Kangasala railway station
Kangasala | |||||
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Closed VR station | |||||
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General information | |||||
Location | Asema, Kangasala Finland | ||||
Coordinates | 61°29′54″N 023°59′29″E / 61.49833°N 23.99139°E | ||||
Operated by | VR Group | ||||
Line(s) | Tampere–Haapamäki | ||||
Construction | |||||
Architect | Bruno Granholm | ||||
Architectural style | National Romantic | ||||
Other information | |||||
Station code | Kg | ||||
History | |||||
Opened | 15 November 1898 | ||||
Closed | 23 May 1993 | ||||
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The Kangasala railway station (
History
Halimaa
The project of the old Ostrobothnian railway from
Halinmaa quickly became a busy halt, even overtaking the full fledged station of Suinula in this aspect.[4] After arriving in Halinmaa, travellers could continue to the Kangasala parish village by stagecoach.[1] Demands began to arise to upgrade it to the status of a station, culminating in the municipality making an official proposal in 1895, which was accepted.[4] The station, now called Kangasala after its parent municipality and the village it was meant to serve, was placed approximately 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) further south along the line than Halinmaa was.[1] Not only did the change bring the station closer to the parish village, but the former location of the halt on a hill surrounded by bedrock was also seen as problematic in terms of future land use.[3]
Kangasala
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a3/Kangasala_station_spring_1955.jpg/220px-Kangasala_station_spring_1955.jpg)
Upon the foundation of the station, a village began to form around in the mostly uninhabitated area. Some industry developed as well; the Halimaa sawmill was founded in the 1920s, operating for about 30 years.
Shortly after the establishment of the station, the possibility of building a railway between Tampere and
Decline and closure
In the 1920s, bus transport was quickly developing in Finland, and it started to become the dominating method of public local transportation. The effects were felt in Kangasala as well, due to the inconvenient location of the railway and its stations compared to the center of the municipality. The station was downgraded to the status of a pysäkki in 1964. The final stationmaster of Kangasala, Kalervo Niinimäki, ended his work on 27 May 1972,[3] and the station was officially made unmanned in 1977 due to the closure of freight services at the station. The rail yard was dismantled in 1990, effectively making Kangasala a halt, and trains stopped calling there on 23 May 1993. The closure was meant to happen earlier on in the year, but was postponed seemingly by accident due to an error in the timetable planning.[1]
Architecture
The Kangasala station building was constructed in 1898. It was designed by Bruno Granholm, and is representative of the National Romantic style; unlike the vast majority of other smaller stations at the time, it was built using specifically designed blueprints, instead of stock ones.[4] The station's premises also included a residential building, as well as several other buildings related to the living quarters.[4] The station building was expanded in 1922[1] with an additional wing for a waiting room that also included a large porch. Some of the ornamental details of the design were also simplified around this time.[4]
Notes
References
- Anttila, Olavi (1987). 110 kehityksen ja kasvun vuotta: Kangasalan historia III 1865-1975 (in Finnish). Municipality of Kangasala. ISBN 951-99815-1-9.
- Kallio, Seppo Ilmari (1995). Halimaan asemakylä: Kangasalan aseman historiaa (in Finnish). Kangasalan asemaseudun omakotiyhdistys. ISBN 952-90-6153-6.
- Iltanen, Jussi (2010). Radan varrella: Suomen rautatieliikennepaikat (in Finnish). ISBN 978-951-593-214-3.