Helsinki area ticketing

[chisj]

It seems most/all of the loco-hauled services have their first stop outside the Helsinki region ticket zone - can anyone suggest an alternative ticket or are my only options Inter-rail / singles?

 

[Richard Scott]

Went there this year and proved impossible to buy a ticket for IC trains that stop within the zone (many do stop at a couple of stations within the zone), so think you are stuck with a single/return to outside the zone. Ticket machines at Helsinki are easy to navigate so you'll get an idea of what's available fairly quickly.

 

[RailExplorer]

I assume you’re going soon (ish) but if you’re planning a trip for next summer, there are special “railcar” trips to Porvoo on selected Saturdays across the summer months. It’s a nice town too.

There is also a beer tram around Helsinki.

I can’t help you with ticketing as such, but all IC services stop at Pasila (a few minutes after Helsinki). Helsinki transport tickets are easily bought on smart phones - just download the app. There might still be a few peak time local services running with locomotive and coaching stock - although the trains are being modernised pretty rapidly at the moment.

If you have any questions regarding Helsinki feel free to ask. I’m from there!

 

[rf_ioliver]

There are in effect two separate ticketing systems, one for the long distance trains run by VR and one for the Helsinki Commuter Region. You *can* buy tickets for VR within the HSL area but if you're caught without the correct ticket it can get expensive. Given the expense of doing this however I have no idea why.

If you want to experience a loco hauled train then I would recommend you take a trip to Turku, Tampere or Lahti (via the high speed line) - the latter takes about 45 minutes from Helsinki.

Tickets are most easily bought using the HSL app which covers a huge area (Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen etc) or through the VR app.

Any questions just PM me - I live there.

t.

Moi RailExplorer - missä päin Helsingissä? Lähetä PM minulle jos haluat!