The history of rail transport in Finland began on January 31, 1862, with the opening of the railway line between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna. By 1900 most of the future main lines had been constructed, including the line to St. Petersburg.4rail.net - Reference - Finland - Railway History 4rail.net By the time of the birth of the new Finnish Republic in 1917 lines connected all major cities, major ports, and reached as far as the Swedish border, and inner Finland as far north as Kontiomäki in Paltamo region, as well as eastwards into Karelia.
Rail in the Grand Duchy of Finland In the 19th century Finland had an undeveloped primarily agricultural economy, the primary exports being forestry products, both timber and furs. Much of the transportation was conducted via waterways; Finland being a country of many lakes. However connecting the waterways system to the coast was problematic. The use of a railway had already been considered in the 1840s; In 1849 Claes Alfred StjernvallYlioppilasmatrikkeli 1640-1852 Claes Alfred Stjernvall www.helsinki.fi had suggested constructing a horse-drawn railway from Helsinki to Turkhauta"MIKSI TIKKURILAN ASEMASTA TULI NIIN KOMEA? : HELSINGIN-HÄMEENLINNAN RADAN ASEMIEN SYNTY osa I", JORMA UIMONEN, Helsingin Pitäjä, 1994, 66-79 www.valt.helsinki.fi (in the municipality of Janakkala).
Hämeenlinna to Helsinki line (1862)
At that time in its history Finland was an autonomous Grand Duchy in personal union with the Russian Empire (see Grand Duchy of Finland) and subject to Russian influence, thus in 1849 Governor General Menshikov ordered the board of transportation (road and waterways) to investigate the construction of a railway connecting Helsinki and Hämeenlinna.A concise history of Finland, D. G. Kirby, p109 Google books The investigations took two years and it was decided to use locomotive traction, however construction was delayed due to the Crimean War.
The project was restarted in 1856 by Tsar Alexander II's initiative.Rautatie Hämeeseen 'Hameenlinna railway' kirjastohameelinna.fi Some opposed the very idea of the railways, in the Finnish senate responses to the proposed line reflected differing views in Finland at the time towards Finlands relationship with Russia: Finnish nationalists such as Johan Vilhelm Snellman favoured the line since it would aid development in Finland, more pro-Russian figures such as Lars Gabriel von Haartman favoured the idea of a line between Helsinki and St. Petersburg.
After discussions it happened that the Helsinki to Hämeenlinna line was the first to be built. The decision to build the line finalised in 1857, the line based on a revised version of the plan made in 1851. was construction manager, and came under criticism for the project cost, resigning in 1861.Stjernvall, Knut Adolf Ludvig www.kansallisbiografia.fi
The line was opened in 1862. The track was long, singled tracked and expected to carry one train a day. For more frequent services passing loops could be used. After Helsinki intermediate stations were found at Pasila, Kerava, Hyvinkää and Riihimäki before reaching Hämeenlinna.
Following the opening of the first railway line in Finland further lines were built, being constructed on the relative needs of industrial growth, populations, the interests of the Russian empire also being a guiding factor. The construction of early lines was primarily state controlled and financed.
Riihimäki – Saint Petersburg Railway (1868–1870)
A rail link between the capitals of the grand Duchy of Finland and of Russia had been considered for some time; surveys for a railway had been made in 1857, and some time after merchants of Vyborg had proposed to pay for the construction of a link between the Russian capital and Vyborg.История. 1870 - 1918 годы. History: 1870-1918 www.terijoki.spb.ru No real progress was made until March 1867 when Finnish Senate proposed the construction of a link, in November 1867 the Tsar Alexander II gave a decree ordering its construction, stating that the link should be from Riihimäki (a station on the Helsinki–Hämeenlinna line) to St. Petersburg, being favourable for transportation and trade as well as providing employment to many currently experiencing hardship due to the crop failure that caused the Finnish famine of 1866–1868. Work began in 1868, and was completed by 1870.Pietarin rata toi Lahdelle menestyksen eväät "St. Petersburg railway brought food", 30 July 2006, Heikki Mantere www.ess.fi
Between Riihimäki and St. Petersburg the major stops were: Lahti, Kausala, Kouvola, Luumäki, Simola, Viipuri (Vyborg), Maaskola, Terijoki (Zelenogorsk), Valkeasaari (Beloostrov) and Spasskaja
The line was in length, and included some difficult terrain for railways—particularly swampy regions. A steel bridge over the Kymi and a moving bridge at Vyborg also were engineering challenges.130 лет. Поездом от Хельсинки до Санкт-Петербурга. журнал "Лидеры" No. 2/2000 130 years - Trains from Helsinki to St. Petersburg, www.aroundspb.ru The German firm Siemens and Halske provided the telegraph communications Iron rails were imported from Belgium, being 6.4m long and weighing 30pounds per meter.By 1876 the rails were being found too weak for the traffic and were gradually replaced with steel rails over the next 20 years The line works were split into five sections, the first completed was the Riihimäki to Lahti section. The main opening ceremony was held in February 1870 when the St. Petersburg–Vyborg section was complete, at the famous Finlyandsky Rail Terminal; itself being built specifically for the new line. The whole line was open by September 1870.
The entire railway including parts in Russia and the Russian rail terminal were the property and responsibility of the Finnish railways, not until 1913 and the building of a bridge over the Neva was the line connected to the railways of Russia proper.
