Pasila Rail Tunnel
# Pasila Rail Tunnel

Pasila Rail Tunnel is a former 650-meter railway tunnel under Itä-Pasila residential area in Helsinki, Finland. It used to serve as part of the Sörnäinen harbour rail from 1965 to 2008. The west end of the tunnel located near Pasila railway station and ended up in Vallila in the east.

The decision to build the tunnel came from the need for a more durable and less interrupted way from Pasila to Sörnäinen Harbour (today's Kalasatama). The railway built in 1863 ran directly along today's Teollisuuskatu. As the street was built, narrower at that time, the rail traffic soon became troublesome in the area. The new route was established through Vallilanlaakso and Kyläsaari, with the 650-meter (2,130 ft) tunnel included.

## Reuse

The harbour railway was dismantled in 2009–2010, though the tunnel remained walkable for almost a decade after. An initiative was made for the tunnel to be renovated into a cycling tunnel, similar to Baana in the city centre, but the idea was soon shot down by the city planners. The tunnel remained abandoned until 2020 when the eastern entrance was shut and notable renovation started to turn part of the tunnel into 138-metre long (151 yd) indoor running track. The track, as part of the new Urhea campus, was opened in summer 2021.

