The Vaskiluoto railway station ( fi, Vaskiluodon rautatieasema, sv, Vasklot järnvägsstation) is located in the city of

Vaasa Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas),

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 ...

, on the island and district of

Vaskiluoto Vaskiluoto (Swedish: ''Vasklot'') is a Finnish island in the Gulf of Bothnia, immediately in front of the city centre of Vaasa, Finland. It is connected to the mainland by the Vaskiluoto road and rail bridge, and has a surface area of . Vaskiluot ...

. It is the terminus of the Seinäjoki–Vaasa railway, and it only serves cargo transport in the

port of Vaasa The Port of Vaasa (Finnish: ''Vaasan satama'', Swedish: ''Vasa hamn'') is a mixed-use port in the city of Vaasa on the west coast of Finland, in the Kvarken area of the Gulf of Bothnia. It is situated on the island of Vaskiluoto, some due west ...

; the nearest station with passenger services is

Vaasa Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas),

. The

Finnish Heritage Agency The Finnish Heritage Agency ( fi, Museovirasto, sv, Museiverket), previously known in English as the National Board of Antiquities, preserves Finland's material cultural heritage: collects, studies and distributes knowledge of it. The agency is a ...

has declared the Vaskiluoto station area a protected culture site of national importance.

History

The Seinäjoki–Vaasa railway was extended from the Vaasa station towards the city's port on the island of

in 1900. Two thirds of the costs of the long harbour line were covered by the Finnish state, while the remainder was paid for by the city of

Vaasa Vaasa (; sv, Vasa, , Sweden ), in the years 1855–1917 as Nikolainkaupunki ( sv, Nikolajstad; literally meaning "city of Nicholas),

(then called Nikolainkaupunki). Its station building was built based on plans from

Bruno Granholm Bruno Ferdinand Granholm (May 14, 1857 in Myrskylä – September 29, 1930) was a Finnish architect. He served as the chief architect of Rautatiehallitus (The Railroad Board) between 1892 and 1926. Many of the station buildings he designed are ...

; it was distinctive in that the station warehouse was also situated in the same building. Passenger trains to and from Vaasa have also served Vaskiluoto over three separate periods: 1 June 1965–1 September 1965, 28 May 1972–30 September 1973, and 15 June 1977–23 December 1992. From 1985, the passenger station in Vaskiluoto was named ''Vaasan satama'' (Swedish: , ). Since then, the station has only served freight transport. Large portions of the station's extensive rail yard were dismantled in the early 2000s. The line from Vaasa to Vaskiluoto was deemed a low-traffic line in 2014, and the

Finnish Transport Agency The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency ( fi, Väylävirasto, sv, Trafikledsverket), shortened to FTIA, is a Finnish government agency responsible for the maintenance of Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Rep ...

proposed that its maintenance be discontinued from December 2015. However, it was thoroughly rebuilt in the autumn of 2017 as a joint venture between the city of Vaasa and the FTA: it was equipped with recycled, heavier ( 54 kg/m) rails,

concrete sleeper A concrete sleeper (British English) or concrete tie (American English) is a type of railway sleeper or railroad tie made out of steel reinforced concrete. History In 1877, Joseph Monier, a French gardener, suggested that concrete reinforced ...

s, a fresh

ballast Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, ...

layer and new

switches In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...

. While the renovation only concerned the parts of the line in possession of the state, the owners of the private sidings present (namely, the city of Vaasa and Kvarken Ports) have since renewed them as well. As of 2020, the line is deemed to be in good condition.

References

{{Railway stations in Ostrobothnia Vaasa Railway stations in Ostrobothnia

History

See also

References