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97-469: The only part of the plan that was implemented as planned is the 1967 office and shopping centre building right across the street from the Helsinki Central railway station , popularly known as Makkaratalo , Finnish for " sausage house": the elevated parking lot occupying the third floor is encircled by a decorative railing which is said to resemble a sausage. The first occurrence of the name

194-525: A blue stripe above the windows. VR operates sleeper services between Helsinki/Turku and Lapland , which also include car-carrying ( motorail ) wagons. Double-deck sleeping carriages (including rooms with en suite showers and toilets) were introduced on the Helsinki– Rovaniemi service in the 2000s. These wagons are painted in a green-and-white livery similar to the InterCity coaches. Since 2016,

291-622: A design for the new station building from the German architect C. O. Gleim, who had won the design contests for the Stockholm Central Station and the Gothenburg Central Station in 1898. The railway administration originally intended to design the new Helsinki railway station unnoticed, without holding an open design contest. A contest was organised in 1902 with the intention of producing plans for

388-484: A globe"), with a pure national romanticist design, with sturdy walls, eight bears, one tall sharp-pointed tower and numerous smaller towers, as well as a beautifully drawn stone portal to the main platform. Its appearance bore a close resemblance to the facade of the National Museum, which did not please all of the architects. Architects Sigurd Frosterus and Gustaf Strengell thought Saarinen's entry

485-528: A large central hall at the centre of the station, in connection to the main entrance. The main entrance had to face the Kaivokatu street. The other entrances were at the end of the perpendicular platform at the end of the tracks at the Rautatientori square and at the western end of the station. The tracks were required to be covered with a roof made of steel, with a cut of it provided as an attachment to

582-488: A new diesel generator car supplying 1 500 V electricity for the sleeper cars between Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi; this setup was continued in use until the electrification extension to Kemijärvi was completed at the end of 2013. Sleeper services between Turku and Joensuu and Helsinki and Kajaani were withdrawn in 2006, but with the new direct line between Lahti and Kerava , the daytime services were made quicker. On 12 January 2009, VR announced they had requested tenders for

679-549: A new station building in Helsinki in 1895. Terminus stations such as the Helsinki station at the time were usually U-shaped buildings at the end of the tracks. Bruno Granholm , the architect of the railway administration, designed the administrative building, and the railway administration made the design of the new railway station. In Granholm's plan, the station building was already at the location and shape it ended up being built. The railway administration had already ordered

776-498: A new station. The contest sought to attract the attention of the railway workers to the difficult design task and to the architects capable of such a task. It also encouraged the railway administration to hold an open design contest for the new railway station in Helsinki. The contest did not lead to practical actions, but because of the discussion it caused and the activity of the Finnish Architecture Club,

873-743: A size of 7 cubits (10 ft 6 in/3.20 m) and the smaller one had a size of 3 cubits (4 ft 6 in/1.37 m). The rails for the railway tracks were bought from the United Kingdom , and they arrived by steamship into the South Harbour in November 1857. Helsinki's first railway station was built in 1862 to accommodate trains on the Helsinki– Hämeenlinna line, päärata . The station's plans were drawn by Swedish architect Carl Albert Edelfelt. According to

970-512: Is located in the same building. The railway tracks in Helsinki were built in the 1860s. The station building, clad in granite, was designed by Eliel Saarinen and inaugurated in 1919. The building is known for its clock tower and the Lyhdynkantajat ("The Lantern Bearers") statues by Emil Wikström . Helsinki Central was chosen as one of the world's most beautiful railway stations by BBC in 2013. The Helsinki Central Station has become

1067-612: Is the VR's "flagship", mainly connecting largest cities to the capital with top running speed up to 220 km/h. Other EMUs in use are the Sm2 and Sm4 on commuter rail services . In addition, VR operates Pääkaupunkiseudun Junakalusto Oy -owned Sm5 class EMUs in Helsinki local traffic . VR currently operates one class of diesel-powered multiple units: the Czech -built single carriage Dm12 , which

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1164-467: Is the main station for commuter rail and long-distance trains departing from Helsinki , Finland . About 200,000 people "pass through the station" every day, half of whom are train passengers. The station serves as the terminus for all trains in the Helsinki commuter rail network , as well as for all Helsinki-bound long-distance trains in Finland. The Rautatientori (Central Railway Station) metro station

