The Helsinki Metro (Helsingin Metro in Finnish) is a rapid transit railway located in Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. It is the most northern metro system in the world and the only one in Finland. The metro was opened in 1982 and now carries about 62 million passengers per year. It is operated by Helsinki City Transport (HKL, Helsingin Kaupungin Liikennelaitos).
The metro system currently includes one line with 17 stations, 9 of which are underground. The line is 21,1km in length. It is east-westbound and forks at Itäkeskus to two different end stations at eastern Helsinki, called Mellunmäki and Vuosaari. As such, the metro line links the eastern suburbs of Helsinki to the city centre. An upcoming extension called "Länsimetro" (West Metro) is on the works that will continue the line from the current western end station Ruoholahti to the neighboring city of Espoo, adding eight new underground stations and five more after the first phase of construction. The metro line has no practical connection to the main railway network but passes under the Central Railway Station allowing passengers to connect to commuter and long-distance trains easily.
The metro system is technically a railway system with driver-operated trains, traffic control and signals. The gauge is 1524mm as in the main railway but instead of overhead wires, the metro system is powered by a 750V DC third rail. The rolling stock of the system currently consist of three different types of metro trains that technically resemble quite closely the urban multiple units on the main railway network.
The oldest and still the most common type of train in the system is the Finnish-built M100 series from the early 80's. The newer M200 series was built by Bombardier and has been in service since 2001. The third series in operation is the M300, which is built by CAF between 2015 and 2020. The normal speed of the trains is 70km/h in the tunnel under the city centre and 80km/h overground. The turnouts usually have a speed restriction of either 60km/h or 35km/h. Technically the trains are capable of excessing 100km/h but all of them have been restricted to 80km/h.
The metro system currently includes one line with 17 stations, 9 of which are underground. The line is 21,1km in length. It is east-westbound and forks at Itäkeskus to two different end stations at eastern Helsinki, called Mellunmäki and Vuosaari. As such, the metro line links the eastern suburbs of Helsinki to the city centre. An upcoming extension called "Länsimetro" (West Metro) is on the works that will continue the line from the current western end station Ruoholahti to the neighboring city of Espoo, adding eight new underground stations and five more after the first phase of construction. The metro line has no practical connection to the main railway network but passes under the Central Railway Station allowing passengers to connect to commuter and long-distance trains easily.
The metro system is technically a railway system with driver-operated trains, traffic control and signals. The gauge is 1524mm as in the main railway but instead of overhead wires, the metro system is powered by a 750V DC third rail. The rolling stock of the system currently consist of three different types of metro trains that technically resemble quite closely the urban multiple units on the main railway network.
The oldest and still the most common type of train in the system is the Finnish-built M100 series from the early 80's. The newer M200 series was built by Bombardier and has been in service since 2001. The third series in operation is the M300, which is built by CAF between 2015 and 2020. The normal speed of the trains is 70km/h in the tunnel under the city centre and 80km/h overground. The turnouts usually have a speed restriction of either 60km/h or 35km/h. Technically the trains are capable of excessing 100km/h but all of them have been restricted to 80km/h.
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| Map of the whole current metro system. Can also be found on t-shirts with an accompanying text such as "Lost in Helsinki". I wonder why... :) |
I think you should do a video comparison of the prototype and your model railway version! that might spark some intrest. try and get into MODEL RAILROADER magazine if u can
VastaaPoistaVery nice layout, I am waiting for updates.
VastaaPoista