Riihimäki–Tampere railway

Riihimäki–Tampere railway is a railway running between the Riihimäki railway station and the Tampere railway station in Finland, and it is part of the Finnish Main Line. The line between Riihimäki and Hämeenlinna was opened in 1862 as a part of the Finland's first railway between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, and the line between Riihimäki and Tampere in 1876.[1]

Riihimäki–Tampere railway
Overview
Termini
Stations10
History
Opened1862 (Riihimäki–Hämeenlinna)
1876 (Hämeenlinna–Tampere)
Technical
Line length116 km (72.08 mi)
Number of tracksDouble
Track gauge1,524 mm (5 ft)
Electrification25 kV @ 50 Hz
Operating speed200 km/h (120 mph)
Route map

116.0
Tampere
94.4
Lempäälä
82.8
Viiala
75.8
Toijala
57.8
Iittala
44.3
Parola
36.1
Hämeenlinna
22.5
Turenki
9.3
Ryttylä
0.0
Riihimäki

Services

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Commuter trains

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Certain services of the VR commuter rail lines R and D operate in part on the Riihimäki–Tampere section. Line M starts from either Toijala or Tampere, and then proceeds towards Nokia on the Tampere–Pori railway. All stations on the section are served by its commuter trains.

Long-distance trains

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Being part of the päärata, the Riihimäki–Tampere section is a core part of long-distance transport in Finland. After Riihimäki and possibly making stops at Hämeenlinna, Toijala and Lempäälä, having reached Tampere trains will proceed towards either Pori through western Pirkanmaa and Satakunta, toward Ostrobothnia on the Tampere–Seinäjoki railway, or towards Jyväskylä in Central Finland via Jämsä. In addition, Toijala is one of the termini of the Turku–Toijala railway.

The termini of the routes that pass through the Riihimäki–Tampere line include Turku, Tampere, Seinäjoki, Vaasa, Ylivieska, Oulu, Rovaniemi, Kemijärvi and Jyväskylä.

Future plans

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As part of ongoing proposals for high-speed rail in Finland, the Riihimäki-Tampere railway may be upgraded for higher average speed, or a brand new line constructed parallel to the existing line.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Finland - Railway History". 4rail.net. 20 April 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Finland earmarks funds for new rail links between Helsinki, Turku and Tampere". Helsinki Times. 4 February 2019.