1261-599: Is the operation of Finland's passenger rail services with 250 long-distance and 800 commuter rail services every day. With 7,500 employees and net sales of €1,251 million in 2017, VR is one of the most significant operators in the Finnish public transport market area. VR was created in 1995 after being known as Swedish : Finska Statsjärnvägarna , Finnish: Suomen Valtion Rautatiet (Finnish State Railways) from 1862 to 1922, and Valtionrautatiet ('State Railways', Swedish : Statsjärnvägarna ) from 1922 to 1995. As part of

1358-548: Is used mainly on secondary lines. The multiple unit classification system follows a similar logic as the locomotive classification system: the first letter signifies the power source (in addition to electric and diesel, gasoline ( B , bensiini ) and wood gas ( P , puukaasu ) have been used), followed by the letter m ( moottorivaunu ) signifyng a multiple unit, followed by a serial number. In July 2022, VR Group established operations in Sweden by acquiring Arriva Sverige AB from

1455-473: Is used to allow more seats for the same train length. The last wooden-bodied carriages were withdrawn by the mid-1980s. Prior to the 1970s these had been the mainstay of VR's passenger rolling stock. VR has three types of locomotive hauled passenger coaches: In addition to these, VR has ordered 12+13 Class Edo control cars from Transtech, eight of which have been in regular passenger traffic since 29 October 2013. The cars are used in InterCity connections with

1552-632: The Russian invasion of Ukraine , VR operated jointly with Russian Railways a passenger rail service named Allegro between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg . However due to sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine , all passenger rail traffic between Finland and Russia has been suspended in March 2022, and the rolling stock has since been parked. These trains were in late 2023 taken over by VR, and are planned to be used in domestic traffic in Finland beginning 2025. If and when

1649-460: The Vectron and will replace the aging Sr1. The locomotives will be fitted with helper diesel engines that can be used for shunting in partly unelectrified railyards. Deliveries will occur between 2017 and 2026. At the beginning of traffic, locomotives were distinguished by their names, and by 1865 also by their numbers. In 1887, the locomotives were given their original classification system. It

1746-640: The European Union. Road trailers (often of VR's subsidiary Transpoint) can be easily accommodated on ordinary flat wagons. Much of the freight on the VR network is carried from Russia in Russian wagons, including large capacity eight-axle oil tank wagons. VR also has a one-third ownership of SeaRail , a specialist operator of freight wagons designed for through running (via ferry) to Sweden and elsewhere in Western Europe. The Sm3 class Pendolino

1843-736: The German state-owned company Deutsche Bahn . As part of this acquisition, which was finalised on 1st July 2022, VR Group gained control over extensive local and regional public transportation operations, including bus, tram and train services in Stockholm , Östergötland , and Skåne , including Skånetrafiken's Pågatåg . This acquisition brought approximately 2,300 employees into the VR Group. The acquired operations include 740 buses, 180 trains, and 70 trams, facilitating around 58 million bus journeys and 54 million train journeys annually. Following

1940-444: The Helsinki railway station had gas lighting, as the city's first gas works had recently been built right next to the station, at the place of the current Postitalo main post office building. The first train from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna left on 31 January 1862. Regular train traffic started on 17 March 1862. According to schedule, a passenger train left from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8 o'clock in

2037-419: The Helsinki railway station, even though it was located at the terminus of the railway. A cargo warehouse was built to the north of the station building, at the site of the eastern wing of the current station building. A railway yard about eight hectares in area was built at the station area, with engine stables and machinery yards. This railway yard was located to the west of the railway tracks, approximately at

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2134-625: The Helsinkian, the Makkaratalo presents the perspective of everyday life. It has become a vital part of the Helsinki cityscape and a part of the collective memory of Helsinkians. However, this view can not be considered to be widespread in Helsinki. The Makkaratalo is commonly considered an eyesore , and it has many years won the unofficial "Most Hideous Building in Helsinki" competition. There have been several public statements about its ugliness, considering its very central place. For instance,

2231-526: The Hr11 class becoming Dr11. In addition to this the borderline between midweight and heavy locomotives was changed to 15.1 tons and the second letter in multiple units is always m (for moottorivaunu ). The wide Finnish loading gauge allows the passenger coaches to be considerably wider than most European passenger coaches. The aisle and seats are wider than in other European trains in the standard 2+2 configuration, and in commuter traffic 3+2 seat configuration

