Kaisantunneli (Swedish: Kajsatunneln ) is a tunnel for bicycle and pedestrian use in central Helsinki , Finland, serving as the main east–west cycling thoroughfare in the city centre.
71-514: The tunnel is located directly underneath the Central Station , and joins the city's eastern and western cycling routes, cutting previous travel distance around the station by up to 600 metres (2,000 ft) and avoiding several sets of traffic lights, as well as removing much of the cycle traffic from the busy Kaivokatu street. Its western end connects directly to the Baana cycle path. The width of
142-596: A design for the new station building from the German architect C. O. Gleim, who had won the design contests for the Stockholm Central Station and the Gothenburg Central Station in 1898. The railway administration originally intended to design the new Helsinki railway station unnoticed, without holding an open design contest. A contest was organised in 1902 with the intention of producing plans for
213-477: A globe"), with a pure national romanticist design, with sturdy walls, eight bears, one tall sharp-pointed tower and numerous smaller towers, as well as a beautifully drawn stone portal to the main platform. Its appearance bore a close resemblance to the facade of the National Museum, which did not please all of the architects. Architects Sigurd Frosterus and Gustaf Strengell thought Saarinen's entry
284-516: A large central hall at the centre of the station, in connection to the main entrance. The main entrance had to face the Kaivokatu street. The other entrances were at the end of the perpendicular platform at the end of the tracks at the Rautatientori square and at the western end of the station. The tracks were required to be covered with a roof made of steel, with a cut of it provided as an attachment to
355-544: A new station building in Helsinki in 1895. Terminus stations such as the Helsinki station at the time were usually U-shaped buildings at the end of the tracks. Bruno Granholm , the architect of the railway administration, designed the administrative building, and the railway administration made the design of the new railway station. In Granholm's plan, the station building was already at the location and shape it ended up being built. The railway administration had already ordered
426-487: A new station. The contest sought to attract the attention of the railway workers to the difficult design task and to the architects capable of such a task. It also encouraged the railway administration to hold an open design contest for the new railway station in Helsinki. The contest did not lead to practical actions, but because of the discussion it caused and the activity of the Finnish Architecture Club,
497-526: A raised, pedestrian-only podium that connects to all buildings. Master planning of the area was led by Reijo Jallinoja and was based on his 1967 thesis work. The area is home to about 5,000 residents and 11,000 workplaces. Notable institutions include Helsinki Business College , Haaga–Helia University of Applied Sciences , the Helsinki City Theatre company, the main library of the city and Finland's largest convention center, Messukeskus . The area
568-724: A size of 7 cubits (10 ft 6 in/3.20 m) and the smaller one had a size of 3 cubits (4 ft 6 in/1.37 m). The rails for the railway tracks were bought from the United Kingdom , and they arrived by steamship into the South Harbour in November 1857. Helsinki's first railway station was built in 1862 to accommodate trains on the Helsinki– Hämeenlinna line, päärata . The station's plans were drawn by Swedish architect Carl Albert Edelfelt. According to
639-673: Is a telecom and media center of national significance with the headquarters of telecom operator Elisa and a major presence of telecom operator DNA , who also own the TV studios at the Asemapäällikönhovi building , operated by Streamteam Nordic. The area is home to Helsinki's most vibrant street-art scene as well as the Helsinki Urban Art center, the international hub for street art in Finland. Northern Pasila ( Finnish : Pohjois-Pasila )
710-505: Is located in the same building. The railway tracks in Helsinki were built in the 1860s. The station building, clad in granite, was designed by Eliel Saarinen and inaugurated in 1919. The building is known for its clock tower and the Lyhdynkantajat ("The Lantern Bearers") statues by Emil Wikström . Helsinki Central was chosen as one of the world's most beautiful railway stations by BBC in 2013. The Helsinki Central Station has become
781-462: Is the main station for commuter rail and long-distance trains departing from Helsinki , Finland . About 200,000 people "pass through the station" every day, half of whom are train passengers. The station serves as the terminus for all trains in the Helsinki commuter rail network , as well as for all Helsinki-bound long-distance trains in Finland. The Rautatientori (Central Railway Station) metro station
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#1732894629271852-486: The 1980s. It is a mainly residential area with approximately 4,500 inhabitants. The apartment buildings in Western Pasila are skinned with red bricks. The Finnish national broadcasting company Yle as well as the commercial MTV3 have their main premises in the northern end of the area. Helsinki's main police station is also located in Western Pasila. Before the 1970s, Pasila was home to dilapidated wooden houses and
