News 1997Three men died in a level-crossing accident at Vaala, between Oulu and Kajaani. Their car drove directly under the train. The car flew 30-40 metres and split into two parts. All three men were thrown out of the car and died. The men were born 1958, 1960 and 1960. There are no barriers at the accident location, but weather was good and there were no hindrances to visibility.
Source MTV3 Uutiset - Kolme miestä menehtyi junaonnettomuudessa
Reported by Kimmo Kotimäki <kimmo.kotimaki@lut.fi>
Sent from host 157.24.104.132
RHK will straighten Hollo curves at Lempäälä, between Toijala and Tampere. There is a speed restriction of 100 km/h at present. By 2001 - after the track works, normal trains should be able to travel at 160 km/h and Pendolino even faster. Under the track will remain 10 houses. The length of new track is 2 km and the work will cost FIM 60 million.
Sources Yle Teksti-TV 18.12.1997, RHK tiedotteet: Hollon oikaisu
Reported by Kimmo Kotimäki <kimmo.kotimaki@lut.fi>
Sent from host 157.24.104.132
The Office of Antiquities and National Monuments will allow the roof to the platforms at Helsinki railway station. Platforms will be covered according to the design of Esa Piiroinen, which won the architectural competition. VR plans for the roof to be ready in 2000.
Source MTV3 uutiset - Helsingin rautatielaiturit katetaan
Reported by Kimmo Kotimäki <kimmo.kotimaki@lut.fi>
Sent from host 157.24.104.132
Big forest and metal corporations plan their own railfreight transport
within a couple of years. VR
loses its monopoly on rail traffic in 1999. As an example Rautaruukki
has an idea for its own trains because Rautaruukki transports over 3 million
tons of steel products by rail.
- Because it's not of our core business, rail transport must be economically
viable, says Erik Yrjölä from Jit-Trans Oy, which is responsible
for Rautaruukki's transportation.
Whether railfreight transport is profitable, depends heavily on track access charges. Charges should be known in March 1998, when the report of the committee on rail competition is published. This year VR pays to RHK FIM 320million. Yrjö Poutiainen from RHK thinks rail competition begins first with commuter traffic around Helsinki.
Jaakko Pohjola from The
Ministry of Transport and Communications says competition has problems,
e.g. delivery of electricity and use of stations owned by VR.
- Free competition cannot weaken the quality of rail transport, safety
or efficiency.
Free competition is driven by the EU, which wants more freight transported by rail. In Europe, about 15% of freight movement is by rail, in Finland about 25%. The rail network is already open to competition in UK, Germany and Sweden, for example.
Source Taloussanomat 17.12.1997: Suuryritykset harkitsevat omien rautatiekuljetusten aloittamista
Reported by Kimmo Kotimäki <kimmo.kotimaki@lut.fi>
Sent from host 157.24.104.132
Rautaruukki Transtech plans to close Taivalkoski railway wagon works. Transtech is not profitable and did not get contract for assembing eigth new Pendolinos for VR from Fiat Ferroviaria. Transtech is either closing the 100 employee factory or selling it. Transtech will also reduce the number of employees at Otanmäki and Oulu before July 1998.
Sources
Reported by Kimmo Kotimäki <kimmo.kotimaki@lut.fi>VR has ordered 8 new Pendolinos. The new trains will be manufactured in Fiat Ferroviaria's Italian factory, because Fiat and Transtech - the assembler of the first 2 trains could not reach agreement on continuing the series. According to the (new) agreement one Pendolino S220 costs FIM 77M. VR has an option for a further 15 trains. Their fate will be decided in 2000 at the latest. If the option is exercised then 25 trains come to Finland - as agreed when the test trains were procured.
The first 3 Pendolinos come to Finland in 2000, the following year 4, and the last in 2002. The trains are not exactly the same as the test trains. Seating places have been increased: these will be 308 when now there are 264. Seating in the current second-class is 2+1 whereas in the new trains it will be 2+2. Better notice will be taken of smokers, pets and invalids. The older Pendolinos will be changed in a similar way. The new trains will increase services between Helsinki-Turku and from 2000 between Helsinki-Tampere, and onwards to Seinäjoki, Jyväskylä and Pori. In eastern Finland possible destinations are Kuopio and Joensuu.
From November 1995 to November 1997 the trains have driven between Helsinki and Turku 3,870 times, run 815,000 km and carried 450,000 travellers. Test traffic ended in August, up to then the trains made 3000 journeys and from these 6 were interrupted because of technical faults.
Sources
Five communes which remain side-tracked by the planned short-cut line from Kerava to Lahti hit-out at the plan. Hausjärvi, Hyvinkää, Järvenpää, Riihimäki and Tuusula delivered a sharply worded letter to the Communications Minister Matti Aura. The five presented their view at the Ministry's request as it considers the current TEN-network's requirements. The communes suggest that the short-cut line should be removed from Finland's TEN-network and the main thrust of development should be the Helsinki-Tampere urban ribbon and from there northwards. The five keep fruition of the plan as this decade's greatest communal structural change in Finland.
In the five's opinion the savings in time and other benefits in relation to costs are non-existent. Additionally, travellers from Tampere to St. Petersburg need to travel via Pasila (Helsinki). The communes fear the short-cut line would affect the maintenance and development of the current rail network. They demand that all reserves should be concentrated on track maintenance and rebuilding. Also a new pair of tracks should be built from Kerava to Riihimäki, which would ease the Main Routes problems caused by local train traffic.
Source: Helsingin Sanomat 13.12.1997
VR raises it's ticket prices by 5% form 1.1.1997. All kinds of tickets are subject to rise. This includes normal tickets as well as seat tickets, and supplements for sleepers. VR says that reason for rise is rise in costs and a rise of VAT from 6% to 8%.
Kimmo Kotimäki <kimmo.kotimaki@lut.fi>
Sent from host 157.24.104.132
Helsinki's Traffic Board (HKL) will get for its use 12 new two-car trains in 2000-2001. HKL and Deutsche Waggonbau AG (DWA) signed the deal worth nearly FIM 200M. DWA will manufacture the mechanical parts and assemble the carriages. The new trains resemble the current trains - they will again be painted orange. New features include the facility for passengers to transfer from car to car within the new trains. Also, bicycles, prams and wheelchairs receive the own space. Internal display will inform passengers joining the train of the next station.
Source: Helsingin Sanomat 11.12.1997
The Office of Historical Monuments would preserve the line of the Billnäs railway which passes through the Billnäs village ironworks (museum area). According to the Office the line and sidings area could possibly be developed into a tourists' hiking route. According to the Office the line through cliffs, bridge over Mustio River and station buildings in Billnäs and Åminnefors are an important part of the ironworks cultural and industrial history. The route from Karjaa to Turku via Billnäs and Åminnefors remained out of use in the 1960's when the Billnäs ironworks closed.
Source: Helsingin Sanomat
9.12.1997
Note that I don't work for VR. Created Tue, Dec 9 1997 Kimmo Kotimäki. Modified Oct 14th 2007.