2328-602: The Nordic countries. In August 2021 VR began operating the Tampere light rail . In March 2022, VR acquired the Swedish bus and rail company Arriva Sverige, which operates urban transport in Stockholm and regional transport in southern and southeastern Sweden. Arriva Sverige was part of Arriva and owned by Deutsche Bahn . Following the acquisition, it was announced that Arriva Sverige would become an independent company within

2425-454: The Russian border but there is also a connection to the Swedish rail network through Tornio . Train ferry connections from Turku to Stockholm , Sweden, and to Travemünde , Germany have previously existed. VR operated steam locomotives until 1975. Although the regular use of steam traction for scheduled passenger services ended in 1970, occasional use continued until 1975. As of 2011,

2522-565: The Sr2 and the upcoming Sr3 locomotives pushing the train. First class, or Extra as VR calls it, is marked with Extra signs outside of the coaches on InterCity trains. Even restaurant coaches are marked similarly. On the "Blue" carriages, first class used to be distinguished by a yellow stripe above the windows and restaurant cars by a red stripe. Cars equipped with diesel generators, which are used to provide electricity to InterCity or sleeper wagons on non-electrified tracks, can be distinguished by

2619-758: The United Kingdom, from the architecture of Carl Axel Setterberg in Vaasa and from the Petergof railway station in Russia designed by Nicholas Benois , with many features in common with the Helsinki railway station. The entrance to the Helsinki railway station was at the middle of the building, and opposite it were the baggage office, ticket sales and other station facilities. Unlike today, spaces at stations and in trains were divided by social class, and so stations had separate waiting halls and restaurants for

2716-403: The VR Group. VR operates the commuter traffic in the Helsinki area on behalf of HSL and its own commuter rail services in southern Finland . There are plans to open a new passenger rail service between Finland and Sweden in the end of 2024, between Haparanda in northern Sweden and Helsinki . The cross-border railway will be electrified according to Finnish standards by then. Before

2813-611: The acquisition, Arriva Sverige was rebranded as VR Sverige and operates under the VR Group brand. Since 2022, VR has grown in Sweden with contracts that include train services in regions like Bergslagen and Gävleborg . VR Sverige also secured a 10-year contract to operate bus services for SL in Tyresö, Stockholm , beginning in July 2025. This contract is valued at approximately €215 million and involves around 190 employees. In addition to

2910-423: The architecture of the railway station. He moved his attention from American or British examples towards German ones and travelled by train all over Europe with his recently wed wife. After coming back home to Finland in 1904 he abandoned romanticism altogether and re-designed the station completely, with a more rational design. The former saddle roof was replaced with a gambrel roof, the semicircular window on

3007-450: The building were cast from iron-reinforced concrete, which is thought to have been a new record in Finland at the time. The four-floor administrative building was completed in June 1909, and after this the officials of the railway administration moved to this building, the largest office building in the country at the time, decorated according to Eliel Saarinen's plans. The final plans for

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3104-563: The building were designed by the Danish engineer A. C. Karsten. The electrical plans were made in the electricity technical office of the machine department of the railway administration, with machine engineers Karl Strömberg and Karl Karsten serving as their designers. The administrative building of the railway administration was accepted in June 1905, and construction started in December 1905. A total of 20 thousand cubic metres of floors for

3201-401: The car-ramps but not the "sausage". The Helsingin kaupunginmuseo (Helsinki city Museum Bureau) also concluded in a written statement that The Makkaratalo reflects the Finnish ideology of planning in the 60's, e.g., the view that the city of Helsinki should prepare for a wider use of cars as part of becoming a modern metropolis. It is also a prime example of Viljo Revell's work. In the view of

3298-615: The company operates two classes of electric locomotives ( Sr1 and Sr2 ) and three classes of diesel locomotives ( Dv12 , Dr14 and Dr16 ). The use of diesel locomotive hauled passenger trains has declined due to electrification of all main lines and the (re)introduction of railbuses ( Dm12 ) on secondary routes. In October 2010, VR announced plans to renew its locomotive fleet by ordering around 200 new locomotives, which are expected to enter service in 2015–25. On 20 December 2013, VR announced plans to purchase 80 new electric locomotives, with 97 options. The upcoming Sr3 will be based on

3395-580: The concern, Avecra is a subsidiary for onboard catering service, Pohjolan Liikenne for bus traffic, VR Track for developing and maintaining of infrastructure and VR Transpoint for freight. Since 2017, its headquarters is located at the Iso Paja  [ fi ] building, previously occupied by the state-owned broadcasting company Yle , in northern-central Helsinki . Rail transport started in Finland in 1862 between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, and multiple main lines and smaller private railways were built in