923-444: The Helsinki railway station had gas lighting, as the city's first gas works had recently been built right next to the station, at the place of the current Postitalo main post office building. The first train from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna left on 31 January 1862. Regular train traffic started on 17 March 1862. According to schedule, a passenger train left from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8 o'clock in
994-419: The Helsinki railway station, even though it was located at the terminus of the railway. A cargo warehouse was built to the north of the station building, at the site of the eastern wing of the current station building. A railway yard about eight hectares in area was built at the station area, with engine stables and machinery yards. This railway yard was located to the west of the railway tracks, approximately at
1065-506: The Nordic countries with 250 shops. There are several projects under construction or planning near the railway station. In connection with Tripla, several Trigoni skyscrapers are planned, the tallest of which, about 180 meters high from the top of the building, will be visible, in good weather, all the way to the Estonian coast. Western Pasila ( Finnish : Länsi-Pasila ) was built during
1136-738: The United Kingdom, from the architecture of Carl Axel Setterberg in Vaasa and from the Petergof railway station in Russia designed by Nicholas Benois , with many features in common with the Helsinki railway station. The entrance to the Helsinki railway station was at the middle of the building, and opposite it were the baggage office, ticket sales and other station facilities. Unlike today, spaces at stations and in trains were divided by social class, and so stations had separate waiting halls and restaurants for
1207-423: The architecture of the railway station. He moved his attention from American or British examples towards German ones and travelled by train all over Europe with his recently wed wife. After coming back home to Finland in 1904 he abandoned romanticism altogether and re-designed the station completely, with a more rational design. The former saddle roof was replaced with a gambrel roof, the semicircular window on
1278-543: The areas of Alppila to the south, the Central Park ( Keskuspuisto ) to the west, and Vallila to the east. Pasila is a major transportation hub. At its heart is the Pasila railway station , the second busiest station in Finland. The station serves about 130,000 people per day via 900 trains, 400 trams and 850 buses. The eastern and western parts of Pasila were formerly separated by a large railroad classification yard before
1349-446: The building were cast from iron-reinforced concrete, which is thought to have been a new record in Finland at the time. The four-floor administrative building was completed in June 1909, and after this the officials of the railway administration moved to this building, the largest office building in the country at the time, decorated according to Eliel Saarinen's plans. The final plans for
1420-554: The building were designed by the Danish engineer A. C. Karsten. The electrical plans were made in the electricity technical office of the machine department of the railway administration, with machine engineers Karl Strömberg and Karl Karsten serving as their designers. The administrative building of the railway administration was accepted in June 1905, and construction started in December 1905. A total of 20 thousand cubic metres of floors for
1491-466: The contest. The design contest was judged by architects Sebastian Gripenberg , Hugo Lindberg and Gustaf Nyström , as well as the main director of the railway administration, August Granfelt . The contest was held a couple of years after the design contest of the National Museum of Finland , and it attracted a great deal of attention and interest. The new construction art of the National Museum
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#17328946292711562-458: The development of Central Pasila ( Finnish : Keski-Pasila ), beginning in 2014. Central Pasila is currently home to the major sports and music venue Helsinki Halli and the Tripla complex, which includes a hotel of about 430 rooms, 50,000 square metres of office space (including the headquarters of telecom operator Telia Finland ), about 400 residential flats and the largest commercial center in
1633-522: The doors and windows were small, and there were lots of towers. All of the entries had an arched window on the main facade at the central hall. All entries featured a tall tower, which the floor plan did not require, but did allow. Sigurd Frosterus's facade design Eureka was an Art Nouveau building very different from the other entries, and the judges disliked his entry. The contest was won by Eliel Saarinen 's entry Bevingadt hjul på en jordglob – Maapallolla seisova siipipyörä ("A winged wheel standing on
