Updated travel times: One-hour train brings the rail service to new locations

Once the one-hour Turku rail link is completed, the travel time by train between Helsinki Central railway station and Turku railway station will be reduced from almost two hours to up to 78 minutes. New stations and stops would be added to Hista in Espoo, Veikkola in Kirkkonummi, Nummela in Vihti and Lohja. The new line will also provide better opportunities to develop commuter traffic in Southwest Finland.

In a recent traffic simulation model created by Proxion Plan Oy, the number of trains during peak hour and the travel times of commuter and long-distance trains were determined for the new line between Helsinki and Turku. The model featured a rail service that is as regular as possible, running similarly hour after hour.

Building a double-track rail link increases the rail capacity and helps traffic run more smoothly. With the one-hour rail link, the travel time between Helsinki and Turku would be reduced to 78 minutes at the fastest on Express trains and 86 minutes on InterCity trains. The fastest Express trains would stop at Pasila, Leppävaara, Kupittaa and Turku. IC long-distance trains, on the other hand, would stop at Pasila, Leppävaara, Vihti or Lohja, Salo, Kupittaa and Turku.

Reaching new locations by train

With the new rail link, passengers would for the first time get to Hista in Espoo, Veikkola in Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Lohja by train. Commuter trains would run from Helsinki to Hista in 26 minutes, to Veikkola in 31 minutes, to Vihti in 37 minutes and to Lohja in 44 minutes.

A long-distance train would take passengers to Vihti in 29 minutes and to Lohja in 33 minutes.

It would be possible to have one Express train per hour run both ways between Helsinki and Turku during peak times (at around 5–9 am and 2–6 pm) and one IC train per hour run both ways from morning until late at night. The commuter trains of Lohja and Vihti would run both ways every half hour throughout the day. In addition, the IC train would also stop at the Lohja or Vihti station.

Four commuter trains per hour would run to Veikkola in Kirkkonummi.

“When the time comes, the train operator will decide which stations are commercially viable to stop at. The future land use plans of municipalities and stations play a big role in this,” says Annika Salokangas, Project Director at Turku One Hour Train Ltd.

One-hour rail link complements existing transport options

After the completion of the one-hour Turku rail link, up to eight trains an hour could depart from Helsinki towards Turku, four of which would continue on Rantarata to Kirkkonummi and four to the Espoo–Salo direct railway line.

The new rail link that runs through the Espoo–Salo direct railway line frees up capacity on the congested Rantarata.

“The one-hour train complements existing transport options and brings the rail service to new locations. By moving some of the services onto new lines, we can free up capacity on Rantarata, which creates opportunities for the development and diversification of commuter traffic in the municipalities along Rantarata,” says Pekka Ottavainen, Managing Director at Turku One Hour Train Ltd.

More information:

Annika Salokangas, Project Director, Turku One Hour Train Ltd, tel. +358 40 866 5315, annika.salokangas(a)tunninjuna.fi

Pekka Ottavainen, Managing Director, Turku One Hour Train Ltd, tel. +358 400 261 097, pekka.ottavainen(a)tunninjuna.fi