from Czech Republic, which were converted to theFinnish gauge of 1524mm, and started operation in July 2016.[17]
Several museum railways operators exist that are unrelated to VR Group.
While some private Finnish railways wereelectrified already at the end of the 19th century, work on the electrification of the main rail network started only in the late 1960s.[18] Most main lines are now electrified. The system used is25 kV 50 Hz ACoverhead wiring,[19] with wire height normal at 6.5 m (21 ft) and varying from 5.6 m (18 ft) beyond 6.5 m (21 ft) to 7.3 m (24 ft).[20] The largest class of electric locomotives are theSr1 locomotives that were taken into use in 1973.[21] They are now supplemented by theSr2- andSr3-class electric locomotives and the high-speedSm3Pendolino units.
The first electric trains started to operate on 26 January 1969 in Helsinki local traffic, initially between Helsinki andKirkkonummi and slowly extending to Riihimäki on 31 January 1972.[21] Heading northwards, the electric wires reachedSeinäjoki in 1975,Kokkola in 1981,Oulu in 1983,Rovaniemi in 2004, and their current northernmost point inKemijärvi in 2014.[22] In addition to the line to Kemijärvi, another line recently electrified was the line fromSeinäjoki toVaasa in 2011.[23]
The next railway line to be electrified was the railway fromTurku toUusikaupunki, which was completed by February 2022.[24]
The electrification projects of the connection between Finland and Sweden, including theTorne River Railway Bridge, as well as theHanko–Hyvinkää railway in southern Finland, were completed in the winter of 2024–2025.[25][26]
The maximum speed for passenger traffic is 220 km/h (140 mph),[20] but is achieved only on theKerava–Lahti railway line. Freight trains have a maximum speed of 120 km/h (75 mph).[20] Actual speed limits vary depending on the train type and track portion.[27] Some delays can occurin autumn and winter due to weather conditions (e.g. high winds).
The signalling system used on the railway network in Finland comprises color-light signals and fixed signs. They are used together withATP-VR/RHK (EBICAB 900), atrain protection system usually referred to as JKV (Finnish:junien kulunvalvonta) which has to be used on rolling stock.[28][29] The system is set to be upgraded toERTMS/ETCS in the upcoming years, however later than in other European countries due to the low age of the current train protection system.[30] The first ETCS units are set to be installed in rolling stock during 2013, and the first ERTMS signalled portion of track should be opened between 2019 and 2025.[31]
The current standard platform height is 550 mm (21.7 in) in Helsinki/Turku urban areas. Platforms that do not serve commuter trains are built to the older standard of ranging 127 mm (5.0 in) to 265 mm (10.4 in) above top of rail.[32]
The sole exception on the national railway network is the Nikkilä halt which has a platform height of 400 mm (15.8 in).[32]
The majority of the passenger rolling stocks in Finland and the other1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) gauge compatible network have bottom steps lower than 550 mm (21.7 in), thus the platforms with 550 mm (21.7 in) height can create negative vertical gaps, unlike the rest of Europe. There are current proposed figures:
Most passenger rail services in Finland radiate fromHelsinki Central, serving most major cities includingTampere,Turku,Oulu,Rovaniemi,Kouvola,Kuopio,Jyväskylä andJoensuu among others. Some towns are connected to the rail network by their own branch lines, yet are not served by passenger trains; examples includePorvoo,Uusikaupunki,Raahe andRauma.
Before sanctions towards Russia due toits war in Ukraine, the freight railway traffic between Finland and Russia was more intensive compared to traffic between Finland and Sweden. There were also a few dailypassenger trains between Russia and Finland.