3492-473: The contest. The design contest was judged by architects Sebastian Gripenberg , Hugo Lindberg and Gustaf Nyström , as well as the main director of the railway administration, August Granfelt . The contest was held a couple of years after the design contest of the National Museum of Finland , and it attracted a great deal of attention and interest. The new construction art of the National Museum

3589-522: The doors and windows were small, and there were lots of towers. All of the entries had an arched window on the main facade at the central hall. All entries featured a tall tower, which the floor plan did not require, but did allow. Sigurd Frosterus's facade design Eureka was an Art Nouveau building very different from the other entries, and the judges disliked his entry. The contest was won by Eliel Saarinen 's entry Bevingadt hjul på en jordglob – Maapallolla seisova siipipyörä ("A winged wheel standing on

3686-452: The early 1860s. Urbanisation of Helsinki in the late 19th century brought along many changes. Between the 1860s and the 1900s the population of the city grew by almost 70 thousand people. Railway traffic at the Helsinki railway station increased, and the need for space by the railway administration also increased. As the popularity of railways grew, the original station turned out to be too small. The railway administration started designing

3783-656: The edge of the bay. Aspen trees had to be cut down from the Kaisaniemi Park to make way for the railway, but the park was preserved whenever it was possible to do so. Rock blasted off the Linnunlaulu cliff was sunk into the Töölönlahti bay beneath the railway tracks being constructed. The railway terracing over the Töölönlahti bay was completed in March 1861. For water traffic, two underpass bridges were built vaulted from stone. The larger underpass bridge had

3880-452: The end of the western wing of the current station building. The engine stables could seat a total of 12 engines at a time. In the first designs the original Helsinki railway station had two floors and an octagonal clock tower at its northern end. However, the station was actually built with three floors and no clock tower. Architecturally, it was a mix of Gothic Revival architecture and Renaissance Revival architecture , which were among

3977-417: The entire Helsinki capital region. The station is visited by 240 thousand passengers per day, making it the most visited building in the entire country of Finland. About half of the visitors are train passengers. Over a hundred long-distance trains and about 850 commuter trains arrive at and depart from the station every weekday. The middle part of the station building forms the core of the station, hosting

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4074-534: The event. The northern part of the Kluuvinlahti bay, to the west of the railway track, was filled in at the end of the 19th century to make space for the railway yard and the warehouses. The Helsinki harbour rail southward of the Helsinki railway station was built in 1894, and the VR warehouses were built in 1899. The shore of the Kluuvinlahti bay had always been a cheap and disliked area. The construction of

4171-464: The facade of the railway station building. The final solutions for making the station building more rational were born gradually. The station's facade bears a close resemblance to that of the 1913 Vyborg railway station , designed by the architecture bureau of Saarinen and Herman Gesellius . The structures and material strength calculations of the building were handled by graduate engineer Jalmari Castrén . The central heating and air conditioning in

4268-452: The filling really came into action when the railway was being built. The bay was confined at Hakasalmi, ditches were dug into the Kluuvi swamp, and a stone-walled assembly pool was built behind the dam, from where the water was pumped into Töölönlahti by wind power. Many horse cart loads of sand were dumped into the area during the decades. According to the plans in the 1830s, the area to

4365-415: The first time in 1863, with emperor Alexander II of Russia attending. The city of Helsinki did not have a large enough space to host the event, so it was held at the station hall of the railway station. A temporary floor was built over the tracks and the roof was covered with floral vines. The swamp, unfit for public display, had been hidden under a birch bark mat. A couple of thousand invited guests attended

4462-438: The first, second and third classes. The waiting halls and restaurants were located at both ends of the ground floor of the building. The southern end of the building hosted the first and second class waiting halls, while the northern end hosted the waiting hall for the third class. Both waiting halls were attached to their own class-specific restaurants. The station had no central hall, instead passengers had to go around through

4559-617: The following decades. VR mainly operated on the high-demand main lines. During the twentieth century, most private railway companies were shut down and VR assumed a monopoly in rail transport. In 1995 the company went through a process of corporatization to become the VR Group. Since 2010, the maintenance and the construction of the railway network have been the responsibility of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency ( Finnish : Väylävirasto ). The operation and network were originally carried out by

