Helsinki Metro - Helsinki Metro LinesHelsinki Metro LinesThe Helsinki Metro is operated as two lines called M1 and M2, although these designations are not universally applied. Line Stretch Stations Distance Travel Time
Some stations are located above ground level, making the metro system more friendly to passengers with mobility problems. Sub-surface stations have no stairs from the ticket hall to the platform, and one can access them from the street level via escalators or lifts. The trains themselves have no steps, and the floors of the trains are level with the platforms, with the gap between the two being just a couple of centimetres. Helsinki Metro Ticketing The ticketing scheme on the Metro is consistent with other forms of transport inside the city of Helsinki, managed by the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) agency. The HSL travel card (matkakortti) is the most commonly used ticket, which can be paid either per journey or for a period of two weeks to one year. The metro stations between Koivusaari and Kulosaari lie within zone A. The stations between Keilaniemi and Matinkylä and from Herttoniemi to Mellunmäki or Vuosaari lie within the zone B, and from Finnoo to Kivenlahti in zone C, so an ABC ticket covers the entire system. Single tickets can be bought from ticket machines at the stations (except for the stations between Finnoo and Kivenlahti, which have no ticket machines) or via the HSL mobile app. A single ticket can be used to change to any other form of transport inside the HSL area with the validity time based on the number of zones purchased. There are no gates to the platforms, a proof-of-payment system is used instead. Helsinki Metro Safety Passenger safety instructions are inside train carriages above the doors and stations at ticket hall and platforms. These instructions direct passengers to use emergency phones and also include an emergency phone number to traffic center. Emergency stop handles at platforms discharge traction current and set nearby signal to danger. There are emergency brake handles inside the carriage next to the door. Especially for people with visual impairments, all platforms have a yellow line marking the safe area on platform. Additionally, there are fire extinguishers on trains and in stations. Helsinki Metro Rolling Stock The 750V DC current is drawn from a bottom-contact third rail alongside the running rails. Since the opening of the Länsimetro extension, trains are always formed with 4 carriages. There are three different types of rolling stock in service on the system as of 2024. The first trains adopted on the system consisted of the M100 series that was built by Strömberg in the late 1970s to the early 1980s. The newer M200 series was built by Bombardier and has been in service since 2000, each set is composed of two cars connected by an open gangway. The latest version, the M300 series, entered service in 2016, built by CAF. A further 5 M300 units were built in 2022 for the extension to Kivenlahti. Unlike the first two series, the M300 trains operate as 4-car sets with open gangways and were designed to run without drivers, though since the cancellation of the automation project, they retain their temporary cabs. Line speed of the system is 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph) inside the tunnels and 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) on the open portion of the network. Points have a maximum speed of 35 kilometres per hour (22 mph), with some sets near termini having a maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph). Technically the M200 and M100 series have a maximum speed of 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph) and 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph), respectively, but they are electrically limited to 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph). Helsinki Metro Depots and Facilities The original maintenance and storage depot for the metro system is at Roihupelto metro depot, between the stations of Siilitie and Itäkeskus. The depot is connected to the metro line from both directions, with a third, central, platform at Itäkeskus used for empty services and during times of disruption. Both warm and cold storage is provided at the depot, to avoid having to pre-heat trains before service in the cold winters. Behind the Roihupelto depot is the metro test track, allowing testing at speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph), the far end of this test-track was until 2012 connected via the non-electrified 5 km (3.1 mi) long Herttoniemi harbour railway and then to the VR main line at Oulunkylä railway station. Both the metro and railways share interoperable gauges. The old access line was mostly along the first two-thirds of the old Herttoniemi harbour railway. Through the area of Viikki, this single line had street running since 2002. In 2012 the old depot link was closed and partially removed when a new 2 km (1.2 mi) metro link line was built from the then present end at Vuosaari metro station, to the electrified 19 km (12 mi) long Vuosaari harbour railway in the new Vuosaari harbour. From 2019 the route of the old link line was redeveloped to form part of the Jokeri light rail line which was opened on 21 October 2023. The new underground Sammalvuori metro depot located between Kivenlahti and Espoonlahti stations, opened along with the second stage of Länsimetro on 3 December 2022. Helsinki Metro Future Helsinki Metro Eastern Extension In 2018, a new zoning plan for the Östersundom area east of Helsinki, was confirmed. New homes are due to be built on the condition that the metro is extended eastwards to serve this area. The eastward extension of the metro has been named Itämetro (English: Eastern Metro, Swedish: Östmetron) as a counterpart to the western extension. The current plan is for the line to continue from Mellunmäki, briefly cross into Vantaa through Länsisalmi and then back into Helsinki through Itäsalmi, before continuing onwards over the municipal border to Majvik in Sipoo. Construction of the metro line is tentatively slated to begin in the 2030s at the earliest. Proposals also exist for the line to be extended even further east into central Sipoo, possibly as far as to Sibbesborg, to an envisioned new city centre there. Other Lines A second Metro line from Laajasalo via Kamppi to Pasila north of the city centre, and possibly onwards to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is also in the planning stages. This is being taken into consideration in city plans and has been discussed by the city assembly, but does not look likely to be seriously planned before the mid-2030s at the earliest. To prepare for this eventuality, a platform level for a crossing line was already excavated during the original construction of the Kamppi station. The Ring Rail Line, which connects the airport to the rail network, began service in 2015. The current plans commissioned by the city recommend the extension of the Helsinki tram network, instead of the metro, to Laajasalo. Thus construction of a second metro line along the Laajasalo–Kamppi–Airport route appears unlikely. On 17 May 2006 the Helsinki City council decided that the current, manually driven metro trains would be replaced by automatic ones, operated without drivers. This project was cancelled in 2015 but the western extension was planned with this driverless operation in mind and the stations were built shorter than the existing ones which meant that the maximum train length for the whole system had to be reduced in 2017 when the western extension opened. The system is planned to be automated eventually as the old M100 trains are approaching the end of their effective service lifespan. There is a plan to extend the Vuosaari section of the line to the new Vuosaari harbour (see section The depot above). A new station is being planned in Roihupelto, between Siilitie and Itäkeskus, to serve a possible future suburb. Helsinki Metro Overview Helsinki Metro Native Name: Helsingin metro Helsingfors metro Helsinki Metro Locale: Helsinki Capital region, Finland Helsinki Metro Transit Type: Rapid transit Helsinki Metro Number of Lines: 2 Helsinki Metro Number of Stations: 30 Helsinki Metro Daily Ridership: 304,000 (2017) Helsinki Metro Annual Ridership: 92.6 million (2019) Helsinki Metro Began Operation: 2 August 1982 Helsinki Metro Operator(s): Helsinki City Transport and Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd Helsinki Metro System Length: 43 km (26.7 mi) Helsinki Metro Track Gauge: 1,522 mm (4 ft 11+29⁄32 in) Broad gauge Helsinki Metro Electrification: 750 V DC third rail | |||||
| |||||
