Helsinki harbour rail

The Helsinki harbour rail (Finnish: "Helsingin satamarata") is a side rail track in Helsinki, Finland, built in the 1890s, originally leading from the Helsinki Central railway station, via the city's coastline, to Katajanokka. It has now been mostly dismantled, and the last surviving part led from the railway station to Länsisatama. Its original length was 7 km, but in its final stage, its length was only about 3 km. The track had two level crossings and a rail yard in the harbour. Near the start of the track were the former VR warehouses. It was used only by trains going to the harbour, but special request trains have also travelled the track.

History

The construction of the harbour rail began in 1891, although the first plans for the track had been made in 1870. The first train to Eteläsatama ran in December 1893 and the track was inaugurated in the next spring, on 8 April 1894, when it reached the old sales hall. The extension of the track to Katajanokka was completed in September 1895. The length of the new track was 5.49 km and it included 4.292 km of side tracks. The track also included Finland's first, 74 metres long, railway tunnel to Kaivopuisto, and the present underpass of the track under Mannerheimintie was Finland's first concrete bridge.

Originally, the track continued from Ruoholahti via Hietalahti to Merisatama in the middle of Telakkakatu and from there onwards along the edge of Kaivopuisto to the tip of Katajanokka. It was then around 7 km long. The track had a tunnel south of the Olympiaterminaali, and at the Market Square there were two turning bridges at the Cholera basin and at the Katajanokka canal, and one in Hietalahti. Even in the middle 1970s one could see the supervisor engine of the harbour in the middle of the Market Square going to fetch cargo cars from Katajanokka, or pushing a long line of cars over the Market Square turning bridge in either direction.

After Eteläsatama was put solely to passenger traffic, the harbour cranes and the track were dismantled in 1972. When the "Finnjet" was built, there was a public presentation of a plan to put the harbour rail to passenger use in a similar way as in Turku, where passenger trains go to the harbour. These plans were not realised, but the track was begun to be dismantled in front of the Finnjet terminal in Katajanokka in 1977. The cargo traffic to Katajanokka finally stopped on 1 May 1980. After this, only one Dm9 request train ever visited the Market Square. The harbour rail was closed with a stop disc at the eastern end of Merisatama, but the track leading to Eteläsatama remained in place, disused, for several years. The track to Katajanokka was dismantled by 1985, and in 1989 the turning bridge crossing the Katajanokka canal was replaced by a light traffic bridge. At the same time, the part of the track on the edge of Kaivopuisto was dismantled.

The part of the track leading from Ruoholahti to the Merisatama track yard, and the side track from there to the Aker Yards dock, were in use until 2005. The dismantling of this track was started in July 2008.

In 1925, there was also a side track from Ruoholahti to Salmisaari. It was used for cargo traffic for the Alko factories and the Nokia cable factory. These side tracks were dismantled from 1990 to 1993. Also the harbour tracks on the eastern edge of Jätkäsaari were dismantled in the 1990s.

In the 1950s, it was possible that some week's last train, carrying a heavy load of coal cargo, was pulled from Jätkäsaari to Pasila by two Vr3 engines, causing even the windows of Eduskuntatalo to shake and the chasm between the two parallel Rautatienkatu (Railway Street) streets to fill with black coal smoke.

The track did not have official stations or stops, because its main use was cargo traffic, passenger traffic was agreed separately each time, including a separate train sender; most of the time the place of agreement was in Katajanokka.

The last passenger train to visit Katajanokka was a Dm9 unit, travelling on request. Despite the dismantling of the track from Merisatama onwards, rails have survived in the Market Square.

The surviving part of the track is planned to be dismantled in 2008, when the harbour facilities are moved from Länsisatama to the Vuosaari harbour. The chasm between Pohjoinen Rautatienkatu and Eteläinen Rautatienkatu (Northen Railway Street and Southern Railway Street) is planned to be filled with a light traffic line and a light rail line.

Commemorating the track is a water supply crane in Katajanokka, adored with a memorial plaque.

ources

* [http://www.seisake.net/satamarata/index.php Seisake.net: Helsinki's southern harbour rail] (accessed 17 March 2008)