Kotka Port railway station explained

Kotka Port
Kotkan satama
Kotka hamn
Type:VR station
Style:VR Group
Address:Satamakatu 9
Borough:48100 Kotka
Country:Finland
Coordinates:60.4681°N 26.9394°W
Owned:Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency
Operator:VR Group
Line:Kouvola–Kotka
Platforms:1 side platform
Code:Kts
Classification:Part of split operating point (Kotka)[1]
Passengers:16,000 [2]
Pass Year:2008
Mapframe:y
Mapframe-Zoom:13

The Kotka Port railway station[3] (Finnish: Kotkan sataman rautatieasema, Swedish: Kotka hamns järnvägsstation) is located in the town of Kotka, Finland, right by its namesake, the Kotka ferry terminal.

Kotka Port is followed by Kotka station, located around 800m (2,600feet) to the west.[4] Despite such naming, Kotka Port is somewhat nearer to the actual center of Kotka, also being the initial reason for the station's inception. Furthermore, its location makes it possible for passengers to transfer to and from Baltic Sea ferries.

Kotka Port is the origin of VR commuter rail line and the southern terminus of the Kotka Line from Kouvola.[5]

History

A railway stop called Satamakatu – in use from 1932 to 1938 and situated about 200m (700feet) further east can be considered an early predecessor of the modern Kotka Port station. A footpath leading across the tracks is the only remaining feature of the former halt.

The current station originated as an summertime experiment in the early 1990s to take passengers closer to the centre of events during the annual Kotka Maritime Festival.[5] It became a permanent full-time station in 1998 and has since functioned as the southern terminus of regional trains to and from Kouvola and Lahti.[6] In 2022, regional trains serving the Kotka Line were integrated into VR commuter rail, receiving the line designation .

The official English name of the station used to be Kotka Harbour.

Future plans

There are plans for multiple major public investment projects in and around the Port of Kotka – for example, a new campus by Xamk, the Southeastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, will be completed in 2024, less than 500m (1,600feet) away from the station.

In a 2020 study by the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency regarding the future of the Kotka Line and the Hamina Line, it was stated that the possibility of service increases might justify the addition of another platform track at the station.[7]

Services

Stopping train to Kouvola / on certain departures to Lahti

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Railway Network Statement 2021 . Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency . 18 June 2020 . 978-952-317-744-4 . 30 September 2020 . 1 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201001183729/https://julkaisut.vayla.fi/pdf12/vj_2019-46eng_vs2021_web.pdf . dead .
  2. Book: 2010 . Henkilöliikennepaikkojen kehittämisohjelma . Helsinki . Finnish Infrastructure Transport Agency . 978-952-255-511-3 . 2020-09-30 . 2020-10-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201001183732/https://julkaisut.vayla.fi/pdf3/raportti_2010_henkiloliikennepaikkojen_kehittamisohjelma_web.pdf . dead .
  3. Web site: Kotka port railway station - VR . 2022-04-18 . www.vr.fi . en.
  4. Web site: Railway stations and routes . 3 October 2020 . VR Group.
  5. Book: Iltanen, Jussi . Radan varrella: Suomen rautatieliikennepaikat . 2009 . fi . 978-951-593-214-3.
  6. Web site: SATAMASTA KOTKAN HENKILÖJUNIEN PÄÄTEPYSÄKKI, Itä-Suomeen ei suuria muutoksia aikataulukauden vaihtuessa. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/19980613184415/http://www.vr.fi/uutta.htm#vrlink2. 13 June 1998. VR Group. fi.
  7. Book: Lonka . Tuomas . (Kouvola)–Kotka/Hamina liikenteellinen tarveselvitys . Nyby . Marko . Riikonen . Juha . . 2020 . 978-952-317-790-1 . . 32 . fi.