1704-452: The early 1860s. Urbanisation of Helsinki in the late 19th century brought along many changes. Between the 1860s and the 1900s the population of the city grew by almost 70 thousand people. Railway traffic at the Helsinki railway station increased, and the need for space by the railway administration also increased. As the popularity of railways grew, the original station turned out to be too small. The railway administration started designing
1775-685: The edge of the bay. Aspen trees had to be cut down from the Kaisaniemi Park to make way for the railway, but the park was preserved whenever it was possible to do so. Rock blasted off the Linnunlaulu cliff was sunk into the Töölönlahti bay beneath the railway tracks being constructed. The railway terracing over the Töölönlahti bay was completed in March 1861. For water traffic, two underpass bridges were built vaulted from stone. The larger underpass bridge had
1846-452: The end of the western wing of the current station building. The engine stables could seat a total of 12 engines at a time. In the first designs the original Helsinki railway station had two floors and an octagonal clock tower at its northern end. However, the station was actually built with three floors and no clock tower. Architecturally, it was a mix of Gothic Revival architecture and Renaissance Revival architecture , which were among
1917-576: The end the tunnel opened to the public on 4 May 2024. The construction was especially challenging, on account of some old masonry and timber support structures underpinning the station, which were only discovered after construction had already begun. The construction cost c. EUR 33m, with the final figure exceeding the budget by some EUR 10m. The tunnel is expected to be used by up to 10,000 cyclists daily. Helsinki Central Station Helsinki Central Station ( Finnish : Helsingin päärautatieasema , Swedish : Helsingfors centralstation ) ( HEC )
1988-417: The entire Helsinki capital region. The station is visited by 240 thousand passengers per day, making it the most visited building in the entire country of Finland. About half of the visitors are train passengers. Over a hundred long-distance trains and about 850 commuter trains arrive at and depart from the station every weekday. The middle part of the station building forms the core of the station, hosting
2059-525: The event. The northern part of the Kluuvinlahti bay, to the west of the railway track, was filled in at the end of the 19th century to make space for the railway yard and the warehouses. The Helsinki harbour rail southward of the Helsinki railway station was built in 1894, and the VR warehouses were built in 1899. The shore of the Kluuvinlahti bay had always been a cheap and disliked area. The construction of
2130-464: The facade of the railway station building. The final solutions for making the station building more rational were born gradually. The station's facade bears a close resemblance to that of the 1913 Vyborg railway station , designed by the architecture bureau of Saarinen and Herman Gesellius . The structures and material strength calculations of the building were handled by graduate engineer Jalmari Castrén . The central heating and air conditioning in
2201-448: The filling really came into action when the railway was being built. The bay was confined at Hakasalmi, ditches were dug into the Kluuvi swamp, and a stone-walled assembly pool was built behind the dam, from where the water was pumped into Töölönlahti by wind power. Many horse cart loads of sand were dumped into the area during the decades. According to the plans in the 1830s, the area to
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2272-415: The first time in 1863, with emperor Alexander II of Russia attending. The city of Helsinki did not have a large enough space to host the event, so it was held at the station hall of the railway station. A temporary floor was built over the tracks and the roof was covered with floral vines. The swamp, unfit for public display, had been hidden under a birch bark mat. A couple of thousand invited guests attended
2343-438: The first, second and third classes. The waiting halls and restaurants were located at both ends of the ground floor of the building. The southern end of the building hosted the first and second class waiting halls, while the northern end hosted the waiting hall for the third class. Both waiting halls were attached to their own class-specific restaurants. The station had no central hall, instead passengers had to go around through
2414-439: The ground with the strength of 30 men, but steam-powered pile drivers were also used in the construction, as well as electric pile drivers, probably for the first time in Finland. The pile-driving work employed about 300 people. About ten thousand wooden piles were driven into the structure of the station building. Only the supportive walls of the clock tower were driven into the bedrock, at a depth of eleven metres. The plans for
2485-431: The largest iron-reinforced concrete structure commissioned by the state at the time. The main facade and the stone statues at the main entrance were made of red granite brought from Hanko . Pasila Pasila ( Finnish: [ˈpɑsilɑ] ; Swedish : Böle , Finland Swedish: [ˈbøːˌle] ) is a part of Helsinki , Finland , that is both a central-northern neighbourhood and district , bordering
