Helsinki commuter rail

Helsinki commuter rail Helsingin seudun lähijunaliikenne Huvudstadsregionens närtrafik
JKOY Class Sm5 at Tuomarila railway station
Overview
Locale	Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland
Transit type	Commuter rail
Number of lines	13
Number of stations	46 in the HSL region 66 in total [1]
Daily ridership	200,000 daily (2018)[2]
Annual ridership	70 million (2018)[3]
Website	https://www.hsl.fi/en https://www.vr.fi/en/railway-stations-and-routes/commuter-traffic
Operation
Began operation	1969
Operator(s)	VR as contracted to HSL
Technical
System length	235 km (146 mi) (total length) 99.2 km (62 mi) (dedicated "city rail" tracks located entirely within the HSL zone)
Track gauge	1,524 mm (5 ft)
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC
Average speed	54 km/h (34 mph)
Top speed	120 to 160 km/h (75 to 99 mph)

Helsinki commuter rail (Finnish: Helsingin seudun lähijunaliikenne, Swedish: Huvudstadsregionens närtrafik) is a commuter rail system serving the Helsinki metropolitan area. The system is managed by the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) and operations are contracted out to VR at least until 2031.^[4]

The system operates on four railway lines and comprises 13 services, all of which terminate at Helsinki Central Station. Within the HSL region, tickets and timetables are fully integrated with other modes of public transport. Some VR commuter rail services extend into the HSL region, and HSL tickets are used instead of VR ones when travelling entirely within the HSL region.^[5] Both parties discontinued onboard ticket sales in 2017.^[6]

Commuter rail is a backbone of public transport in Helsinki and is by far the lengthiest rapid transit system in Finland, carrying a total of around 70 million passengers in 2018^[3] and operating around a thousand departures each weekday (2023).^{[citation needed]}