Transport in Finland
Encyclopedia
The transport system of Finland
is well-developed.
The extensive road system is utilized by most internal cargo and passenger traffic. , the country's network of main roads has a total length of around 78162 kilometres (48,567.7 mi) and all public roads 104161 kilometres (64,722.8 mi). The motorway network totals 779 kilometres (484 mi) with additional 124 kilometres (77.1 mi) reserved only for motor traffic. Road network expenditure of around 1 billion euro is paid with vehicle and fuel taxes
that amount to around 1.5 billion euro and 1 billion euro.
The main international passenger gateway is Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
with over 13 million passengers in 2007. About 25 airports have scheduled passenger services. They are financed by competitive fees and rural airport may be subsidized. The Helsinki-Vantaa based Finnair
(known for an Asia-focused strategy), Blue1 and Finncomm Airlines
provide air services both domestically and internationally. Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle
routes between Western Europe
and the Far East
. Hence, many international travelers visit Helsinki on a stop-over between Asia
and Europe
.
Despite low population density, taxpayers spend annually around 350 million euro in maintaining 5865 kilometres (3,644.4 mi) railway tracks even to many rural towns. Operations are privatized and currently the only operator is the state-owned VR
. It has 5 percent passenger market share (out of which 80 percent are urban trips in Greater Helsinki) and 25 percent cargo market share. Helsinki has an urban rail network.
Port logistics prices were among the lowest in OECD. Vuosaari harbour
is the largest container port after completed in 2008. There is passenger traffic from Helsinki and Turku, which have ferry connections to Tallinn
, Mariehamn
, Sweden
and several other destinations.
transport in Finland is the most popular method of transportation, particularly in rural areas where the railway network does not extend to. there are 78162 kilometres (48,567.7 mi) of public roads, of which 51016 kilometres (31,700 mi) are paved. The main road network comprises over 13329 kilometres (8,282.3 mi) of road. 64% of all traffic on public roads takes place on main roads, which are divided into class I
(/) and class II (/) main roads. Motorways have been constructed in the country since the 1960s, but they are still reasonably rare because traffic volumes are not large enough to motivate their construction. There are 779 kilometres (484 mi) of motorways. Longest stretches are Helsinki
–Turku
(Main road 1
/E18
), Helsinki
–Tampere
(Main road 3
/E12
), Helsinki
–Heinola
(Main road 4
/E75
), and Helsinki
–Porvoo
(Main road 7/E18
). The world's northernmost motorway
is also located in Finland between Keminmaa
and Tornio
(Main road 29
/E8
).
Speed limits change depending on the time of the year; the maximum speed limit on motorways is 120 km/h (75 mph) in the summer and 100 km/h (62 mph) in the winter. The main roads usually have speed limits of either 100 km/h or 80 km/h (50 mph). Speed limits in urban areas range between 30 km/h (19 mph) and 60 km/h (37 mph). Finland, like most other European countries, has right-hand traffic
.
There are no toll road
s in Finland.
, there are 3,368,188 automobile
s, of which 2,877,484 car
s, in Finland, giving a total of 627 automobiles per a thousand inhabitants. Thus, the average citizen is less likely to own a car in Finland than in other European countries. This is despite the fact that Finland has one of the highest average GDPs
in Europe, and probably results from the high quality of public transport in the country.
Coaches
are mainly operated by private companies and provide services widely across the country. There is a large network of ExpressBus
services with connections to all major cities and the most important rural areas. Coach stations are operated by Matkahuolto
.
Local bus services inside cities and towns are often tightly regulated by the councils. Many councils also have their own bus operators, such as Helsinki Regional Transport Authority
, which operate some bus lines on a commercial basis in competition with privately owned providers. Regional bus lines are generally less strictly regulated, leading to cartel
situations like TLO
in the Turku
region, but strong regional regulating bodies like the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority
(HSL-HRT) exist as well.
. 3072 km (1,908.9 mi) of track is electrified. In 2010, passengers made 13.4 million long distance voyages and 55.5 million trips in local traffic. On the same year, over 35000000 tonnes (34,447,123.7 LT) of freight were transported.
