Helsinki commuter rail chaos ends as stations reopen

Helsinki's summer of commuter rail disruption has ended, with most stations on the main and ring lines reopening after more than two months of closures. The Kannelmäki station, a key stop for many, welcomed back passengers on Monday morning.

Commuters like Kaarlo Matero, who travels to Elielinaukio for work, expressed their joy at the return of the train service. "Nice to be back here! I had to write down specifically to remember to come to the train station, and not use the bus, as things normalize today," Matero said. His 15-minute train commute is significantly faster than the 20-minute replacement bus service, which was often overcrowded, especially during the initial weeks of the closure.

Dora Puhakka, a social work student, also celebrated the reopening of her local station, which coincided with the first day of the academic year. "Lovely to see the train moving. I've been waiting for this," she said. Puhakka prefers the train for its direct and calm journey to Pasila, from where she can easily connect to her school. She, along with Matero, felt the renovation timing during the summer holidays was well-chosen.

Riikka Holmström, another commuter, noted that while her usual route to the platform was still being finalized, construction workers guided her. She had followed the renovation progress on a dedicated Facebook page and was pleased that the project stayed on schedule. Although the station reopened as planned, her train to Pasila was slightly delayed. During the closure, Holmström resorted to driving more often, finding the bus routes during the summer to be nearly 40 minutes longer than the nine-minute train ride.