Work on the Espoo Rail Line project is being performed all year round from Leppävaara to the excavation contract site located to the west of Espoo Centre. Interruptions in rail service are being implemented so that work can be carried out on the existing track structures and to ensure safe working conditions around the railways. In the same way as last year, train tracks and electrified track structures will be dismantled during the five-week rail service interruption so that work can also be done on levels below the tracks.
“We will continue to extensively renew the track structure this year, and this work will mainly take place during the five-week service interruption after Midsummer. A long continuous interruption allows us to work more economically, and also makes it easier to ensure safety. We have assessed the performance during last year’s interruption and learned from our experiences so that we can coordinate the work even better this time,” says Project Manager Tommi Rosenvall from the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
In 2025, the work will focus more on station areas than in the previous year. In the spring, construction work will begin on the tunnel located west of Espoo Centre, and several bridges will be moved into place during the long summer interruption.
“Building a railway tunnel in an existing rail network is quite rare in Finland. Tunnel construction will begin by piercing a hole through the rock, and then gradually excavating the space to the extent required,” says Rosenvall.
The January newsletter about the project describes the work sites and phases for 2025 in more detail.
Bus connections will replace train traffic
The five-week interruption in train service will begin on Monday 23 June at 2:00 am. During that time, all commuter trains between Leppävaara and Siuntio and long-distance trains between Helsinki and Karjaa will be replaced by buses. Commuter trains between Karjaa and Hanko will run normally during the interruption, but the H train that normally runs between Helsinki and Hanko three days a week will not operate during the construction work.
The timetables and routes of the buses that will replace commuter train traffic are available on HSL’s Journey Planner. The A trains between Helsinki and Leppävaara will run more frequently (every 10 minutes) during the summer. Further information about exceptional arrangements during the service interruptions is available on the VR and HSL websites.
Tunnelitie road in Kauniainen will be closed during the summer interruption
The Tunnelitie road running under the tracks in Kauniainen will be closed for five weeks during the rail service interruption, and a detour will be arranged via a temporary level crossing. During that time, the existing auxiliary bridges will be lifted off Tunnelitie and a new bridge constructed on the southern side of the track moved into place. Construction of the final platforms will also begin.
Feedback submitted to the project concerning last year’s disruptions has been thoroughly taken into consideration. The starting point is to try and perform the construction work in a way that minimises the disruption experienced by residents of the area.
After completion, the city rail line will improve the punctuality of commuter train traffic between Kirkkonummi and Espoo and long-distance train traffic in the Turku direction. Two additional tracks will significantly reduce sensitivity to disruptions on the Leppävaara and Kauklahti track sections.
Interruptions in rail service on the coastal line, western side of Leppävaara in 2025
Train service interruptions lasting for 24 hours and 48 hours begin and end at 4:00 am.
Spring, 4 x 24 hours
Sun. 4 May – Mon. 5 May
Sun. 18 May – Mon. 19 May
Sun. 25 May – Mon. 26 May
Thu. 29 May – Fri 30 May
Summer, 5 weeks
Sat. 23 June 2:00 am – Mon. 28 July 4:00 am
Autumn, 3 x 48 hours & 2 x 24 hours
Sun. 31 August – Mon. 1 September
Sat. 6 September – Mon. 8 September
Sat. 13 September – Mon. 15 September
Sun. 21 September – Mon. 22 September
Sat. 27 September – Mon. 29 September
Further information
Tommi Rosenvall, Project Manager Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, [email protected], tel. +358 29 534 3830
https://vayla.fi/espoonkaupunkirata
https://www.facebook.com/espoonkaupunkirata
https://www.flickr.com/photos/vaylafi/albums/72177720315381709/ (Project photo folder)