Passenger trains are operated by the state-owned VR Group
. They serve all the major cities and many rural areas, complemented by bus connections where needed. Most passenger train services originate or terminate at Helsinki Central railway station
, and a large proportion of the passenger rail network radiates out of Helsinki. High-speed Pendolino
services are operated from Helsinki to other major cities like Joensuu
, Kuopio
, Oulu
, Tampere
and Turku
. Modern InterCity services complement the Pendolino network, and cheaper and older long and short distance trains operate in areas with fewer passengers.
The Helsinki area has three urban rail systems: a tramway
, a metro
, and a commuter rail system
. Light rail
systems are currently being planned for Turku
and Tampere
, two of the country's other major urban centres.
, Turku
and Viipuri. Only Helsinki has retained its tramway network. The Vyborg tramway network ceased operations in 1957, after the city had been ceded
to the Soviet Union
, while the Turku tramway network shut down in 1972.
As of 2010, Turku and Tampere
have preliminary plans for new tram systems, but no decision to build them has been made.
Helsinki currently operates 12 tramlines on a network of approximately 90 kilometres (55.9 mi) of track in passenger service. Nearly all of the network consists of double track route, such that the route length is approximately half of total the track length. Around 200,000 passengers use the tram network each weekday and within the inner city of Helsinki, trams have established a position as the main form of public transport. The system is being expanded substantially in 2010–2015 to new residential areas and, as of May 2010, the city is in the process of selecting among bids to deliver a series of 40 new trams, with an option for more.
, and the second largest by passenger volume is Oulu Airport
. Other international airports include Turku Airport
and Tampere-Pirkkala Airport
. The larger airports are managed by the state-owned Finavia
(formerly the Finnish Civil Aviation Administration). Finnair
, Blue1 and Finncomm Airlines
are the main carriers for domestic flights.
Helsinki-Vantaa airport is Finland's global gateway with scheduled non-stop flights to such places as Bangkok
, Beijing
, Guangzhou
, Nagoya, New York, Osaka
, Shanghai
, Hong Kong
and Tokyo
. Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle
airline
traffic routes between Western Europe
and the Far East
. The airport is located approximately 19 kilometers north of Helsinki's downtown area in Helsinki's northern suburb of Vantaa
, thus the name Helsinki-Vantaa.
Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is served by low-fare Ryanair
flights to destinations in Europe.
Frequent ferry
service connects Finland with Estonia
and Sweden
. Baltic
cruise liners regularly call on the
port of Helsinki as well. In domestic service, ferries connect Finland's islands with the mainland. Finland's cargo ports
move freight both for Finland's own needs and for transshipment
to Russia
.
The Finnish Maritime Administration is responsible for the maintenance of Finland's waterway network.
Finland's waterways includes some 7600 kilometres (4,722.4 mi) of coastal fairways and 7900 kilometres (4,908.8 mi) of inland waterways
(on rivers, canals, and lakes). Saimaa Canal
connects Lake Saimaa, and thus much of the inland waterway
system of Finland, with the Baltic Sea
at Vyborg
(Viipuri). However, the lower part of the canal is currently
located in Russia
. To facilitate through shipping, Finland leases the Russian section of the
canal from Russia (the original agreement with the Soviet Union
dates to 1963).
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
is well-developed.
The extensive road system is utilized by most internal cargo and passenger traffic. , the country's network of main roads has a total length of around 78162 kilometres (48,567.7 mi) and all public roads 104161 kilometres (64,722.8 mi). The motorway network totals 779 kilometres (484 mi) with additional 124 kilometres (77.1 mi) reserved only for motor traffic. Road network expenditure of around 1 billion euro is paid with vehicle and fuel taxes
Fuel tax
A fuel tax is an excise tax imposed on the sale of fuel. In most countries the fuel tax is imposed on fuels which are intended for transportation...
that amount to around 1.5 billion euro and 1 billion euro.
The main international passenger gateway is Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
Helsinki Airport or Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the main international airport of the Helsinki metropolitan region and the whole of Finland. It is located in Vantaa, Finland, about west of Tikkurila, the centre of Vantaa, and north of Helsinki city centre...
with over 13 million passengers in 2007. About 25 airports have scheduled passenger services. They are financed by competitive fees and rural airport may be subsidized. The Helsinki-Vantaa based Finnair
Finnair
Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...