Hanko–Hyvinkää railway (1872–1875)
The Hanko to Hyvinkää railway was a private venture funded by which began construction in March 1872, and was opened in October 1873.Hangon rataa Otalammelle p10 OTASANOMAT No.2 2007 (magazine for Otalampi area of Finland), p10 "glimpse of otalampi railway" www.otalampi.net The line was expected to profit from enormous amounts of freight bound for the port of Hanko;Hanko-Hyvinkaa rata Hanko-Hyvinka line koti.mbnet.fiBeing the southernmost port in Finland it is free of ice for the longest period of the year, additionally it was expected that the line and port would serve imports and exports from Russia and further east however, three years earlier in 1870 the Paldiski–Tallinn–St. Petersburg line was completed in Estonia,Port of Paldiski :History www.portofpaldiski.com which competed.
This first privately financed railway in Finland went bankrupt in 1875 and the Finnish government bought the railway for just over 10 million marks.
The line which was in length, also passed through Lohja and Karis on the way south to Hanko.
Porvoo–Kerava Railway (1874) The second private railway to be built in Finland was the 33 km long Porvoo to Kerava railway (Finnish: Porvoon Keravan Rautatie). The first proposals for a line were made in 1863 with local grandees and businessmen supporting the project on the understanding that it would stimulate trade, as well as the wish not to become a backwater compared to other ports that had a rail connection.Porvoo-Kerava-rautatie vuodesta 1874 Porvoo Kerava Railway (1874-) www.helsinkiww.net (information from article by Mikko Alameren in publication "Resiina" Issue 3/4 (1974) ) However the Finnish state gave priority to lines to Tampere and Lahti. Another attempt to gain funding was made in 1866, but this time the St. Petersburg line was given priorityThe state was unwilling to fund the project, and the St. Petersburg line was paid in part by an alcohol tax, and in part through a lone from Russian state funds.
In 1871 the senate of the Grand Duchy of Finland granted permission for a line to be built. The shareholders included Carl Eugen ÅbergCE Åberg Biography of Carl Eugen Åberg trader and shipownerwww.kansallisbiografia.fialso his father Wilhelm Åberg (died 1870) and August EklöfAugust Eklöf Biography of August Eklöf timber merchant and industrialist www.kansallisbiografia.fi as well as Fredrik SneckenströmFredrik Sneckenström Biography of Fredrik Sneckenström trader, shipowner, sawmill owner, captain (nautical) www.kansallisbiografia.fiFredrik Sneckenström had been involved in the 1863 attempt to build a railway to Porvoo, he died in 1877 financially ruined by the railway collapse. all of whom had investments in Porvoo. By 1874 the railway was complete and carrying goods.
The railway company soon experienced financial difficulties—the amount of traffic had not lived up to estimates: by 1876 it was being offered for sale; by 1878 the original company was bankrupt; by 1887 a new owner was found; and in 1917 the company was sold to the Finnish state railways.Porvoon rata Porvoo railway, Author: Ismo Kirves www.helsinkiww.net (Passenger traffic ceased in 1981, freight around 1990, the line has since been used for heritage trains, and is used by the Porvoo museum railway.Porvoon Museorautatie r.y. / Borgå Museijärnväg r.f. / The Porvoo Museum Railway Society www.helsinkiww.net)
Tampere and Turku (1876)
After connections from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna and St. Petersburg had been made connections to Finland's great cities of Turku (Swedish Åbo) and Tampere (Swedish Tammerfors) were next to get state approval. In 1874 lines were commissioned connecting Hämeenlinna to Tampere (via Toijala), and Toijala to Turku which were open by 1876,(SVR) SUOMEN VALTION RAUTATIET / FINSKA STATSJÄRNVÄGARNE (FSJ) : FINNISH RAILWAYS in 19th century list of finnish railway lines (-1912) personal.inet.fiSuomen leveäraiteiset rataosat valmistumisjärjestyksessä Finland track lengths and opening times web.archive.org extending the existing line from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna north and west, and making Toijala railway station a major junction.
Tampere to Vaasa and the Ostrobothnian line (1883–1886)
By 1883 the Tampere line had been extended over northwards via Haapamäki and Seinäjoki to Vaasa.
The 334 km Ostrobothnian line (Finnish: Pieni Tietosanakirja, 4 volumes, 1925-1928, page 850 "Pohjanmaan rata" "The small encyclopedia", finnish encyclopedia, web archive, via runeberg.org) from Seinäjoki to Oulu via Bennäs, Kokkola and Ylivieska was open by 1886 making Seinäjoki railway station another major junction.
From Oulu railway station the line continued via Tuira to the port of Toppila (A suburb of Oulu) on a 5 km stretch of track, two other short lines were also opened: a port connection to the Kokkola suburb of Ykspihlaja (5 km) and in 1887 to Jakobstad (Finnish Pietarsaari) from Bennas.
Raahe Railway (1899–1900) The Raahe railway (Finnish: Pieni Tietosanakirja, 4 volumes, 1925-1928, page 1075 "Raahe rata" "The small encyclopedia", finnish encyclopedia, web archive, via runeberg.org) was built as a private enterprise to connect the coastal town of Raahe to the Ostrobothnian line.History of Raahe www.kirjastovirma.net The line to Raahe was open in 1899, and the extension to the docks of Raahe was complete by 1900. The main line ran from Lappi (now called TuomiojaThe name was changed to avoid confusion with Lappi, the finnish name for Lapland.) on the ostrobothnian line (between Kokkola and Oulu) to Raahe and was 18 km long. In 1926 the line was sold to the state railways.
Kouvola; the Savonian line (1889,1902) and the Kotka line (1890) In 1885 274 kilometers of the Savonia line (Finnish: ) was commissioned, connecting Kouvola (on the St. Petersburg line) through Tanttari, Harju, Mynttilä, Otava, Mikkeli,Rautatie ja Mikkeli - Savon rata Rail and the town of Mikkeli - the Savonian line materiaalit.internetix.fi Pieksämäki, Suonenjoki to Kuopio with a 6.7 spur line from Suonenjoki to Iisvesi, the line was open by 1889.