Hanko–Hyvinkää railway

Hanko–Hyvinkää railway

Overview
Headquarters	Hanko
Locale	Finland
Dates of operation	1872–1875
Successor	Finnish State Railways
Technical
Track gauge	1,524 mm (5 ft) Russian gauge
Length	149 kilometres (93 mi)

The station building in Hanko in 1893

The Hanko–Hyvinkää Railroad, 1872–1875 (Swedish: Hangö–Hyvinge järnväg), was Finland's first privately funded railway.

The Baldwin locomotive type used on the Hanko–Hyvinkää Railroad

Hanko is the southernmost town in Finland. Hanko has a seaport 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 149 kilometres (93 mi) railway from Hanko to the Finnish State Railways' Helsinki–Hämeenlinna line, with the connection at Hyvinkää.

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 is based at the site of the original roundhouse and Hyvinkää railway station buildings in the town of Hyvinkää.

Motive power

As the first private railway company in Finland, the railroad company obtained nine "American style" Baldwin 4-4-0 steam locomotives, in addition to four engines of European manufacture.

Current services

VR Group currently operates passenger services between Hanko and Karis, with commuter services from Karis to Helsinki Central Station. However, the section between Karis and Hyvinkää is freight-only.

See also

• History of rail transport in Finland
• Finnish Railway Museum
• List of Finnish locomotives

External links

• Old photos from the Hanko station and roundhouse
• Finnish Railway Museum
• Website about the Hanko–Hyvinkää 4-4-0 locomotives, including a full drawing of a Baldwin 4-4-0, drafted in the Hanko workshop in 1875.
• Steam Locomotives in Finland Including the Finnish Railway Museum