4656-875: The former leader of the National Board of Antiquities has stated that he considers the building an ugly error in judgement in city-planning, and would not oppose its demolition. The Makkaratalo also topped a 2004 poll by Helsingin Sanomat as the ugliest building in Helsinki. It was also featured in a 2005 series in Helsingin Sanomat about the oddest construction plans in the rapid growth of the 1960s. 60°10′12″N 24°56′31″E  /  60.17000°N 24.94194°E  / 60.17000; 24.94194 Helsinki Central railway station Helsinki Central Station ( Finnish : Helsingin päärautatieasema , Swedish : Helsingfors centralstation ) ( HEC )

4753-439: The ground with the strength of 30 men, but steam-powered pile drivers were also used in the construction, as well as electric pile drivers, probably for the first time in Finland. The pile-driving work employed about 300 people. About ten thousand wooden piles were driven into the structure of the station building. Only the supportive walls of the clock tower were driven into the bedrock, at a depth of eleven metres. The plans for

4850-748: The group includes 21 companies employing a total of about 14,400 people. Because in most parts of Finland the density of population is low, Finland is not optimally suited for railways. Commuter services are nowadays rare outside the Helsinki area, but express trains interconnect most cities. As in France , the majority of passenger services are connections to the capital, Helsinki. In the 2010s, VR has made connections faster by reducing stops at minor stations and increasing running speeds with new locomotives and renovated high-speed trains. VR provides motorail services. Cars can be loaded onto and unloaded from trains at seven stations: Helsinki , Turku and Tampere in

4947-454: The largest iron-reinforced concrete structure commissioned by the state at the time. The main facade and the stone statues at the main entrance were made of red granite brought from Hanko . VR Group VR-Group Plc ( Finnish : VR-Yhtymä Oyj , Swedish : VR-Group Abp ), commonly known as VR , is a government-owned railway company in Finland . VR's most important function

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5044-496: The main facade had grown and the entrance hall with the bear statues was removed. The new design was finished in 1909 and the new station building was opened in 1919. Later the floor plan of the station building was freed from the model specified by the railway administration and was made more clear for the purpose of use by large masses of people. This allowed the central hall of the station to be widened. Saarinen developed his design for many years and made numerous drawings of

5141-417: The majority of the city's population was not located near the station. Chief director Claes Wilhelm Gyldén and governor Samuel Henrik Antell supported the largest building and proposed that the station should be constructed as large enough and permanent right from the start. Also, the fire safety of a station building built from stone would be much better than that of a wooden building. A small stone building

5238-462: The morning. Trains on return trips left for Helsinki every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7 o'clock in the morning. Already in October 1862 the schedule was changed to daily trips in both directions. A total of 27,241 train tickets were sold at the Helsinki railway station in 1863, and a total of 23,977 tickets were sold at other stations for trips to Helsinki. The Diet of Finland was held for

5335-404: The muddy shore of the Kluuvinlahti bay. Commercial counsellor Henrik Borgström and chief director von Born supported the construction of the smallest possible wooden building as a temporary station building, as passenger numbers would be fairly small until the railway was continued further north from Hämeenlinna. Also the possible danger of fire at the station was estimated to be fairly low, as

5432-478: The new coaches have begun to replace the blue carriages even on the way to Kolari. Electrification extends from Oulu northwards to Kemijärvi. In 2006, direct sleeper services were discontinued beyond Rovaniemi (to Kemijärvi ) because the new double-deck sleeping carriages were unable to operate with diesel haulage. The sleeper service to Kemijärvi was restarted in March 2008, by adding to the train in Rovaniemi

5529-406: The new railway station appeared in magazines. These cartoons showed the entire station having changed to look more like a medieval stone church than a popular railway station. The bear sculptures had grown, and one of them had jumped down onto the street to chase people. As was typical for Saarinen, he did not participate in the public debate at any point. Saarinen later made a complete change to

5626-508: The next free number in running order. As a result, the last steam-powered heavy passenger locomotive class was designated Hr3, and its first diesel-powered counterpart Hr11. The current VR locomotive classification system was taken into use on 1 January 1976. The first (capital) letter was now used to differentiate between locomotive types: S ( sähkö ) for electric, D for diesel and T ( työkone ) for maintenance equipment. The serial numbers of diesel locomotive classes were not changed,