2556-496: The main facade had grown and the entrance hall with the bear statues was removed. The new design was finished in 1909 and the new station building was opened in 1919. Later the floor plan of the station building was freed from the model specified by the railway administration and was made more clear for the purpose of use by large masses of people. This allowed the central hall of the station to be widened. Saarinen developed his design for many years and made numerous drawings of
2627-417: The majority of the city's population was not located near the station. Chief director Claes Wilhelm Gyldén and governor Samuel Henrik Antell supported the largest building and proposed that the station should be constructed as large enough and permanent right from the start. Also, the fire safety of a station building built from stone would be much better than that of a wooden building. A small stone building
2698-457: The morning. Trains on return trips left for Helsinki every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7 o'clock in the morning. Already in October 1862 the schedule was changed to daily trips in both directions. A total of 27,241 train tickets were sold at the Helsinki railway station in 1863, and a total of 23,977 tickets were sold at other stations for trips to Helsinki. The Diet of Finland was held for
2769-404: The muddy shore of the Kluuvinlahti bay. Commercial counsellor Henrik Borgström and chief director von Born supported the construction of the smallest possible wooden building as a temporary station building, as passenger numbers would be fairly small until the railway was continued further north from Hämeenlinna. Also the possible danger of fire at the station was estimated to be fairly low, as
2840-406: The new railway station appeared in magazines. These cartoons showed the entire station having changed to look more like a medieval stone church than a popular railway station. The bear sculptures had grown, and one of them had jumped down onto the street to chase people. As was typical for Saarinen, he did not participate in the public debate at any point. Saarinen later made a complete change to
2911-461: The north of Kaivokatu and to the west of Mikonkatu was to be divided into two blocks, which were named Hyeena ("hyaena") and Hilleri ("polecat"), separated by the street Hakasalmenkatu, now known as Keskuskatu . The decision to build the railway decided the fate of the Hyeena and Hilleri blocks. Knut Stjernvall made the final railway plan in 1859. He proposed that a wide market square should be built on
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2982-472: The original plans, all station buildings along the Helsinki-Hämeenlinna line should have been built from wood. However, there soon came wishes that the station building in the capital should be built from a more valuable material. Railway construction was new to Finland, and thus there were no existing models for new station buildings. So the provincial architect of Tavastia , Carl Albert Edelfelt ,
3053-477: The place of the Hyeena block east to the railway yard. The few buildings left in the Hyeena block were dismantled, and it was changed into what is now the Rautatientori square. Construction of the first railway station in Finland started at the edge of the Hilleri block. The construction of the railway station had a great impact on the Helsinki cityscape. The railway was piled with large logs, and stones were laid on
3124-406: The railway administration decided to hold a new design contest for the facades of the new Helsinki railway station and the administrative building of the railway administration. The railway administration had designed the floor plan of the new railway station as a U-shaped building surrounding the railway tracks. The contestants received a floor plan designed by architect Bruno Granholm about
3195-546: The railway station at the area greatly increased the value of the area and led to an immense construction boom in the entire city of Helsinki, lasting from the 1880s to the 1920s. Businessmen bought lots at the former shores of the Kluuvinlahti bay along the Helsinki Railway Square and the Mikonkatu street. Helsinki's first railway station had been measured to a small capital city with about 20 thousand inhabitants in
3266-523: The railway, but the most expensive option was estimated at 162,000 roubles. The cheapest option would have had the railway to make a curve after Pasila and go around the Töölönlahti bay. The second option would have had the railway go directly west from Pasila past the Töölö sugar factory. The third option would have passed Pasila entirely and continued around Töölönlahti. All these options would have located
3337-406: The request of the citizens, the railway line was moved slightly to the east in 1859, in order to preserve the two large and beautiful hills in the park. The area where the station was planned to be built was originally seabed. In the 19th century the area was a muddy and stinky water area used as a dump and a public outhouse. Filling the Kluuvinlahti bay originally started already in the 1830s, but
