Helsingin päärautatieasema — Attraction in Helsinki sub-region

One of the worst train stations in Europe for sure. Here's why. Take a wild guess what's likely the most common destination people go to from this station. Correct, the airport. Thus it would make major sense to have trains departing from easily reachable platforms. Not the case at this station. I had a regular 20kg suitcase and a backpack and wanted to go to the airport. The next train was about to leave in 7 minutes. Plenty of time to get to a train one might think. They put the train on the FAR RIGHT track, which isn't beginning at the station like every other track, but to which you have to walk about 100m. Not on tarmac though but on gravel. Yes, the type of ground on which you can't pull a suitcase. Along with at least 30 other people and having lifted the 20kg suitcase over that distance, the train left right in front of our eyes. It felt like as if the conductor will show everyone the middle finger any second. So, back to the station. Again 100m and by lifting the 20kg suitcase over gravel. The next train was about to leave in 5 minutes and they put in on the FAR LEFT track. That's another 100m, on tarmac this time. Along with the same 30 people, we arrived and the train left in front of our eyes. Seems like that's a little game they play at this station. The next train was about to leave in 15 minutes. Again, on the FAR RIGHT track. We all arrived just in time to board, having rushed a total of 500m and having lifted heavy luggage over 300m. You know, simply put people in charge who know how to run a train station and you're off to...

The architecture and baggage storage is great. The place is a refuge for bumbs. It seems they come off the street and hang out in the train station. While we were sitting, 2 of them stumbled in, sitting next to my teenage daughter. They were dirty and disheveled, swilling from a bottle of vodka. One of them started bothering my daughter, I told him not to speak to her. A few minutes later, he started bothering her again. I switched seats with her and told them in stern voice, we didn't trouble and to leave us alone. All the time, I was looking for police. Then an officer walked into the seating area but quickly walked away, paying no attention to the bumbs. A few minutes later, they were joined by a drunken friend. He sat on the floor and shared the last of the bottle. I was very surprised to see this disturbing behavior. We got and relinquished our seats, the atmosphere was tense. We went outside to get away from them and soon our train arrived. The boarding process was chaotic. There was no information on what to do with the luggage. I asked 2 VR employees before boarding. They both gave misleading and incorrect information. We finally figured it out. We had to give VR an additional 5 euros...

Helsinki Central Station (Finnish: Helsingin päärautatieasema; formerly Helsingin rautäisemaa, abbreviated Hki, Swedish: Helsingfors centralstation) is a well-known landmark in Helsinki and the hub of public transport in the Helsinki metropolitan area. All local trains in the Helsinki metropolitan area depart from the station and it is also the most significant departure point for long-distance trains in Finland. The Rautatientori metro station, located below the station, is the busiest of the Helsinki metro stations. Trains to Russia, St. Petersburg and Moscow, also depart from Helsinki Central Station. Train services to St. Petersburg ceased on 28 March 2022; train services to Moscow had already ceased earlier.

The railway was built in Helsinki in the 1860s. The granite station building, designed by architect Eliel Saarinen in the early 20th century, is known for its clock tower and the statues of the Torchbearers by sculptor Emil Wikström. Helsinki Central Station has become a symbol of the railways of Finland a whole. Among other things, VR has used Helsinki Central Station and the stone statues next to its main entrance in its...