(known for an Asia-focused strategy), Blue1 and Finncomm Airlines
Finncomm Airlines
Finnish Commuter Airlines Oy operating as Flybe Nordic, trading as Finncomm Airlines, was a regional airline with its head office on the grounds of Seinäjoki Airport in Ilmajoki, Finland, near Seinäjoki. The carrier operates flights to Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden and 16...
provide air services both domestically and internationally. Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle
Great circle
A great circle, also known as a Riemannian circle, of a sphere is the intersection of the sphere and a plane which passes through the center point of the sphere, as opposed to a general circle of a sphere where the plane is not required to pass through the center...
routes between Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. Hence, many international travelers visit Helsinki on a stop-over between Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Despite low population density, taxpayers spend annually around 350 million euro in maintaining 5865 kilometres (3,644.4 mi) railway tracks even to many rural towns. Operations are privatized and currently the only operator is the state-owned VR
VR Group
VR or VR Group is a state-owned railway company in Finland. Formerly known as Suomen Valtion Rautatiet until 1922 and Valtionrautatiet / Statsjärnvägarna until 1995...
. It has 5 percent passenger market share (out of which 80 percent are urban trips in Greater Helsinki) and 25 percent cargo market share. Helsinki has an urban rail network.
Port logistics prices were among the lowest in OECD. Vuosaari harbour
Vuosaari Harbour
Vuosaari Harbour is a seaport facility in Helsinki, Finland, opened in November 2008....
is the largest container port after completed in 2008. There is passenger traffic from Helsinki and Turku, which have ferry connections to Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Mariehamn
Mariehamn
Mariehamn is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and several other destinations.
Roads
RoadRoad
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
transport in Finland is the most popular method of transportation, particularly in rural areas where the railway network does not extend to. there are 78162 kilometres (48,567.7 mi) of public roads, of which 51016 kilometres (31,700 mi) are paved. The main road network comprises over 13329 kilometres (8,282.3 mi) of road. 64% of all traffic on public roads takes place on main roads, which are divided into class I
Highways in Finland
Roads in Finland comprise of highways, paved and gravel roads which are divided in four to five classes according to their local importance...
(/) and class II (/) main roads. Motorways have been constructed in the country since the 1960s, but they are still reasonably rare because traffic volumes are not large enough to motivate their construction. There are 779 kilometres (484 mi) of motorways. Longest stretches are Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
–Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
(Main road 1
Finnish national road 1
The Finnish national road 1 is the main route between the major cities of Helsinki and Turku in southern Finland. It runs from Munkkiniemi in Helsinki to the VI District of Turku, and is part of the European route E18...
/E18
European route E18
European route E18 runs from Craigavon in the United Kingdom to Saint Petersburg in Russia, passing through Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It is about 1,890 km in length.-United Kingdom:...
), Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
–Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
(Main road 3
Finnish national road 3
Finnish national road 3 is a highway in Finland between Helsinki and Vaasa via Tampere. The road is long and it is part of the European route E12...
/E12
European route E12
European route E 12 is a road that is part of the International E-road network. It begins in Mo i Rana, Norway, tranverses Sweden and ends in Helsinki, Finland, with a ferry line between Sweden and Finland. The part within Finland is Finnish national highway 3...
), Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
–Heinola
Heinola
Heinola is a town and a municipality of inhabitants located in the Province of Southern Finland. Heinola is perhaps best known for its summer activities such as the Sauna-sitting World Championships.-History:...
(Main road 4
Finnish national road 4
Finnish national road 4 is a highway in Finland. It is the main route from Helsinki to Northern Finland and a major road link in the country. It runs from Erottaja in Helsinki to Sami Bridge in Utsjoki. The road is long...
/E75
European route E75
European route E 75 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe.The E 75 starts from Vardø, Norway in the Barents Sea and runs south through Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia and Republic of Macedonia to Sitia, Greece on...
), and Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
–Porvoo
Porvoo
Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...
