Accessibility

In addition to using the HSL app, contactless payment, or the HSL card, you can also purchase single tickets from ticket machines at stations and at sales points, such as R-kiosks and S Group stores. On commuter trains, the card readers are situated near the train doors.

Wait for your train on the train platform. As a rule, stations do not have announcements. However, station announcements are made in case of service changes and disruptions.

All HSL area commuter trains are low-floor.

In addition, almost all commuter trains with destinations outside the HSL area (R, T, D, and Z trains) are low-floor. When using VR’s route search, you can change the settings to only show accessible services. To show accessible services in the search results, select “Filter search results” and then check the box “Only show accessible trains”.

Almost all station platforms in the HSL area match the commuter train floor height, providing easy access also for those with mobility aids.

• Kauniainen and Kera are the only stations without accessible platforms.
• Platform three at the Kirkkonummi train station is the only platform above the commuter train floor level.
• When arriving in Siuntio from the direction of Helsinki, only the floor of the first train carriage is level with the platform. Siuntio station does not meet accessibility standards due to the access routes to and from the station platform that are steeper than normal.

The commuter train carriages that have a multifunctional area are marked with a wheelchair symbol. Located in the middle of the train unit, these carriages contain accessible spaces. On some commuter trains, all seats between the doors in the middle section of the carriage are marked with symbols for special groups.

The wheelchair symbol also appears on the button that activates a ramp between the train and the platform, reducing the gap between them.

All trains have announcements and digital screens.

All the carriages that have a multifunctional area have an interphone system that can be used to speak directly to the train driver. The driver can be contacted by pressing the SOS button on the phone. The button is located both near the wheelchair spaces in front of the rear wall of the carriage and next to the train doors.

Pressing the button will also open a video connection that enables the driver to see inside the carriage. You can also press the button if, for instance, you need to inform the driver that you are getting off at the next station. This will alert the driver to allow extra time for disembarking, if necessary.

In addition to the phone with the SOS button, the instructional signs inside the carriages include the phone number for the train security control room, which can be contacted in case of emergency.

In addition to using the HSL app, contactless payment, or the HSL card, you can also purchase tickets at sales points, such as R-kiosks and S Group stores. The card reader is located inside the bus. When boarding an (orange) trunk route bus, you don’t need to show your season ticket on your HSL card or the ticket you have in the HSL app to the driver.

Wait for your bus at a stop or inside a terminal. Most bus stops served by HSL public transport have seating.

All buses on HSL public transport are low-floor. The buses have a kneeling capability that allows the vehicle to be lowered to reduce the step-up from the pavement. If you need this function, press the button with a pram or wheelchair symbol on it.

At the middle doors, there is a manual ramp that rises from the floor. If necessary, the driver will help you deploy the ramp. Mobility scooters are not allowed on buses.

Accessible spaces are located near the middle doors of the bus. A wheelchair or rollator can be placed in the space by the middle doors. There is a safety belt for wheelchairs, and the newest buses also have a fold-down safety bar. Seats marked with symbols for special groups are located halfway between the middle doors and the front of the bus, at floor level.

All buses in the HSL area have an information display and announcements telling passengers the name of the next stop.

In the Helsinki metropolitan area, there are also so-called neighborhood bus routes operated with low-floor minibuses. These routes have been designed specifically to cater for elderly passengers and passengers with reduced mobility. The driver will help you on and off the bus if you need assistance.

In addition to using the HSL app, contactless payment, or the HSL card, you can also purchase single tickets at sales points, such as R-kiosks and S Group stores. Card readers are located inside the trams.

All trams are either fully or partly low-floor. Since the height of the stops vary, there might be a gap or height difference between the curb and the tram.

Most trams have a ramp at the middle doors to assist with boarding and alighting. The ramp is manual and locked next to the door. There is a button on the ramp that can be pressed to alert the tram driver to unlock it. After that, the ramp is opened manually. The driver will help you with the ramp if you need assistance.

If you need a little more time for getting on and off the tram, we recommended that you press the button with a pram or wheelchair symbol on it so that the tram doors stay open longer. Mobility scooters are not allowed on trams.

All trams have announcements and information displays telling passengers the name of the next stop.

At the end of this page, there is a video on how to use the wheelchair ramp on Artic trams (in Finnish).

In addition to using the HSL app, contactless payment, or the HSL card, you can also purchase tickets at sales points, such as R-kiosks and S Group stores. The card reader is located next to the escalator or lift leading down to the metro platform.

Wait for the next train on the platform. As a rule, stations do not have announcements. However, station announcements are made in case of service changes and disruptions. The end station of the train is displayed on the platform displays and on the destination sign on the front of the train. You can also see when the next trains arrive and their end stations on the platform displays.

All metro stations are accessible and the trains are level with the station platforms, providing easy access also for those with mobility aids.

