View source for Port of Turku

{{Short description|Port in the southwest of Finland}}
[[Image:Turku, Satama.png|thumb|right|The Port of Turku on a map of Turku.]]

The '''Port of Turku''' ({{langx|fi|'''Turun satama'''}}, {{langx|sv|'''Åbo hamn'''}}) is a [[port]] located in the south-west of [[Finland]], where the mainland meets the beginning of the [[Archipelago Sea|Turku archipelago]].  Sited within Finland's sixth largest city, the port principally handles traffic between [[Turku]] and the Swedish capital of [[Stockholm]] and the enclaved [[Åland]].

==Harbour==
The port spans a wide area on the southern coastline of the city of [[Turku]], from the mouth of the [[Aura River (Finland)|River Aura]] to the district of [[Pansio]].  The area around the railway station is served by the four (twice-daily) [[Silja line]] and [[Viking Line]] passenger ferry services to Stockholm via [[Mariehamn]], the capital of Åland.

==Ships serving the terminal==
{|class="wikitable"
! Company
!style="background: #efefef; border-bottom: 1px;width:200px;" |Ship
!style="background: #efefef; border-bottom: 1px;width:200px;" |Route
|-
|rowspan="1"|{{flag icon|Finland}} [[Silja Line]]
|rowspan="1"|''[[MS Baltic Princess]]''
|rowspan="1"|Turku – Mariehamn/Långnäs – Stockholm
|-
|rowspan="2"|{{flag icon|Finland}} [[Viking Line]]
|rowspan="1"|''[[MS Viking Grace]]''
|rowspan="2"|Turku – Mariehamn/Långnäs – Stockholm
|-
|rowspan="1"|''[[MS Viking Glory]]''
|}

===Importance===
Because of the port's location at the southwestern corner of Finland the harbour provides the most efficient route to serve the [[Baltic Sea]].  Turku Harbour is one of the most important shipment points in the country, handling over four million [[tonne]]s of [[cargo]] and a corresponding four million passengers per year.

As a comparison to [[Helsinki-Vantaa Airport]]; Turku handles one third as many passengers per year, but thirty times as much freight annually.

Daily passenger [[ferry]] traffic is operated from Turku to [[Åland]] and [[Stockholm]].  Weekly ferry destinations include [[Travemünde]], [[Hamburg]], [[Lübeck]], [[Antwerp]], [[Harwich]] and [[Paldiski]]. There are also less frequent connections to popular holiday destinations such as [[St Malo]] and several cities in [[Spain]]. The most important operators of ferry services are [[Silja Line]] and [[Viking Line]].

==District==
'''Port of Turku''' ([[Finnish language|Finnish]] ''Turun satama''; [[Finland-Swedish|Swedish]] ''Åbo hamn'') is also the name of a [[districts of Turku|district of Turku]], with boundaries roughly corresponding with those of the port's area. {{As of|2004}}, the district had a registered residential population of forty-four people.

The port is mentioned in the [[Arab]] [[geographer]] [[Muhammad al-Idrisi]]'s 1154 book ''[[Kitab Rudjdjar]]'', reflecting Turku's status as a capital city and major [[Baltic Sea]] trading post.

==Railway==
[[File:Turun sataman rautatieasema toukokuussa 2024.jpg|thumb|right|Turku Harbour railway and coach stations]]
'''Turku Harbour''' railway station is located adjacent to the main passenger-ferry berths used by the ferries to Stockholm in Sweden and has two full-length tracks arranged with a central platform between them.   Passengers walk directly off the platform and onto the car-park and bus-station area in front of the ferry terminals.

Most traffic to the station is by people wishing to board a ship at the port and the services are timed to overlap with the ferries berthing times.  The station has direct boat-train services to [[Helsinki]] and towards [[Pieksämäki]] (terminating or starting in [[Tampere]]). All services to and from Turku Harbour call at [[Turku Central railway station]].  The three kilometre journey between the two stations takes around seven minutes, involving the slow-speed crossing of several main roads with [[level crossing]]s, passing the city's residential and industrial areas.

The phrase '''Turku Harbour''' is the semi-official English name of the [[railway station]], being used in English-language timetables and "next stop" announcements on board [[VR Group|VR]] trains.

Note that although the station has direct through [[sleeping car]] services to [[Rovaniemi]] and [[Kolari]] in the north of Finland, passengers using the [[autorack|car-carrying]] trains are required to drive into the centre of the town to load their vehicles at [[Turku Central railway station]] where appropriate ramps are installed.

===Cargo===
[[File:Turku_Schenker_logistics_terminal.jpg|thumb|Logistics terminal in vicinity of the seaport. Under enlargement construction.]]
Turku was{{clarify|date=August 2019}} the only port in Finland with a [[train ferry]] service.  Between June 1989 and December 2011 [[SeaWind Line]] provided a limited [[train ferry]] operation for cargo.<ref name="egtre-turku">{{cite web|url=http://egtre.info/wiki/Border_Crossings:_Finland_-_Sweden|work=Enthusiast's Guide to Travelling the Railways of Europe|title=Border Crossings: Finland - Sweden|quote=Turku/Åbo VR - Stockholm Värtan TRV [D] Freight only. Train Ferry ([[SeaWind Line|Sea Wind Line]]). Opened 13 June 1989. Closed 31 December 2011. Equipment for [[bogie exchange|bogie replacement]] in Turku.|date=6 November 2016|accessdate=19 July 2017}}</ref> Because of the gauge difference between Finland ([[5 ft and 1520 mm gauge railways|1,524&nbsp;mm]]) and the rest of Europe ([[Standard-gauge railway|1,435&nbsp;mm]]), through service was using special [[variable gauge]] rolling stock.  The tracks in Stockholm and on the ferry itself were standard gauge, with a short section of standard gauge in the harbour area to enable hauling the wagons off the ferry before the gauge of the axles was altered using [[bogie exchange]].

== See also ==
* [[Ports of the Baltic Sea]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927175255/http://www.port.turku.fi/ Port of Turku] website.
*VR (Finnish National Railways) information, [https://web.archive.org/web/20071109043248/https://www.vr.fi/heo/eng/asemat/asemat.htm Turku [Central] Railway Station].

{{Turku 1 districts}}
{{Railway stations in Southwest Finland}}

{{coord|60.435278|N|22.219784|E|display=title}}

[[Category:Railway stations in Southwest Finland]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of Finland|Turku]]
[[Category:Districts of Turku]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Turku]]