Summary of How Does the Finnish Railway System Differ From Others?

00:00:00 - 00:10:00

The Finnish railway system is different from others in that it has a late start, a high degree of electrification, and a lack of a rail connection to Russia. Despite these differences, the Finnish railway system has been very successful in terms of freight and passenger transport.

• 00:00:00 The Finnish Railway system is ranked third among European Railway performance index. Finland was heavily influenced by decisions made by Russian Emperor, and construction of railways in this country started relatively late. Finland experienced a Civil War in 1917, and railways played an important role in the conflict. After the wars end and as a result of unfavorable terms of Peace of Moscow Armistice, significant parts of the Finnish Railway network were lost. In addition, the Soviet Union redefined the Russian gauge to 1520 millimeters in the late 1960s, but Finnish State Railways kept the original 1524 millimeter definition. This difference between railway gauges allowed for Russian-Finnish traffic to continue, but specific Finnish rolling stock often gets stuck in Russian yards. After the period of reconstruction and stabilization in 1965, extensive electrification of the Finnish Railway network began. This advantage, coupled with the late start, allowed for the use of the latest technology, such as 25 kilowatts in 50hz system, which is still the best technology today.
• 00:05:00 The Finnish railway system differs from others in a number of ways, including its organizational structure, its reliance on state funding, and its lack of a rail connection to Russia. In recent years, the Finnish railway system has been very successful in terms of freight and passenger transport. However, due to the current geopolitical situation, Finland's rail system is not ideally suited for passenger transport.
• 00:10:00 The Finnish railway system is different from others in that it has few residents and a high reliance on train connections. This system is used by about 46.5 million passengers each day, about 40 percent less than in the pre-covet period. In 2020, punctuality for long-distance trains was 88.6 percent, and for commuter trains 96.6 percent. Monday long-distance passenger trains were considered on time if they were at most five minutes behind schedule.