Kolari railway station

Kolari railway station is located in the municipality of Kolari in the Lapland region of Finland, situated almost 3 km (1.9 mi) northeast of Kolari center, in Ylläsjokisuu. It is the northernmost railway station in Finland, located 800 km (500 mi) north of Helsinki Central railway station. The railway track extends 18 km (11 mi) further north to the Rautuvaara railway yard but this section is disused - the Rautuvaara iron ore mine closed in 1989.[2][3]

Kolari
VR Group station
General information
LocationAsematie, 95900 Kolari
Coordinates67°20′56″N 023°50′09″E / 67.34889°N 23.83583°E / 67.34889; 23.83583
Elevation150 metres (490 ft)
Owned byFinnish Transport Agency
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typeground station
History
Opened1 December 1966 (freight traffic)[1]
February 1985 (passenger traffic)
Electrifiedno
Passengers
80000
Services
Preceding station VR Group Following station
Pello
towards Kemi
Kemi–Kolari Terminus
VR Class Dv12 locomotives at Kolari

Kolari station is the terminus of the track from Tornio to Kolari, and serves both passenger and cargo traffic. Passenger traffic is at its highest during the skiing season and, as well as Kolari, the station also serves Levi (85 km (53 mi) away), Ylläs (85 km (53 mi) away), Äkäslompolo (40 km (25 mi) away), Pallas (100 km (62 mi) away) and Muonio (80 km (50 mi) away), all of which can be reached by bus from the station, and additionally, the Swedish village of Pajala (30 km (19 mi) away). For part of the year, the station is also served by car transporter trains from Helsinki, Turku and Tampere.

The first passenger train to Kolari arrived at the station in 1985. Currently the station serves almost 80 thousand passengers per year.[4]

A new station building designed by Ilpo Väisänen was constructed at Kolari in 1998, in the style of a goahti.[5] Most trains (both freight and passenger) at Kolari are hauled by VR Class Dr16 diesel locomotives, with smaller Dv12 locomotives also seeing use.

Ticket sales at the station were discontinued on 2 August 2014,[6] but there is a ticket vending machine at the station.

References

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  1. ^ Iltanen, Jussi: "19. Tornion ja Kolarin radat", Radan varrella: Suomen rautatieliikennepaikat, p. 242. Finnish Map Bureau.
  2. ^ https://www.hannukainenmining.fi/en/hannukainen-mining-values/history/ [bare URL]
  3. ^ "Filming Location: Old Mine & Industrial Environs | Film Lapland".
  4. ^ Lättähatulla Oulusta Rautuvaaraan, Sanomalehti Kuukkeli. Accessed on 23 September 2012.
  5. ^ Rinne, Matti: Aseman kello löi kolme kertaa: Suomen rautateiden kulttuurihistoriaa, p. 189. Otava, 2001. ISBN 951-1-15804-X.
  6. ^ VR laittaa lappuja lipputoimistojen luukuille, YLE 1 August 2014. Accessed on 10 April 2016.
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