3408-418: The shore of the Töölönlahti bay and building railway tracks on beautiful and farmed land from the environment of the city. In addition, the costs of the compulsory purchase of the land would have been significantly greater than in the fourth option. Another concern was that a steep curve directly after the railway station would cause more wear on both the tracks and the train wheels. This would result in danger of
3479-410: The station building as well as the office and administrative wing attached to it. The floor plan bore a close resemblance to that of the 1888 Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof , which the contents were already familiar with. The facade of the station building was defined to be built of natural stone, and that of the administrative building of plastering with a conservative amount of natural stone. There would be
3550-431: The station building were accepted in 1911. In the next year, the two-floor northern end of the old station building was dismantled and pile-driving of the new station building was started. The new station building, built at the site of the former Kluuvinlahti bay, had to be driven deep into the ground onto wooden piles. The bedrock at the site is at a depth of 20 to 30 metres. The wooden piles were mostly driven into
3621-636: The station to the south of the Turku barracks. In the fourth option, the track would go from Pasila straight across Töölönlahti and the Kaisaniemi Park to Kluuvi, with the station located immediately after the Kluuvi well. This option was the most expensive, costing about 107,970 roubles. Of the four options, it required the most of blasting the bedrock and filling the Kluuvinlahti bay. The three first options required dismantling villas and other buildings from
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#17328946292713692-536: The styles commonly used for other railway stations in Europe at the time. The first railway station in Helsinki was a sort of romantic picturesque manor, whose small size and simple appearance was also an act of honouring the emperor and Saint Petersburg. The Tudor -style brick and plaster station building was clad in natural stone. In the original designs the station was to be clad in brick, but in August 1860 plaster
3763-537: The symbol of the entire railway network in Finland. For example the VR Group uses the image of the station and the statues next to its main entrance in its advertising. The Helsinki Central Station is located in the city centre of Helsinki, in the district of Kluuvi at Kaivokatu 1. The main facade of the station building is towards the Kluuvikatu street. To the east of the station is the Helsinki Railway Square and to
3834-416: The time, whose stepfather Carl Johan Walleen [ fi ] owned Villa Hakasalmi on the western shore of the Töölönlahti bay. The three other options would have required dismantling the villa. Because of the decision, citizens of Helsinki started worrying about the fate of the Kaisaniemi Park located next to the Kluuvi well. It was clear that the railway would override part of the park area. Per
3905-410: The train tilting, causing a decrease of the efficiency of the engine. The option for the straight railway line had the benefit of an unobstructed view from the station to the traffic on the tracks. The fourth option received the most support, and it was accepted on 26 November 1857. The choice was perhaps also influenced by Knut Stjernvall serving as the technical director of the railway company at
3976-413: The trains directly through an iron gate from Kaivokatu and only long-distance passengers went through the station hall. The station building was located nearer the Kaivokatu street than the current station building. Its end pointed towards Kaivokatu and the main entrance was towards the Rautatientori square. All station buildings designed by Edelfelt were of a simple side station building type, including
4047-418: The tunnel is split roughly 50:50 between pedestrian and cycling lanes. The tunnel allows direct access to the station platforms, and connects with the separate pedestrian-only tunnel under the station. Additional cycle park for 900 bikes, as well as bike servicing facilities, will be opened in the tunnel later. Construction of the tunnel began in spring 2021 and was expected to be complete in autumn 2023, but in
4118-468: The underground floor of the western wing since the 1970s. The ground floor has hosted a café since the 2000s, and the top floor hosts offices and business spaces. The station hosts almost twenty kiosks and restaurants, visited by over 20 thousand people per day. When visiting Finland in 1856, Grand Duke of Finland Alexander II of Russia proposed an improvement program for the Finnish economy. He thought it
4189-434: The waiting halls to reach the platforms. The ground floor also hosted railway station offices, an official room, a lamp room and a women's toilet. The second floor hosted the residences of the railway chief, the station chief and the administrative officers. The third floor hosted the residences of the caretaker and the engineer mechanic. The third floor also hosted storage space. Unlike other railway stations in Finland,
