Finland (original) (raw)

METRO

Helsinki (Helsingfors in Swedish) is the capital of Finland with 610,000 inhabitants and some 1.4 million in the metropolitan area (incl. Espoo and Vantaa). The suburbs are spread out along the coast and to the north, whereas jobs are mainly concentrated in the city centre. On the map above, black names are Finnish, whereas grey names are in Swedish.

The original Helsinki Metro linked the city centre to the eastern suburbs (21 km - 17 stations, two branches). 4.9 km are in a tunnel through the city centre. The bigger part of the line (Kamppi - Itäkeskus) was opened between 1982 and 1983, in 1986 the line was extended to Kontula and in 1989 further out to Mellunmäki. In the city centre one more station was added to reach Ruoholahti. The branch from Itäkeskus (4 km) east to Vuosaari opened in Sept. 1998. This stretch runs underground from Itäkeskus to Puotila and further until it reaches Vartiokylänlahti Bay which is crossed on a bridge. From there the line continues in a cutting. The underground stations were equipped as air raid shelters with an overall capacity for 21,000 people. Underground stations in the city centre are built in deep rock, three stations along the eastern section (Herttoniemi, Itäkeskus, Puotila) lie just below ground, with an entrance building on surface level. The remaining stations are on the surface and are generally covered to protect passengers during harsh winters. See all stations below >

Eventually in November 2017 and with several years of delays, a western fully underground extension, the so-called Länsimetro/Västmetron, to the neighbouring city of Espoo was opened after construction had started in late 2009. The new section is 14 km long and includes eight stations. While this extension was initially designed for automatic driverless operation, the existing line was supposed to be retrofitted with platform screen doors and an automatic control system (Trainguard MT) supplied by Siemens, but the project was cancelled in 2015.

From Nov 2017, the Metro was operated by two lines, offering a train every 2.5 min during rush hour and every 3-4 min off-peak between Tapiola and Itakäskus:
M1: Matinkylä - Vuosaari (41 min) > from Dec 2022 Kivenlahti - Vuosaari M2: Tapiola - Mellunmäki (35 min)

Travelling time between Ruoholahti and Mellunmäki or Vuosaari is 21-22 minutes. All stations (17 underground, 8 above ground) are fully accessible. Station platforms are 135 m long. The Metro has 1522 mm gauge (quite the same as the national rail network - 1524 mm) and third rail power supply (750V dc). The Metro control centre is situated at Hakaniemi station.

There are three different types of train in service: 1) the original M100-series (1977-1984, built by Valmet / Str�mberg, Finland); 2) the M200-series (2000-2001, built by Bombardier); 3) the M300-series from CAF. A 2-car unit is 44.2 m long, trains are 3.2 m wide. Each car has 3 doors on either side. A full length train consists of 6 cars, although 4-car trains are normally in service.

As of Dec 2022, the total length of the Metro system is 42 km (of which some 27.5 km is in tunnel).

Metro Helsinki

Metro History

01 June 1982: Hakaniemi - It�keskus (rush hour traffic)
01 July 1982: Rautatientori (Railway Station) - It�keskus
03 Aug 1982: official opening (full-time traffic)
01 March 1983: Rautatientori - Kamppi
01 Sept 1984: Sörnäinen station added
21 Oct 1986: It�keskus - Kontula
01 Sept 1989: Kontula - Mellunm�ki
16 Aug 1993: Kamppi - Ruoholahti
01 Mar 1995: Kaisaniemi (now Helsingin yliopisto) station added
31 Aug 1998: It�keskus - Vuosaari
01 Jan 2007: Kalasatama station added
18 Nov 2017: Ruoholahti - Matinkylä (14 km) > View our gallery!
03 Dec 2022: Matinkylä - Kivenlahti (7 km) [Project Website]

Helsinki Metro Stations

Matinkylä | Mattby xx km >

Niittykumpu | Ängskulla xx km >

Urheilupuisto | Idrottsparken xx km >

Tapiola | Hagalund xx km >

Aalto-yliopisto | Aalto-universitetet xx km >

Keilaniemi | Kägeludden xx km >

Koivusaari | Björkholmen

Lauttasaari | Drumsö xx km >

Ruoholahti | Gräsviken 1.2km >

Kamppi | Kampen 0.5km >

Rautatientori | Järnvägstorget 0.6km >

Helsingin yliopisto* | Helsingfors universitet* 0.9km >

Hakaniemi | Hagnäs 0.9km >

Sörnäinen | Sörnäs 1.0km >

Kalasatama | Fiskehamnen

Kalasatama | Fiskehamnen 1.9km >

Kulosaari | Brändö 1.4km >

Herttoniemi | Hertonäs 1.4km >

Siilitie | Igelkottsvägen 2.0km >

Itäkeskus | Östra centrum 1.9km/1.0km >

Northern branch:

1.9km > Myllypuro | Kvarnbäcken 1.4km >

Kontula | Gårdsbacka 1.6km >

Mellunmäki | Mellungsbacka

Eastern branch:

1.0km > Puotila | Botby gård 1.9km >

Rastila | Rastböle 1.2km >

Vuosaari | Nordsjö

*20-01-2015: Kaisaniemi | Kajsaniemi renamed Helsingin yliopisto | Helsingfors universitet

All

TRAM

Apart from the Metro, HKL operates a 1000 mm tram network (45 km), which covers all areas in the city centre. More.

A semicircular light rail line (Raide-Jokeri) has been under construction since mid-2019 to connect Espoo (Keilaniemi) in the west with Itäkeskus in the east (25 km) [Project Website]

SUBURBAN RAIL

From Helsinki's Central Railway Station (metro's Rautatientori/Järnvägstorget station), three commuter rail lines operate every 10-20 minutes providing local and express services. The lines to Tikkurila/Kerava/Riihimäki and to Lepp�vaara/Espoo/Karjaa follow mainline tracks, with a dedicated pair of suburban tracks available to Leppävaara and Kerava. The 15 km line to Vantaankoski (formerly M service) runs on exclusive tracks; this branch was extended to the Airport, forming a loop that joins the northeastern main line at Hiekkaharju. Opened on 1 July 2015, the "Ring Rail Line" is mostly served every 10 minutes in both directions (I+P services).

Links

Kaupunkiliikenne/Metropolitan Area Transport (Tram & Metro operator)

HSL - Transport in Helsinki Metropolitan Area (Tickets, Fares, etc.)

Journey Planner

Länsimetro (Western extension - official site)

VR (Finnish Railways - Commuter Trains)

Helsinki Metro at Wikipedia

Virtual tour of the entire metro system with 360° station panoramas (incl. 2017 stations)

Helsinki Public Transport Maps by Elmo Allén

Helsinki zoomable city map

Helsinki Tram at UrbanRail.Net

Your webmaster's personal impressions on the different urban rail systems in Helsinki (16 June 2013) and additional observations (14 May 2018)