5723-465: The north of Kaivokatu and to the west of Mikonkatu was to be divided into two blocks, which were named Hyeena ("hyaena") and Hilleri ("polecat"), separated by the street Hakasalmenkatu, now known as Keskuskatu . The decision to build the railway decided the fate of the Hyeena and Hilleri blocks. Knut Stjernvall made the final railway plan in 1859. He proposed that a wide market square should be built on

5820-433: The notation system was changed to two letters and a serial number. The first letter in the designation now signified the types of trains the locomotive was generally planned to haul: The second small letter indicated the weight of the locomotive: When diesel locomotives were taken into service in the 1950s, they were additionally differentiated by the steam locomotive classes by beginning their numbering from 11 instead of

5917-481: The original plans, all station buildings along the Helsinki-Hämeenlinna line should have been built from wood. However, there soon came wishes that the station building in the capital should be built from a more valuable material. Railway construction was new to Finland, and thus there were no existing models for new station buildings. So the provincial architect of Tavastia , Carl Albert Edelfelt ,

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6014-453: The parent company Valtionrautatiet until 1995, when it was split into VR and the rail administration entity Ratahallintokeskus . Companies in the group provide road freight and bus services, catering and real estate management, and provide data, technological, and telecommunications services for the transport and logistics sectors. The group owns a bus company, Pohjolan Liikenne , and a road freight haulage company VR Transpoint. Altogether

6111-507: The pathways connecting them to the adjacent streets. However, the term is rarely used and is unfamiliar even to most natives of Helsinki. The Finnish real estate company Sponda bought the City-Center in 2000 and has extensively renovated it. The building is currently protected by Finland's National Board of Antiquities as part of the city's heritage. In 2005 a decision was made to place the building under protection, allowing removal of

6208-482: The place of the Hyeena block east to the railway yard. The few buildings left in the Hyeena block were dismantled, and it was changed into what is now the Rautatientori square. Construction of the first railway station in Finland started at the edge of the Hilleri block. The construction of the railway station had a great impact on the Helsinki cityscape. The railway was piled with large logs, and stones were laid on

6305-421: The proposed Helsinki–Tallinn Tunnel is built, trains may be run by VR, Elron or a joint-venture similar to the former arrangement with Russia. Domestic and international freight services are provided by VR Transpoint, a part of VR. In 2009, both domestic and international freight traffic declined, which worsened VR's financial position. International freight traffic was concentrated to the four railways across

6402-599: The purchase of 20 new sleeping cars, valued at €60–70 million. The two bidders interested were Alstom, which manufactures the Pendolino and some commuter trains for VR, and Finnish Transtech, which manufactured VR's new sleeping cars. The decision led to the resignation of the President and CEO of VR-Group, Henri Kuitunen, and the group's Chairman of the Board, Antti Lagerroos. Helsingin Sanomat reported they had wanted to defer

6499-491: The purchase of Arriva Sweden, VR Group has also strengthened its presence in the Swedish rail market through the acquisition of MTRX , a high-speed train operator on the Stockholm-Gothenburg route. Acquired in 2024, MTRX was rebranded as VR Snabbtåg Sverige and became part of VR Group’s long-distance operations. The MTRX acquisition included six Stadler Flirt X74 EMUs, which operate over 120 weekly services on

6596-406: The railway administration decided to hold a new design contest for the facades of the new Helsinki railway station and the administrative building of the railway administration. The railway administration had designed the floor plan of the new railway station as a U-shaped building surrounding the railway tracks. The contestants received a floor plan designed by architect Bruno Granholm about

6693-561: The railway station at the area greatly increased the value of the area and led to an immense construction boom in the entire city of Helsinki, lasting from the 1880s to the 1920s. Businessmen bought lots at the former shores of the Kluuvinlahti bay along the Helsinki Railway Square and the Mikonkatu street. Helsinki's first railway station had been measured to a small capital city with about 20 thousand inhabitants in

6790-533: The railway, but the most expensive option was estimated at 162,000 roubles. The cheapest option would have had the railway to make a curve after Pasila and go around the Töölönlahti bay. The second option would have had the railway go directly west from Pasila past the Töölö sugar factory. The third option would have passed Pasila entirely and continued around Töölönlahti. All these options would have located

6887-409: The replacement of older sleeping car rolling stock until 2012 at the earliest. However, the decision went ahead because VR is a state owned business and there was pressure to seek orders from Finnish Transtech, which is currently struggling due to market downturns, in order to secure jobs. The Finnish loading gauge allows the operation of freight vehicles considerably larger than most other railways in

