Helsinki commuter rail

Helsinki commuter rail
Helsingin seudun lähijunaliikenne
Huvudstadsregionens närtrafik
JKOY Class Sm5 at Tuomarila railway station
Overview
LocaleHelsinki metropolitan area, Finland
Transit typeCommuter rail
Number of lines13
Number of stations46 in the HSL region
66 in total [1]
Daily ridership200,000 daily (2018)[2]
Annual ridership70 million (2018)[3]
Website
Operation
Began operation1969
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 gauge1,524 mm (5 ft)
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC
Average speed54 km/h (34 mph)
Top speed120 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]

  1. ^ "VR commuter traffic". 17 April 2022.
  2. ^ "VR listaa vahvuutensa lähijunakilpailutuksessa: Täsmällisyys, turvallisuus ja tehokkuus". 30 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Herkkua junamatkustajille: VR laski lähiliikenteen lipunhintoja". Vantaan Sanomat. 12 February 2018.
  4. ^ "Helsingin seudun raiteilla liikennöi jatkossakin VR – Projektijohtaja: "Suurin yksittäisellä kilpailutuksella saavutettu säästö HSL:n historiassa"". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2020-05-05. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  5. ^ "The HSL area is divided into four zones: A, B, C and D". HSL.fi. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  6. ^ "Lipunmyynti lähijunissa loppui – nämä 4 asiaa sinun pitää tietää". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2017-06-19. Retrieved 2024-01-03.