The accessible spaces are located in the carriage marked with a bike symbol. Marked with symbols, there are also seats for special groups near the doors.

All trains have announcements and digital screens. At Kalasatama and Itäkeskus Metro Stations, the train doors open on the opposite side compared to other stations. A separate announcement is made accordingly.

Many stations have audio beacons at the entrances and the doors leading to the lifts that help visually impaired people to navigate the station.

Refurbished stations have also tactile and contrast markings.

In addition to using the HSL app, contactless payment, or the HSL card, you can also purchase single tickets at sales points, such as R-kiosks and S Group stores. Card readers are located inside the trams.

The passenger information at light rail stops has been designed with consideration for various special groups. An audible signal sounds at the stop when a tram is approaching. The stop shelters have buttons to push to hear how many minutes remain until the next tram arrives. In case of a service disruption, an automatic announcement is read out loud without needing to press any buttons.

The trams operating on the light rail line are fully low floor and accessible. The stop platforms are level with the carriage floors. A tactile guidance strip guides visually impaired passengers to the multifunctional area in the middle of the light rail vehicle. The multifunctional area is marked with symbols above the door and LED strips next to the door. The multifunctional area has the only foldable seats in the vehicle and space for a wheelchair, rollators, prams, and a passengers traveling with a guide dog. The seats in the multifunctional area are filled in order of arrival.

The light rail vehicle has announcements telling passengers which stop comes next. You can also follow the route on the digital displays inside the tram. Furthermore, the arrows on the displays indicate the direction in which the doors open.

The light rail stops at every stop, meaning that you don’t need to press the stop button. However, if you need a little more time to get off the tram, you can press the gray button with a pram symbol or the blue button on the door. Pressing either of these buttons will keep the doors open longer than usual.

Suomenlinna ferry

The ferries to Suomenlinna operated by HSL depart from the Market Square and Katajanokka. When travelling to Suomenlinna, the most accessible option is the ferry departing from the Market Square.

You can buy a ticket via the HSL app, using contactless payment, or with the HSL card. You can also purchase single tickets at sales points, such as R-kiosks and S Group stores.

In Suomenlinna, return tickets can be purchased only at card readers using contactless payment, via the HSL app, with the HSL card, or from the ticket machine located at the ferry pier. If the ticket machine is out of service, use contactless payment or the HSL app to buy a ticket for the return journey. If you are unable to use contactless payment, the HSL app, or the HSL card, we recommend purchasing a day ticket before your journey to Suomenlinna at the sales point on the Market Square.

The card readers are located at the ferry pier.

At the Market Square ferry pier, there is a heated waiting space with an accessible and step-free entry. The door to the waiting space opens manually. The space is open every day from 6am to 2.30am and has seats for passengers waiting for the ferry. The waiting room in the Jetty Barracks (Rantakasarmi) in Suomenlinna has an accessible toilet. There is also a ramp leading to the waiting room. The Jetty Barracks is open every day from 6am to 1.45am during the ferry’s operating hours. You can also wait for the ferry outside, at the ferry pier.

At the Market Square ferry pier, you need to go through the gate in order to access the ferry. The accessible gate is on the left when heading towards the ferry. The ferry’s personnel will open the gate for you. There is a gentle ramp leading to the ferry with a 2-cm-high threshold. When boarding the ferry in Suomenlinna, the ferry has a threshold that is 2 cm high. The path from the ferry is a flat sand-covered route. The accessible passenger area can be accessed through an electrically operated door.

Accessible spaces are located near the doors to the passenger compartment.

Disembarkation from the ferry takes place onto a level surface at both ends of the route. At the Market Square, the surface consists of cube paving stones, whereas Suomenlinna has a sand-covered surface.

For more information about accessibility in Suomenlinna, click here.

Kruunuvuorenranta ferry

You can buy a ticket via the HSL app, using contactless payment, with the HSL card, or at sales points, such as R-kiosks and S Group stores. The card reader is located inside the ferry.

At Meritullintori and Kruunuvuorenranta, the ferry waiting area is located outside, next to the ferry pier.

At Kruunuvuorenranta, there is a gentle ramp leading from the shore to the ferry pier. At Meritullintori and Kruunuvuorenranta, there are ramps for accessible boarding. The ferry’s personnel will assist you with accessible boarding onto the ferry.

The ferry is accessible. The accessible spaces are located on the lower passenger deck of the ferry. The toilet on the ferry is accessible.

Assistance may be needed to access the toilet, as the door does not have an automatic opener. The ferry’s personnel can provide assistance with accessible travel, if necessary.

Disembarkation from the ferry takes place onto a level surface at both ends of the route. At Meritullintori, the surface consists of cube paving stones and asphalt, whereas at Kruunuvuorenranta, there is a wooden pier leading to a sand-covered road.