6984-406: The request of the citizens, the railway line was moved slightly to the east in 1859, in order to preserve the two large and beautiful hills in the park. The area where the station was planned to be built was originally seabed. In the 19th century the area was a muddy and stinky water area used as a dump and a public outhouse. Filling the Kluuvinlahti bay originally started already in the 1830s, but

7081-418: The shore of the Töölönlahti bay and building railway tracks on beautiful and farmed land from the environment of the city. In addition, the costs of the compulsory purchase of the land would have been significantly greater than in the fourth option. Another concern was that a steep curve directly after the railway station would cause more wear on both the tracks and the train wheels. This would result in danger of

7178-478: The south, Oulu further north, and Rovaniemi , Kemijärvi and Kolari in Lapland . Car transport trains stop at other stations along the way for normal passenger transport and is available as daily service to Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi and several times a week to Kolari. Finland is the only Nordic country to offer car transport on trains; however, car transport on trains is available in many European countries outside

7275-410: The station building as well as the office and administrative wing attached to it. The floor plan bore a close resemblance to that of the 1888 Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof , which the contents were already familiar with. The facade of the station building was defined to be built of natural stone, and that of the administrative building of plastering with a conservative amount of natural stone. There would be

7372-431: The station building were accepted in 1911. In the next year, the two-floor northern end of the old station building was dismantled and pile-driving of the new station building was started. The new station building, built at the site of the former Kluuvinlahti bay, had to be driven deep into the ground onto wooden piles. The bedrock at the site is at a depth of 20 to 30 metres. The wooden piles were mostly driven into

7469-653: The station to the south of the Turku barracks. In the fourth option, the track would go from Pasila straight across Töölönlahti and the Kaisaniemi Park to Kluuvi, with the station located immediately after the Kluuvi well. This option was the most expensive, costing about 107,970 roubles. Of the four options, it required the most of blasting the bedrock and filling the Kluuvinlahti bay. The three first options required dismantling villas and other buildings from

7566-544: The styles commonly used for other railway stations in Europe at the time. The first railway station in Helsinki was a sort of romantic picturesque manor, whose small size and simple appearance was also an act of honouring the emperor and Saint Petersburg. The Tudor -style brick and plaster station building was clad in natural stone. In the original designs the station was to be clad in brick, but in August 1860 plaster

7663-548: The symbol of the entire railway network in Finland. For example the VR Group uses the image of the station and the statues next to its main entrance in its advertising. The Helsinki Central Station is located in the city centre of Helsinki, in the district of Kluuvi at Kaivokatu 1. The main facade of the station building is towards the Kluuvikatu street. To the east of the station is the Helsinki Railway Square and to

7760-416: The time, whose stepfather Carl Johan Walleen  [ fi ] owned Villa Hakasalmi on the western shore of the Töölönlahti bay. The three other options would have required dismantling the villa. Because of the decision, citizens of Helsinki started worrying about the fate of the Kaisaniemi Park located next to the Kluuvi well. It was clear that the railway would override part of the park area. Per

7857-410: The train tilting, causing a decrease of the efficiency of the engine. The option for the straight railway line had the benefit of an unobstructed view from the station to the traffic on the tracks. The fourth option received the most support, and it was accepted on 26 November 1857. The choice was perhaps also influenced by Knut Stjernvall serving as the technical director of the railway company at

7954-413: The trains directly through an iron gate from Kaivokatu and only long-distance passengers went through the station hall. The station building was located nearer the Kaivokatu street than the current station building. Its end pointed towards Kaivokatu and the main entrance was towards the Rautatientori square. All station buildings designed by Edelfelt were of a simple side station building type, including

8051-418: The underground floor of the western wing since the 1970s. The ground floor has hosted a café since the 2000s, and the top floor hosts offices and business spaces. The station hosts almost twenty kiosks and restaurants, visited by over 20 thousand people per day. When visiting Finland in 1856, Grand Duke of Finland Alexander II of Russia proposed an improvement program for the Finnish economy. He thought it

8148-434: The waiting halls to reach the platforms. The ground floor also hosted railway station offices, an official room, a lamp room and a women's toilet. The second floor hosted the residences of the railway chief, the station chief and the administrative officers. The third floor hosted the residences of the caretaker and the engineer mechanic. The third floor also hosted storage space. Unlike other railway stations in Finland,