(Main road 7/E18
European route E18
European route E18 runs from Craigavon in the United Kingdom to Saint Petersburg in Russia, passing through Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It is about 1,890 km in length.-United Kingdom:...
). The world's northernmost motorway
The world's most northern
This is a list of various northernmost things on earth.- Cities and settlements :See also: Northernmost settlements, Northernmost cities and towns-Geography:-Animals:-General:-Shrubs:-Trees:-Culture and music:-Sport :- Religion :...
is also located in Finland between Keminmaa
Keminmaa
Keminmaa is a municipality of Finland.The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water. The population density is.-Villages:...
and Tornio
Tornio
Tornio is a town and municipality in Lapland, Finland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. The population density is , with a total population of . It borders to the Swedish municipality of Haparanda...
(Main road 29
Finnish national road 29
Finnish national road 29 is a highway in Finland between Keminmaa and Tornio. Most of its length is part of European route E8. It is long and it is the world's northernmost motorway/freeway , with Alaska Highway 3 in Fairbanks, Alaska being the second northernmost. Road 29 has four lanes...
/E8
European route E8
The European route E 8 is a European route that goes from Tromsø, Norway to Turku, Finland. The length of the route is .* E 8: Tromsø – Nordkjosbotn – Skibotn – Kilpisjärvi – Kaaresuvanto – Muonio – Tornio – Keminmaa – Kemi – Oulu – Liminka – Raahe – Kalajoki – Kokkola – Vaasa – Pori –...
).
Driving on the left or right
The terms right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic refer to regulations requiring all bidirectional traffic to keep either to the right or the left side of the road, respectively. This is so fundamental to traffic flow that it is sometimes referred to as the rule of the road. This basic rule eases...
.
There are no toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
s in Finland.
, there are 3,368,188 automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
s, of which 2,877,484 car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
s, in Finland, giving a total of 627 automobiles per a thousand inhabitants. Thus, the average citizen is less likely to own a car in Finland than in other European countries. This is despite the fact that Finland has one of the highest average GDPs
Gross domestic product
Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....
in Europe, and probably results from the high quality of public transport in the country.
Coaches and buses
Coach (vehicle)
A coach is a large motor vehicle, a type of bus, used for conveying passengers on excursions and on longer distance express coach scheduled transport between cities - or even between countries...
are mainly operated by private companies and provide services widely across the country. There is a large network of ExpressBus
ExpressBus
ExpressBus is a Finnish express coach network covering most of Finland. It is a joint marketing brand of 23 coach operators and it was launched in 1991. The fleet has around 300 coaches with a white base colour and a red-blue arrow. The Savonlinja Group with Pohjolan Liikenne are two of the largest...
services with connections to all major cities and the most important rural areas. Coach stations are operated by Matkahuolto
Matkahuolto
Oy Matkahuolto Ab is a Finnish company, which was established on 28 January 1933 to operate and maintain bus stations throughout Finland and to provide freight services...
.
Local bus services inside cities and towns are often tightly regulated by the councils. Many councils also have their own bus operators, such as Helsinki Regional Transport Authority
Helsinki Regional Transport Authority
Helsinki Regional Transport Authority began its work on January 1, 2010. The work of the new intercommunal authority is based on the new Finnish public transportation law in force since December 3, 2009...
, which operate some bus lines on a commercial basis in competition with privately owned providers. Regional bus lines are generally less strictly regulated, leading to cartel
Cartel
A cartel is a formal agreement among competing firms. It is a formal organization of producers and manufacturers that agree to fix prices, marketing, and production. Cartels usually occur in an oligopolistic industry, where there is a small number of sellers and usually involve homogeneous products...
situations like TLO
TLO
TLO, or Turun linja-autoilijain osakeyhtiö is a group of bus companies and the main operator of the regional public transport in the region of Turku, Finland. TLO was founded in 1954 by over fifty private bus companies...
in the Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
region, but strong regional regulating bodies like the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority
Helsinki Regional Transport Authority
Helsinki Regional Transport Authority began its work on January 1, 2010. The work of the new intercommunal authority is based on the new Finnish public transportation law in force since December 3, 2009...
(HSL-HRT) exist as well.
