This is a video of me riding the train Y commuter train service (operated by HSL, ordered from VR) from Helsinki-Siuntio. It was abandoned between Siuntio and Karis on 27.3, and this is riding a modern Sm5 Stadler Flirt on the surviving Siuntio-Kirkkonummi part (8 minutes, 13,8 km), reaching 160km/h. The Kirkkonummi-Siuntio service has now just 4 services per weekday until August, when it will have 6 services per weekday again.
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The train Y is a commuter train service previously running 6 times a day between Helsinki and Karis (85,7 km) on a part of the Coastal Line from Helsinki-Turku, taking 1h09min - 1h13min and stopping at: Helsinki central railway station, Pasila (Böle) 3,2km, Leppävaara (Alberga) 11,0km, Masala (Masaby) in Kirkkonummi 29km, Kirkkonummi (Kyrkslätt) 36,9km, Siuntio (Sjundeå) 50,7km, Inkoo (Ingå) 69,5km and Karis (Karjaa) 85,7km.
Unfortunately, since the government in Finland can't subsidize non-profitable traffic on rail anymore, the service was discontinued on 27.3, and the Inkoo (Ingå) station was abandoned, because very few people have been using it, since it is 5km from Inkoo village, in the wrong direction. At Inkoo commuter train station, there are 3 bus services to Karjaa and Kirkkonummi a day, for the commuter and long-distance trains. The new commuter train Y service is now limited to the 50,7km Siuntio-Helsinki line (which takes 41-46 minutes), operated by HSL (ordered from VR until 31.12.2017, after which Siuntio might also join HSL like Kirkkonummi), and from 27.3 has 4 departures from Siuntio a day: at 6 and 7 in the Morning and 16 and 18 in the evening. From Helsinki, it has 4 departures a day, at 5 and 6 in the Morning and
at 15 and 17 in the evening. In the weekends, there is no service. The new commuter train Y serves the same stations as before, but it also includes Espoo (Esbo)20,2km and Huopalahti (Hoplax) 6,4km commuter train stations, not served by the old train Y. This provides a faster link for the commuter train P to Myyrmäki, Vantaa and to the Airport).
New Stadler Flirt trains have replaced almost all of the old Sm1 and Sm2 trains previously used on the train Y, since they accelerate and decelerate faster and are more comfortable and also faster, 160km/h (compared to Sm1 and Sm2 - just 120 km/h).
At the Karis (Karjaa) railway station, 12 of the InterCity and Pendolino trains between Helsinki-Turku stop so the services are frequent and it takes only 49-55min on any of the long-distance trains to Helsinki or Pasila, or 50-56min to Kupittaa or Turku. The prices have also been significantly lowered, which is good for commuters. Regional trains or buses to Tammisaari(Ekenäs)&Hanko (Hangö) (taking about 40min-1h between Karis and Hanko) leave from Karis railway station.
There will also be many other changes: The Mankki (Mankby) 24,6km stop in Espoo and Luoma (Bobäck)27,2km stop in Kirkkonummi, on the commuter train lines S and U will be abandoned (services to Kauklahti 23,8km and other stations will be provided by buses from the stations) because not many people have been using them and a new commuter train U will be used because of VR:s mission to operate the new fast 1h38min service between Turku and Helsinki with the Pendolino trains (1h26min from Kupittaa to Pasila, not stopping on any stations in between, providing a better service for commuters two times a day - at 7:08-8:46 and 16:10-17:48). And all the other slow Intercity train services from Helsinki-Turku will be shortened by 5 minutes (from 1:58 to 1:53) and Helsinki-Kupittaa will be shortened to 1h47min. This is because all but two Intercity and Pendolino trains will stop at Kirkkonummi from 27.3, and most passengers going from Kirkkonummi to Turku will have to take a bus to Karis first.
Also, a new faster commuter train X service between Helsinki and has been added 2 times a day (using old Sm2 rolling stock), stopping on the same stations as the new commuter train Y. And between Helsinki and Riihimäki, a new faster commuter train D service has been added 2 times a day, skipping Kerava, for instance. And the stops at Purola and Nuppulinna have been abandoned due to low passenger numbers. Of course, the ongoing worsening train services in Finland have been widely met with criticism, as commuters, students and elderly need them, and the original plan to completely abandon the commuter train Y services were met with a lot of criticism, as more than 3000 inhabitants out of 6000 of the Siuntio village commute to the Helsinki region every day (because the station is located conveniently in the very center of Siuntio near the supermarket, the most important buildings and many residential buildings), and 11 000 names for saving the commuter train Y were collected, but unfortunately, Inkoo and Karis (Raasepori/Raseborg) didn't do enough to save the commuter train services.
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