Lautiosaari (standard abbreviation: Li) is a
railway junction
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge. This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes (assuming they are of the same gauge), provided by ''points'' ( ...
in the city of
Kemi in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. The junction is located approximately two kilometers north from
Kemi railway station
Kemi railway station ( fi, Kemin rautatieasema) is located in the town of Kemi in the Lapland Province of Finland. It is operated by VR. The distance to the Helsinki Central railway station, via Haapamäki and Oulu stations is 858.3 kilometres ...
on
Oulu–Tornio main line where the
Elijärvi branch line diverges from the main line. The junction is named after nearby
Lautiosaari
Lautiosaari is a village in the municipality of Keminmaa in Lapland in north-western Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borde ...
village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...
within
Keminmaa
Keminmaa (until 1979 Kemin maalaiskunta) ( smn, Kiemâeennâm; sms, Ǩeeʹmmjânnam) is a municipality of Finland.
The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
.
Geography
Neighbou ...
municipality.
The junction consists of three
railway signal
A railway signal is a visual display device that conveys instructions or provides warning of instructions regarding the driver’s authority to proceed. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly. Typically, a signal mi ...
s and two interlocked and corresponding
railway switches, forming a set of
catch points
Catch points and trap points are types of turnout which act as railway safety devices. Both work by guiding railway carriages and trucks from a dangerous route onto a separate, safer track. Catch points are used to derail vehicles which are ou ...
protecting the main line. The junction was opened for traffic in 1985, and it was in active use until 2005, when the
Elijärvi mine chose
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...
s over
train
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...
s for its ore transportation needs between Elijärvi and
Tornio
Tornio (; sv, Torneå; sme, Duortnus ; smn, Tuárnus) is a city and municipality in Lapland, Finland. The city forms a cross-border twin city together with Haparanda on the Swedish side. The municipality covers an area of , of which is ...
.
Railway stations in Lapland (Finland)
{{Finland-rail-transport-stub