The departure times of trains from Helsinki will be brought forward by 3–4 minutes. R trains will mainly depart from Helsinki at 6 and 36 minutes past the hour and Z trains at 32 minutes past the hour. In addition, between 24 June and 28 July, R trains will operate a reduced peak time service running every 30 minutes. D trains will not run from 24 June to 28 July.
There will be changes to train departure platforms at Tikkurila station. R and Z trains to Helsinki will use platform 1 from Saturday 22 June. Platform 3 will be closed from the same day. From 24 June, trains to Riihimäki and Lahti will depart from platform 4 because platforms 2 and 3 will be closed until 5 September.
There will also be changes to departure platforms at Ainola station in Järvenpää. Platform 1 will be closed from 4am 30 June to 4am 7 July and platform 2 will be closed from midnight 24 June to 4am 30 June as well as from 7 July to December 2024. At these times, R and T trains will use the same platform in both directions.
Reliable train services throughout the works
Despite the works that started in April, HSL commuter trains I, P and K, have operated reliably. For example, during the past seven days (10-17 June) out of 822 K train services, only 13 have been more than five minutes late. Out of 727 I train services, 20 and out of 742 P train services, 15 have arrived at the terminus more than five minutes late. Trains have been operated at different times of the day with one, two, or three train units, depending on passenger volumes. For the most part, there has been ample space even at peak times.
Feedback regarding R, Z and D trains, which terminate/depart outside the HSL area, i.e. VR commuter services, are forwarded to VR.
The work is part of a larger project
The work in Tikkurila will continue at the northern end of the railway yard. The work involves the replacement of switches, changes to platforms as well as work on safety equipment. The work is part of the project of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency to increase the rail capacity between Helsinki and Riihimäki. The aim of the project is to improve the reliability of services on the busiest section of railway in Finland by increasing its capacity and to reduce the line’s vulnerability to disruptions. The end goal is to have four tracks along the line section instead of the current three tracks.