Railways
The Finnish railway network consists of a total of 5919 kilometres (3,677.9 mi) of railways built with 1,524 mm gaugeRussian gauge
In railway terminology, Russian gauge refers to railway track with a gauge between 1,520 mm and . In a narrow sense as defined by Russian Railways it refers to gauge....
. 3072 km (1,908.9 mi) of track is electrified. In 2010, passengers made 13.4 million long distance voyages and 55.5 million trips in local traffic. On the same year, over 35000000 tonnes (34,447,123.7 LT) of freight were transported.
Passenger trains are operated by the state-owned VR Group
VR Group
VR or VR Group is a state-owned railway company in Finland. Formerly known as Suomen Valtion Rautatiet until 1922 and Valtionrautatiet / Statsjärnvägarna until 1995...
. They serve all the major cities and many rural areas, complemented by bus connections where needed. Most passenger train services originate or terminate at Helsinki Central railway station
Helsinki Central railway station
Helsinki Central railway station is a widely recognised landmark in central Helsinki, Finland, and the focal point of public transport in the Greater Helsinki area. The station is used by approximately 200,000 passengers per day, making it Finland's most-visited building...
, and a large proportion of the passenger rail network radiates out of Helsinki. High-speed Pendolino
VR Class Sm3
The Sm3 Pendolino is a class of high-speed body-tilting trains operated by VR Group. It is a member of the Pendolino train family; its design is based on the ETR 460. The first two trainsets were assembled in Finland by Rautaruukki-Transtech in the mid-1990s...
services are operated from Helsinki to other major cities like Joensuu
Joensuu
Joensuu is a city and municipality in North Karelia in eastern Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of North Karelia region. It was founded in 1848...
, Kuopio
Kuopio
Kuopio is a city and a municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia, Finland. A population of makes it the ninth biggest city in the country. The city has a total area of , of which is water and half forest...
, Oulu
Oulu
Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....
, Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
and Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
. Modern InterCity services complement the Pendolino network, and cheaper and older long and short distance trains operate in areas with fewer passengers.
The Helsinki area has three urban rail systems: a tramway
Helsinki tram
The Helsinki tram network forms part of the Helsinki public transport system organised by Helsinki Regional Transport Authority and operated by Helsinki City Transport in the Finnish capital city of Helsinki. The trams are the main means of transport in the city centre. 56.6 million trips were made...
, a metro
Helsinki Metro
The Helsinki Metro , is the metro system in Helsinki, Finland. It is the World's most northern metro system, and currently the only one in Finland. The system was opened to the general public on 2 August 1982 after 27 years of planning...
, and a commuter rail system
Helsinki commuter rail
Helsinki commuter rail is the commuter rail system serving Greater Helsinki, Finland. The network is operated by VR, the Finnish national railway company. Together with the Helsinki Metro and trams, the network forms the heart of Helsinki's public transportation infrastructure.Trains run above...
. Light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
systems are currently being planned for Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
and Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, two of the country's other major urban centres.
Trams and Light Rail
In Finland there have been three cities with trams: HelsinkiHelsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
and Viipuri. Only Helsinki has retained its tramway network. The Vyborg tramway network ceased operations in 1957, after the city had been ceded
Cession
The act of Cession, or to cede, is the assignment of property to another entity. In international law it commonly refers to land transferred by treaty...
to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, while the Turku tramway network shut down in 1972.
As of 2010, Turku and Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
have preliminary plans for new tram systems, but no decision to build them has been made.
Helsinki currently operates 12 tramlines on a network of approximately 90 kilometres (55.9 mi) of track in passenger service. Nearly all of the network consists of double track route, such that the route length is approximately half of total the track length. Around 200,000 passengers use the tram network each weekday and within the inner city of Helsinki, trams have established a position as the main form of public transport. The system is being expanded substantially in 2010–2015 to new residential areas and, as of May 2010, the city is in the process of selecting among bids to deliver a series of 40 new trams, with an option for more.
Air transport
There are 148 airfields, 76 of which have paved runways. 21 airports are served by scheduled passenger flights. By far the largest airport is Helsinki-Vantaa AirportHelsinki-Vantaa Airport
Helsinki Airport or Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the main international airport of the Helsinki metropolitan region and the whole of Finland. It is located in Vantaa, Finland, about west of Tikkurila, the centre of Vantaa, and north of Helsinki city centre...