8245-521: The waiting halls, ticket sales, the kiosk hall and connection to the station tunnel. The eastern wing of the building used to host the offices of the railway administration. It also served as Helsinki's main post office, until it moved to the Postitalo building built in the 1930s. The head office of the VR Group moved to Pasila in 2018. The eastern wing was converted into a Scandic Hotels hotel, opened in 2021. Baggage storage spaces have been located in

8342-718: The west is the Eliel Square . The Eliel Square also served as the terminus of the Finnair City Bus . The Asematunneli tunnel leads from the station, underneath Kaivokatu, to the underground floor of the City-Center complex. The station also has a connection to the Central Railway Station metro station located underneath it. The Helsinki Central Station is an important transport hub for commuter train, long-distance train and metro transport in

8439-524: The western express cargo wing were accepted in summer 1912, and masonry and iron concrete work was started in the next summer. At the end of the year, the walls were almost fully masoned, and the granite lining and concrete vaults were also completed. The halls received monumental concrete vaults, clearly reflecting into the shape of the building. These vaults, utilising the Hennebique iron-reinforced concrete structure patented in France in 1892, were

8536-435: Was added to the exterior to better withstand the weather. In the station facade, Renaissance Revival architecture showed in the ledges between the floors and in the windows grouping into axles. Gothic Revival architecture shoed in the tower aisles, corner towers on the roof and Tudor-style arches at the windows and doors. It has been estimated that Edelfelt gained inspiration to the Helsinki railway station from his visit to

8633-490: Was based on the wheel arrangement of the locomotives: each wheel arrangement was assigned a letter of the alphabet, which was followed by a serial number. The assignment of letters to different wheel arrangements was made when the first locomotive using it was brought into service; the letter A signified a 4-4-0 wheelbase in the Whyte notation , B signified a 0-4-2ST locomotive, C a 0-6-0 locomotive, and so on. On 8 October 1942,

8730-407: Was built in 1861, but it was only opened for traffic on 17 March 1862. At first, the station places along the railway were only named in Swedish. The Finnish name for the Helsinki railway station was made official in 1897. The tracks at the station were located right next to the station building on the edge of Kaivokatu. A large wooden shelter was built over the platforms. Commuter passengers entered

8827-516: Was important to connect the inland country to the marine harbours through canals and railways. So planning of Finland's first railway from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna was started. A 1853 railway project proposed the northern edge of the Hietalahdentori square as the location of the Helsinki railway station. A later proposal in 1857 was at the vicinity of the Turku barracks , and a third option

8924-478: Was in a caricature drawn by the Finnish cartoonist Kari Suomalainen in Helsingin Sanomat . In the cartoon, a man is buying food from a snack bar near the Makkaratalo. He points at the railing, and the snack bar vendor replies, "Well, I'm just a small-time businessman." Today, the term "City-Center" refers to the entire shopping complex consisting of the Makkaratalo, various older properties, and

9021-402: Was old-fashioned and demanded sense and rationality to the architecture of the railway station. According to them, the station symbolised modern times, which had nothing to do with the medieval design fashion. The design sparked off a vigorous debate about the architecture of major public buildings, with demands for a modern, rational style. The debate went so far that even cartoons mocking

9118-402: Was requested for plans for various alternatives, which were presented in October 1859. The cost estimate for a smaller one-floor building was about 27 thousand roubles and that for a larger two-floor building was about 40 thousand roubles. A wooden station building would only have cost 18 thousand roubles. These estimates did not include the cost for pile-driving the foundation, which was high at

9215-444: Was seen as romantic, picturesque and as nationally Finnish as possible. This very Finnish design style caused a lot of discussion, and there was desire to try it on the railway station too, without thinking whether the museum and the station would have required different symbolic forms. The contest received 21 entries. All entries except that by Sigurd Frosterus were of a national romantic style. They had heavy roofs and low walls,

9312-462: Was seen as too small, as the station needed waiting halls and traffic spaces. In addition, the upper floor would have to host offices for the Finnish railway administration and apartments for station officials. In the end, the large stone station building was voted as the best alternative for the new station building. Construction work on the 108-kilometre railway between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna started in 1858. The first station building in Helsinki

9409-409: Was the environment of the Kluuvi well. Investigation of the new railway line in summer and autumn showed how difficult it would be to build a railway into the city of Helsinki, which was located at the point of a peninsula. The research resulted in four different options of the railway line. These options differed greatly in cost. The original plan included 40,800 Russian roubles for the main station of

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