4260-567: The waiting halls, ticket sales, the kiosk hall and connection to the station tunnel. The eastern wing of the building used to host the offices of the railway administration. It also served as Helsinki's main post office, until it moved to the Postitalo building built in the 1930s. The head office of the VR Group moved to Pasila in 2018. The eastern wing was converted into a Scandic Hotels hotel, opened in 2021. Baggage storage spaces have been located in
4331-688: The west is the Eliel Square . The Eliel Square also served as the terminus of the Finnair City Bus . The Asematunneli tunnel leads from the station, underneath Kaivokatu, to the underground floor of the City-Center complex. The station also has a connection to the Central Railway Station metro station located underneath it. The Helsinki Central Station is an important transport hub for commuter train, long-distance train and metro transport in
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#17328946292714402-566: The western express cargo wing were accepted in summer 1912, and masonry and iron concrete work was started in the next summer. At the end of the year, the walls were almost fully masoned, and the granite lining and concrete vaults were also completed. The halls received monumental concrete vaults, clearly reflecting into the shape of the building. These vaults, utilising the Hennebique iron-reinforced concrete structure patented in France in 1892, were
4473-435: Was added to the exterior to better withstand the weather. In the station facade, Renaissance Revival architecture showed in the ledges between the floors and in the windows grouping into axles. Gothic Revival architecture shoed in the tower aisles, corner towers on the roof and Tudor-style arches at the windows and doors. It has been estimated that Edelfelt gained inspiration to the Helsinki railway station from his visit to
4544-457: Was built in 1861, but it was only opened for traffic on 17 March 1862. At first, the station places along the railway were only named in Swedish. The Finnish name for the Helsinki railway station was made official in 1897. The tracks at the station were located right next to the station building on the edge of Kaivokatu. A large wooden shelter was built over the platforms. Commuter passengers entered
4615-505: Was important to connect the inland country to the marine harbours through canals and railways. So planning of Finland's first railway from Helsinki to Hämeenlinna was started. A 1853 railway project proposed the northern edge of the Hietalahdentori square as the location of the Helsinki railway station. A later proposal in 1857 was at the vicinity of the Turku barracks , and a third option
4686-418: Was known for cheap rent and crime. It was then known simply as Wooden Pasila ( Finnish : Puu-Pasila ). Today only a few of the old wooden structures exist. Eastern Pasila ( Finnish : Itä-Pasila ) is a highly mixed-use area of offices, flats and commercial spaces, built in the 1970s and 1980s. In terms of urban planning the most distinct feature of the area is its pedestrian-friendly design, based around
4757-402: Was old-fashioned and demanded sense and rationality to the architecture of the railway station. According to them, the station symbolised modern times, which had nothing to do with the medieval design fashion. The design sparked off a vigorous debate about the architecture of major public buildings, with demands for a modern, rational style. The debate went so far that even cartoons mocking
4828-402: Was requested for plans for various alternatives, which were presented in October 1859. The cost estimate for a smaller one-floor building was about 27 thousand roubles and that for a larger two-floor building was about 40 thousand roubles. A wooden station building would only have cost 18 thousand roubles. These estimates did not include the cost for pile-driving the foundation, which was high at
4899-444: Was seen as romantic, picturesque and as nationally Finnish as possible. This very Finnish design style caused a lot of discussion, and there was desire to try it on the railway station too, without thinking whether the museum and the station would have required different symbolic forms. The contest received 21 entries. All entries except that by Sigurd Frosterus were of a national romantic style. They had heavy roofs and low walls,
4970-462: Was seen as too small, as the station needed waiting halls and traffic spaces. In addition, the upper floor would have to host offices for the Finnish railway administration and apartments for station officials. In the end, the large stone station building was voted as the best alternative for the new station building. Construction work on the 108-kilometre railway between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna started in 1858. The first station building in Helsinki
5041-409: Was the environment of the Kluuvi well. Investigation of the new railway line in summer and autumn showed how difficult it would be to build a railway into the city of Helsinki, which was located at the point of a peninsula. The research resulted in four different options of the railway line. These options differed greatly in cost. The original plan included 40,800 Russian roubles for the main station of
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