The Hanko–Hyvinkää railway () is a railway line in southern

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. When originally built, it was Finland's first privately funded railway. BaldwinHH

History

Hanko is the southernmost town in Finland. Hanko has a

seaport A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manc ...

which, thanks to its location, can be used for the longest possible time during the sometimes very severe, and freezing, Finnish winters. Because all the other Finnish seaports might be frozen solid during the winter, there was an anticipation for a large amount freight transit traffic. As such, a decision was made to privately fund the railway from Hanko to the

Finnish State Railways VR-Group Plc (, ), commonly known as VR, is a government-owned railway company in Finland. VR's most important function is the operation of Finland's passenger rail services with 250 long-distance and 800 commuter rail services every day. With ...

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

–

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; ; ; or ''Croneburgum'') is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Kanta-Häme. It is located in the southern interior of the country and on the shores of Vanajavesi, Lake Vanajavesi. The population of Hämeenlinna is appr ...

line, with the connection at

Hyvinkää Hyvinkää (; , ) is a town in Finland, located in the southern interior of the country. Hyvinkää is situated in the northern part of the Uusimaa region. The population of Hyvinkää is approximately . It is the most populous municipality in ...

. Work on the new railway began in 1872 with the inaugural run being on October 8, 1873. Owing to insufficient funds, the private company soon got into financial trouble. Facing almost certain liquidation, the railroad company was sold to the Finnish State Railways in 1875. Today, the

Finnish Railway Museum The Finnish Railway Museum () is a railway museum located in Hyvinkää, Finland. It was founded in Helsinki in 1898. The museum was moved to Hyvinkää in 1974. The museum is on the former station and yard site of the Hanko–Hyvinkää railw ...

is based at the site of the original roundhouse and Hyvinkää railway station buildings in the town of Hyvinkää. As the first private railway company in Finland, the railroad company obtained nine "American style"

Baldwin Baldwin may refer to: People * Baldwin (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname Places Canada * Baldwin, York Regional Municipality, Ontario * Baldwin, Ontario, in Sudbury District * Baldwin's Mills, ...

4-4-0 4-4-0, in the Whyte notation, denotes a steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles (usually in a leading bogie), four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels. First built in the ...

steam locomotives, in addition to four engines of European manufacture. The line was electrified between 2021 and 2024.

Current services

The Finnish state railway company

VR Group VR-Group Plc (, ), commonly known as VR, is a government-owned railway company in Finland. VR's most important function is the operation of Finland's passenger rail services with 250 long-distance and 800 commuter rail services every day. With ...

currently operates passenger services between Hanko and

Karis Karis (; ) is a town and former municipality in Finland. On January 1, 2009, it was consolidated with Ekenäs and Pohja to form the new municipality of Raseborg (). It is located in the Finnish province of Southern Finland and is part of U ...

, with connections to long-distance services from Karis to

Helsinki Central Station Helsinki Central Station (, ) ( HEC) 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 ...

. However, the section between Karis and Hyvinkää is freight-only.

References

External links

Old photos from the Hanko station and roundhouseFinnish Railway Museum
about the Hanko–Hyvinkää 4-4-0 locomotives, including

of a Baldwin 4-4-0, drafted in the Hanko workshop in 1875.

{{Raseborg Cityscape Railway lines in Finland Railway lines opened in 1873 5 ft gauge railways in Finland

History

Current services

See also

References

External links