Helsinki commuter rail

Helsinki commuter rail is the commuter rail system serving Greater Helsinki, Finland. The network is operated by VR, the Finnish national railway company. The first service started operating in 1969. Together with the Helsinki Metro and trams, the network forms the heart of Helsinki's public transportation infrastructure.

Trains run above grade in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Within the municipalities of Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen, Kerava, Kirkkonummi, and Vantaa, the system uses tickets that are interchangeable with the bus, metro and tram networks managed by the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council and by Helsinki City Transport.

The network is comprised of 15 separate services, pictured in the network map below. They operate on all four branches of the railway lines that begin at the Helsinki main railway station, which is where they all terminate. The system has a total of 54 stations, 14 of which are within the city of Helsinki.

On the Helsinki–Leppävaara and Helsinki–Kerava track sections, the commuter services use rails parallel to but separate from those used by long-distance trains, following the S-Bahn principle. The railway branch from Kerava to Lahti, opened in 2006, was built as a shortcut for long-distance services, and also for the use of the new commuter service Z.

The railway branch from Huopalahti to Martinlaakso, opened in 1975 and later extended to Vantaankoski, was built exclusively for commuter trains. Preparations are currently underway on a new Ring Rail Line to further extend the branch from Vantaankoski via Aviapolis and Helsinki-Vantaa airport to the main branch above Tikkurila station. The extension is drafted to introduce five new stations with reservations for three more.

Services L and T run during the night and the early morning. Service N runs all day on Sunday, but on the other days, only during the night and the early morning.

Route map

* Helsinki–Riihimäki 71 km (54 min)
* Helsinki–Karis 87 km (67 min)
* Helsinki–Vantaankoski 15 km (22 min)
* Helsinki–Lahti 103 km (60 min)

External links

* [http://www.vr.fi/heo/eng/lahi/lahi.htm Official website]