Helsinki Central railway station

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The main railway station Helsinki (in Finnish Helsingin päärautatieasema, Swedish Helsinki central station) is the central hub of the local and long-distance transport in the Helsinki region and a well known landmark of the city. It is the home station of the Finnish State Railways VR and terminus of all the lines of the S -Bahn Helsinki.

The station is run above ground as a terminal station, the tracks are only partially covered. Long-distance trains in the southern end, the covered area of the railway station, the transport in the Helsinki capital region runs from the northern, not covered platforms.

Directly in front of the station there are two bus stations, one on the station square ( Rautatientori ), one on the Elielplatz ( Elielinaukio ). Of these leave from numerous city and regional bus lines and tram Helsinki. The underground Metro Station Rautatientori is the busiest station of the Helsinki Metro.

History

In 1860 the first railway station of the city of Helsinki was designed by architect Carl Albert Edelfelt built. This however, soon proved to be too small and so went out of the architectural competition held in 1904, the proposal of Eliel Saarinen as the winner out. The original design called for a reception building before in neo-Romanesque style. The move has been criticized. Eliel Saarinen revised its design and found a clearer design language with elements of Art Nouveau and Neoclassicism. The construction took 15 years and the new station was opened on 5 March 1919.

As well as the new station could no longer meet the growing traffic over time, it was extended by new platforms gradually. Since in the actual station was no more room, the new platforms were immediately north outdoors, applied on both sides of the old tracks. These are today's platforms 1-3 ( east of the old tracks) and 12-19 (to the west ).

In the 1960s, the underground shopping arcade Asematunneli ( Station Tunnel ) was built under the 1982 then the metro station was set up.

As part of the renovation work at the beginning of the 21st century, the original eight platforms (now numbering 4-11 ) were retrospectively that foreseen by the architect glass roofs. It was also north of the station building, on the amount of additional platforms, an underpass built which connects together the platforms and also allows easier passage through the station area. Furthermore, opened new business areas in the west wing and built above the platforms 12-19, a new building for the Holiday Inn.

Architecture

Helsinki Central Station is the main work of Saarinen. The facade consists of Finnish granite, special features are the clock tower and the standing of the main entrance statues of Emil Wikström. These statues will always find in modern advertising use, they are considered one of the landmarks of Helsinki. The different roof constructions and large wall openings are formed as circular arcs; the building has a relatively large number and large windows, which can appear quite bright the station.

From Asematunneli from large parts of the inner city can be reached underground by a complex network of tunnels, passages, shopping centers and (partly designed as shelters ) parking garages.

Worth knowing

The station also includes an originally planned for the Russian tsar as a waiting area Fürstenzimmer. Since the station was not completed until after the independence of Finland, the space used is now the Finnish President.