Keith Dawson
e-posti: kmdawson@dlc.fi
7.8.1997
Anne Snellman (KS 7.8.) raises a good question - what benefit is the so-called Kirkkonummen-lippu if the train service is insufficient?
Already, the trains are too slow, too infrequent and carry too many passengers to be comfortable, along with the Kirkkonummen-lippu they can be expected to be even more over-crowded. Although I doubt this was planned it is an inevitable consequence if the benefits of the new ticketing are used by many people.
One problem when trying to improve public transportation is that it is assumed "pouring" money into reducing the ticket price will improve its appeal. If money is available to spend a far better method to improve its appeal is to make it meet the demands of those who will not otherwise travel by public transport. More trains (or at least replacing L departures) in the rush-hours would be a good start, the new (faster) trains would also help (if YTV has not already reserved them for its own "internal" services). In this way the railway can naturally take its place as the best way to get from A to B - even with higher ticket prices.
In answer to her question "according to what logic has the timetable been planned" I can answer "railway operating logic" in other words, if the train stops (or not) is not important, only when to transfer the train-set from one place to another in time to run its next departure (hence no Pendolino stops in Kirkkonummi). It appears VR's goal in running its trains is not to serve fare-paying passengers (as in Kirkkonummi), but purely the railway operation itself. If someone suggests adding an extra departure or transferring a departure time, VR is ready to reply (even in its own newspaper!) "not enough track capacity", "not enough train units", "its too expensive to pay the staff's wages" and so on. The real reason is that to get to Helsinki Kirkkonummi trains must drive through the YTV area. VR has a "comfortable" relationship with YTV (if kept co-operative it will help secure big sums of taxpayers money to build extra tracks to Leppävaara) so only local train departures that YTV is ready to buy run on the Rantarata. Without YTV support, no extra train from Kirkkonummi or Karjaa.
Unless Kirkkonummi's council wake-up to these facts, and start to put pressure on VR (and even pay to it some money), then there is little chance of an improved train service. Along with other periphal communities it also needs to demand the complete restructuring of YTV so that all communities with local connections to Helsinki can take part in the arrangement, not just Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa. Otherwise, Kirkkonummi will also become another marginalised Uusimaa community if its public transport services do not meet the demands of its residents and workforce.
Keith Dawson