Valimo railway station ( fi, Valimon rautatieasema, sv, Gjuteriets järnvägsstation) is a station on the
Helsinki commuter rail
Helsinki commuter rail ( fi, Helsingin seudun lähijunaliikenne, sv, Huvudstadsregionens närtrafik) is a commuter rail system serving Greater Helsinki and the surrounding county of Uusimaa. The system is a joint venture between the regional t ...
network located in the western part of
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
,
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 ...
, between
Huopalahti and
Pitäjanmäki stations. It is located about to the northwest/west of
Helsinki Central railway station
Helsinki Central Station ( fi, Helsingin päärautatieasema, sv, Helsingfors centralstation) ( HEC) is the main station for commuter rail and long-distance trains departing from Helsinki, Finland. The station is used by approximately 400,000 peo ...
, in the core of the
Pitäjänmäki industrial area.
History
As Strömberg
The first iteration of the station was opened on 1 December 1949 under the name Strömberg. It was built exclusively to serve the workers of the
Strömberg factory in the district of
Pitäjänmäki
Pitäjänmäki () is a district located on the westernmost district of Helsinki, Finland, near the border with Espoo. There are many IT and machine manufacturing companies in the area, especially around the Valimo railway station. Such compani ...
; trains would only stop during times corresponding to the opening and closing times of work shifts at the facilities, and the only pathway to the halt was through the private area of the factory yards. As the
Huutoniemi halt on the
Seinäjoki–Vaasa railway was also called Strömberg at the time, fulfilling a similar purpose in
Vaasa
Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas), , it was first renamed Huutomäki on the day of the opening of the halt in Pitäjänmäki. Coinciding with parts of the ''
rantarata
Rantarata (the Coastal Railway, Swedish: Kustbanan), is a railway running between the Helsinki Central railway station and the Turku railway station in Finland. Its first segment, linking Turku to Karis, was commissioned in 1895, and work began th ...
'' being expanded to
double track, Strömberg received another wooden
side platform
A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platform ...
in 1958.
As Valimo
The Strömberg halt was closed on 30 May 1976 and was replaced by the contemporary station of Valimo, some to the east from the old platforms towards
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
. Unlike Strömberg, however, Valimo was intended to serve the entire industrial area in Pitäjänmäki. During the construction of the
Leppävaara City Line, an additional pair of tracks from Helsinki to
Leppävaara exclusively to be used by trains on the
Helsinki commuter rail
Helsinki commuter rail ( fi, Helsingin seudun lähijunaliikenne, sv, Huvudstadsregionens närtrafik) is a commuter rail system serving Greater Helsinki and the surrounding county of Uusimaa. The system is a joint venture between the regional t ...
network, temporary platforms were built in Valimo in 1995. The wholly renovated station was inaugurated on 16 October 2000. By that time, the area served by the station had over 9,000 jobs.
In the early 1990s, an eventually rejected plan proposed that the Valimo and
Pitäjänmäki
Pitäjänmäki () is a district located on the westernmost district of Helsinki, Finland, near the border with Espoo. There are many IT and machine manufacturing companies in the area, especially around the Valimo railway station. Such compani ...
stations should be merged and the platforms moved back to the site of the former Strömberg factories. The plans also included the building of a surrounding shopping mall, akin to the
Malmi station.
In 2000, the
ABB Group
ABB Ltd. is a Swedish- Swiss multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. The company was formed in 1988 when Sweden's Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget (ASEA) and Switzerland's Brown, Boveri & Cie merged to crea ...
group proposed that the Valimo halt be once again renamed Strömberg (Swedish: ); the proposal was also backed by the city council of
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
. The plan was not accepted by the Railway Administration, however.
Architecture
The Valimo station was designed by architectural firm Arkkitehtitoimisto CJN Oy, and was constructed by Tekra Oy. The underpass is entirely constructed of concrete, with ceramic tiles decorating its walls. The open space connecting the tunnel and the stairwell leading to the platforms is equipped with a
skylight. The elevator and its shaft also have walls made of glass, supported by steel frames.
Services
Valimo is served by lines to
Leppävaara and to
Kirkkonummi
Kirkkonummi (; sv, Kyrkslätt, , Sweden ) is a municipality of inhabitants () in southern Finland. The literal meaning of the words "''Kirkkonummi''" and "''Kyrkslätt''" in English is "church heath".
Geography
The municipality is located just ...
on the Helsinki commuter rail network. Both of these lines make stops at all stations on their routes. Eastbound trains towards Helsinki use track 3 and westbound trains towards
Leppävaara and
Kirkkonummi
Kirkkonummi (; sv, Kyrkslätt, , Sweden ) is a municipality of inhabitants () in southern Finland. The literal meaning of the words "''Kirkkonummi''" and "''Kyrkslätt''" in English is "church heath".
Geography
The municipality is located just ...
use track 4.
The station has a HSL ticket vending machine, as well as elevators and high platforms for accessibility.
The Valimo bus line terminus is located right to the south of the station, in the north end of the Valimotie street. Bus stops are also present on its east side, on
regional road 120 (or Vihdintie). Additionally, there is a
city bike
A utility bicycle, city bicycle, urban bicycle, European city bike (ECB), Dutch bike, classic bike or simply city-bike, is a bicycle designed for frequent very short, very slow rides through very flat urban areas. It is a form of utility bicycl ...
terminal right by the north end of the station underpass. The Valimo station, as well as its surrounding bus stops, belong to HSL fare zone .
External links
*
Train arrivals and departures at Valimoon Finrail
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valimo Railway Station
Pitäjänmäki
Railway stations opened in 1949
Railway stations in Helsinki