, and the second largest by passenger volume is Oulu Airport
Oulu Airport
Oulu Airport is located in the municipality of Oulunsalo, Finland, south-west of Oulu city centre. The airport is the second busiest in Finland after Helsinki-Vantaa airport, as measured by the number of passengers and the amount of freight transported. There are around twenty daily flights to...
. Other international airports include Turku Airport
Turku Airport
Turku Airport , is located in Turku, Finland, north of Turku city centre. It serves approximately 350,000 passengers per year, being the fourth busiest airport in Finland. Turku Airport is operated by a stated-owned company Finavia exclusively. The airport has a secondary passenger terminal...
and Tampere-Pirkkala Airport
Tampere-Pirkkala Airport
Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is located in Pirkkala, south-west of Tampere city centre. The airport is the third busiest airport in Finland, as measured by the number of passengers , and the second busiest airport in Finland, as measured by the number of international passengers...
. The larger airports are managed by the state-owned Finavia
Finavia
Finavia Corporation , the former Finnish Civil Aviation Administration, is the managing body of 25 airports located in Finland. Finavia maintains the airport network as well as the navigation system. Finavia's customers are both the travel industry as well as air passengers...
(formerly the Finnish Civil Aviation Administration). Finnair
Finnair
Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...
, Blue1 and Finncomm Airlines
Finncomm Airlines
Finnish Commuter Airlines Oy operating as Flybe Nordic, trading as Finncomm Airlines, was a regional airline with its head office on the grounds of Seinäjoki Airport in Ilmajoki, Finland, near Seinäjoki. The carrier operates flights to Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden and 16...
are the main carriers for domestic flights.
Helsinki-Vantaa airport is Finland's global gateway with scheduled non-stop flights to such places as Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, Nagoya, New York, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Helsinki has an optimal location for great circle
Great circle
A great circle, also known as a Riemannian circle, of a sphere is the intersection of the sphere and a plane which passes through the center point of the sphere, as opposed to a general circle of a sphere where the plane is not required to pass through the center...
airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
traffic routes between Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. The airport is located approximately 19 kilometers north of Helsinki's downtown area in Helsinki's northern suburb of Vantaa
Vantaa
Vantaa is a city and municipality in Finland. Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen make up the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.Vantaa, with its population of , is the fourth most populated city of Finland. The biggest airport in Finland, the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is located there...
, thus the name Helsinki-Vantaa.
Tampere-Pirkkala Airport is served by low-fare Ryanair
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
flights to destinations in Europe.
Water transport
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service connects Finland with Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
cruise liners regularly call on the
port of Helsinki as well. In domestic service, ferries connect Finland's islands with the mainland. Finland's cargo ports
move freight both for Finland's own needs and for transshipment
Transshipment
Transshipment or Transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination....
to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
The Finnish Maritime Administration is responsible for the maintenance of Finland's waterway network.
Finland's waterways includes some 7600 kilometres (4,722.4 mi) of coastal fairways and 7900 kilometres (4,908.8 mi) of inland waterways
(on rivers, canals, and lakes). Saimaa Canal
Saimaa Canal
The Saimaa Canal is a transportation canal that connects lake Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland near Vyborg, Russia. The canal was built from 1845 to 1856 and opened on 7 September 1856 .It was overhauled and widened in 1963–1968....
connects Lake Saimaa, and thus much of the inland waterway
system of Finland, with the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
at Vyborg
Vyborg
Vyborg is a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia, situated on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of the Bay of Vyborg, to the northwest of St. Petersburg and south from Russia's border with Finland, where the Saimaa Canal enters the Gulf of Finland...
(Viipuri). However, the lower part of the canal is currently
located in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. To facilitate through shipping, Finland leases the Russian section of the
canal from Russia (the original agreement with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
dates to 1963).
External links
- VR Group (The main site of the Finnish railway company)
- Search engine for all public transit in Finland
- Finnish Maritime Administration
- Finnish Road Administration