While in Helsinki during our 2023 visit, I was keen to try some of the best examples of cycling infrastructure in the city, making use of the City Bikes bike share to get about. One such example is Baana, an old railway cutting that was once part of the harbour railway, since converted into a 1.3 km walking and cycling path, back in 2012.
While the term Baana is slang for railway, Helsinki are now using the name to brand their planned cycle network, which will be “a high-quality and straight cycling route that allows cyclists to cycle at a steady speed. Once completed, the Baana network will form a regional network of cycle paths that will extend approximately 150 kilometres, connecting major residential areas to the city centre and employment hubs”.
The network is planned to be delivered in phases, in connection with other transport projects, on what looks to be quite an ambitious plan. More details on Helsinki’s Urban environment and traffic website.
Riding Baana
Currently, the western end of Baana starts near Mechelininkatu in Hietalahti, where it begins to descend from street level after passing under Porkkalankatu. Under the road, there’s a bike shop, PyöräKeskus, in a small shipping container style freestanding building.
At this point, Baana is quite wide, with a small sports court, lots of cycle parking and plenty of seating. I’d expect it’s quite a social space, in better weather!
Continuing east, it narrows and descends into what was the original railway cutting. Inside the cutting are steep walls of rock, some bare and some covered in greenery. Tall buildings on either side at ground level make the space feel quite enclosed at this point.
As the space narrows, so does the bidirectional cycle path, which makes up a bit less than half the width. The other half is the footpath, which is a little wider. It would be nice if the cycle path was wider, but as it is, it’s perfectly usable.
Both paths feature smooth sealed asphalt surfaces, which is generally in very good condition and with descent drainage. Some sections newer than others, but it’s all fine, with nothing really to complain about.
There’s another nice wide section a little bit after the route passes under Lapinlahdenkatu, where there’s paths down from Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu. At this point, there’s trees and attractive planting, plus benches to sit on. I could imagine this being a nice space to hang out on a sunny day.
The path then narrows again, into what is clearly an old railway cutting, with steep rocky sides and roads passing above, some of which have step access. At this point, there’s roads either side of the route, putting some space between it and the surrounding buildings, so it doesn’t feel quite as enclosed.
I have to say, the maintenance and general cleanliness is spot on. It’s incredibly clean and tidy down there, though so is Helsinki in general. That’s something we were particularly aware of, when we arrived in Berlin the following week, which isn’t anywhere near as clean.
The route continues in a similar vein, as you pass under more roads and access points, plus with the odd bit of tastefully managed street art, plus some parking spots for hire e-scooters. It’s really quite pleasant cycling down there. In the daytime at least, there’s probably a question around how safe you’d feel using it in the dark.
It wasn’t long until the path came to an end, where I was directed up to street level. This was at the point where Baana passes under the E12, Mannerheimintie. From what it looked like, the bridge over the route was being replaced as part of the roadworks along Mannerheimintie.
After crossing at street level, I was able to get back to Baana for a small section as it passes Eduskunta, the parliament building, across Kansalaistori Square to the Oodi Library. This is a great space to cycle through, with really good cycle paths in all directions.
Just after the Oodi, I reached the end of the Baana at the Kaisantunneli.
Kaisantunneli
Kaisantunneli is a brand new 220m tunnel, that passes under the tracks at the back of Helsinki Central Station, significantly cutting the distance and time to get from one side to the other. It also has cycle parking with 900 spaces, conveniently located for the train station.
At the time of my visit in August 2023, the Kaisantunneli was very much under construction, so I wasn’t able to use it. But it has since opened and looks wonderful, as you can see in the following video.
While it shares many of the drawbacks that old railways converted to walking and cycling paths tend to have, particularly around social safety, it is impressive how good a job Helsinki has done.
Given the route is overlooked by lots of apartments along its length, I’d be interested to know how it actually does from a social safety perspective. It feels much more open than the typical rail trails I’ve used in the UK.
The proposed Baana additions to Helsinki’s cycle network look really promising. I’d love to return some time into the future, to see how it develops.
Gallery
Dom Cycling 