Railways in
Finland
A train of the Jokioinen Museum Railway waits at Humppila
station, a VR passenger service passing in the background.
The steam locomotive is no.6, Helga, a 750mm gauge
2-8-0 built in 1909 for the Lovisa-Wesijärvi Railway
The VR service has a class Sr2 6MW Bo-Bo electric locomotive
with a train of double deck passenger carriages.
The first railway in Finland opened in 1862 between Helsinki and
Hämeenlinna. At that time, Finland was part of the Russian Empire, so
the line was built to the Russian gauge of 1524mm (now 1520mm) in
anticipation of its eventual connection with the rest of the Russian
network. The remainder of the Finnish main line network was developed to
the same gauge, which it retains today.
Finland has international rail connections with Russia and also with
Sweden, via a bridge over the River Tornio opened on 1919. This involves
a break of gauge necessitating the transhipment of through freight, and
of passengers until passenger services ceased in 1988. Proposals exist
for automatic gauge changing freight wagons to facilitate through freight
operation between Sweden, Finland and neighbouring countries.
A feasibility study has been conducted into the construction of a new
undersea rail tunnel connecting the Finnish rail network with that of
Estonia.
- VR Group the
national network
- FTIA
infrastructure manager
- NRC Group Finland
infrastructure construction and maintenance company
- Suomirata
proposed new or enhanced railways linking Helsinki with Tampere
ans Vantaa Airport
- Tunnun
Juna proposed new railway linking Helsinki and Turku
- Fennia Rail
independent freight operator
- Nurminen Logistics independent freight operator
- FinEst Link
proposed undersea link to Estonia (Site in Finnish)
- Jokioinen Museum Railway steam hauled tourist
railway between Humppila and Jokioinen, about 14 km, 750mm gauge
- Nykarleby Jernväg 600mm gauge line about 2km in
length from the museum at Kovjoki. Usually steam hauled (Site
mainly in Finnish, English section under construction when last
checked)
- Porvoo
Museum Railway tourist railway between Porvoo and Kerava,
about 40km, 1520mm gauge. Steam hauled or historic diesel railcars
(Site mainly in Finnish with some information in English)
- Vanha Kaivos copper mining museum at a former mine
in Outokumpu. Part of the original 750mm gauge mining railway carries
passengers on a 1km route that includes mine tunnels
- The Finnish
Railway Museum in Hyvinkää has a steam hauled miniature railway
operating in the summer months on days when the museum is open
(Site contains few details relating to railway)
- Elamys Railway pedal driven trolleys on various
sections of the 50km line between Pori and Kankaanpää (Site in
Finnish)
- Helsinki
Metro and trams
- Tampere trams
- Turku
proposed trams (Information relating to tram proposal
in Finnish)
- Kiskohissi funicular serving the Ukko Nature
Centre in the Koli National Park (Website contains few details
realting to funicular)