Helsinki is the capital and most populous city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About 675,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.25 million in the capital region and 1.58 million in the metropolitan area. As the most populous urban area in Finland, it is the country's most significant centre for politics, education, finance, culture, and research. Helsinki is 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Tallinn, Estonia, 360 kilometres (220 mi) north of Riga, Latvia, 400 kilometres (250 mi) east of Stockholm, Sweden, and 300 kilometres (190 mi) west of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Helsinki has significant historical connections with these four cities.
Espoo is a city in Finland. It is located to the west of the capital, Helsinki, in southern Uusimaa. The population is approximately 314,000. It is the 2nd most populous municipality in Finland. Espoo is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which has approximately 1.6 million inhabitants. Espoo is on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland and borders Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi. The city includes the enclave of Kauniainen. Espoo covers an area of 528 square kilometres (204 sq mi). Espoo is a bilingual municipality with Finnish and Swedish as its official languages. The population consists of 70% Finnish speakers, 6% Swedish speakers, and 24% speakers of other languages, well above the national average.
Kauniainen is a town in Finland, located in the southern interior of the country. Kauniainen is situated in the southern part of the Uusimaa region, and it is enclaved by the City of Espoo. The population of Kauniainen is approximately 10,000. It is the 95th most populous municipality in Finland. Kaunianen is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, which has approximately 1.58 million inhabitants.
The Helsinki Metro is a rapid transit system serving the Helsinki capital region, Finland. It is the world's northernmost metro system. It was opened to the general public on 2 August 1982 after 27 years of planning. It is operated by Helsinki City Transport and Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd for Helsinki Regional Transport Authority and carries 92.6 million passengers per year.
Helsinki metropolitan area or Greater Helsinki is the metropolitan area around Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. It also includes the smaller capital region. The terms Helsinki metropolitan area, Greater Helsinki, Capital region and the other terms used are not fixed and may vary in different contexts.
Helsinki commuter rail is a commuter rail system serving the Helsinki metropolitan area. The system is managed by the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) and operations are contracted out to VR at least until 2031.
Public transport in Helsinki consists of bus, tram, metro, local railway and ferry services. The system is managed by the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority and covers Helsinki, Espoo, Kauniainen, Vantaa and the outlying Kerava, Kirkkonummi, Sipoo and Tuusula.
Ilmala railway station is a railway station on the VR commuter rail network located in northern Helsinki, Finland. It is approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of Helsinki Central railway station. The VR Group maintains a depot north of the station.
Tikkurila station is located in Tikkurila, the administrative centre of Vantaa in the Helsinki metropolitan area. It is located approximately 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Helsinki Central railway station and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Helsinki Airport. The station is considered the main railway station of Vantaa, and almost all long-distance and commuter trains stop here.
Leppävaara is a district of Espoo, a city in Finland. The Rantarata rail line and the Ring Road I, the busiest road in Finland, cross in Leppävaara, thus making it a major traffic hub in the Greater Helsinki region. The Sello Shopping Centre is also located in Leppävaara.
Valimo railway station is a station on the Helsinki commuter rail network located in the western part of Helsinki, Finland, between Huopalahti and Pitäjanmäki stations. It is located about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to the northwest/west of Helsinki Central railway station, in the core of the Pitäjänmäki industrial area.
Mäkkylä is a station on the VR commuter rail network, between the cities of Helsinki and Espoo in Finland. It is situated between Pitäjänmäki railway station and Leppävaara railway station and is about nine kilometres northwest of Helsinki Central railway station.
Leppävaara station is a railway station located in Leppävaara, a district of the city of Espoo in Finland. It is located about 11 kilometres (7 mi) to the northwest of Helsinki Central.
Pohjois-Haaga railway station is a railway station on the Helsinki commuter rail network located in northern Helsinki, Finland. It is located about eight kilometres to the north/northwest of Helsinki Central railway station.
Kera is a station on the Helsinki commuter rail network located in the neighborhood of the same name in the city of Espoo in Finland. It is situated between stations Kilo railway station and Kauniainen railway station. It is located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the northwest/west of Helsinki Central railway station.
Malminkartano railway station is a railway station on the Helsinki commuter rail network located in northern Helsinki, Finland. It is located approximately eleven kilometres to the north of Helsinki Central railway station.
Vantaankoski railway station is a Helsinki commuter rail station located in Vantaa, Finland. It is approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of the Helsinki Central railway station.
Kauklahti railway station is a station on the Helsinki commuter rail network located in Espoo, Finland. The station is served by Helsinki commuter rail lines Y, X, U, L and E. The station has three platform tracks. Westbound trains towards Kirkkonummi use track one, while eastbound trains to Helsinki use track two. Some of the E-line trains however use track three.
The Helsinki Regional Transport Authority is the inter-municipal authority that maintains the public transportation network of the nine municipalities of Greater Helsinki, Finland.
Trams in Finland date from a horse-drawn Turku tramway network, which opened in 1890. Electric tramway traction started in Finland in 1900 with the introduction of electric trams in Helsinki, and the last horse-drawn trams were withdrawn from operation in 1917. Although there were three Finnish tramway networks between 1912 and World War II, by 1972 the number of networks had dwindled to just one, that of Helsinki, which remained Finland's only tramway network for almost 50 years. However, in August 2021, a light rail line was opened to the public in Tampere. There have also been proposals to set up tram or light rail networks in some other cities. As of 2021, the most concrete such plans are in Turku.
