The Helsinki Central railway station
Stadin sydän

Starting point
The Central railway station is not only a national treasure, an iconic landmark and a several times as the most beautiful railway station awarded architectural gem, but also by far the busiest building and business location of Finland. Every Finn knows the Central railway station of Helsinki, and the stone men guarding the main entrance.

As we started our partnership, this well-known and emotive brand didn’t have a clear direction nor a holistic plan to promote sustainability. It had maintained its position through conscientious care and keeping up with the times but was also full of potential for more – from the viewpoint of tourists, residents, owners, and the urban culture of Helsinki as a whole.

In today’s online world, which is vital for the service experience, the Central railway station relied almost entirely on visitors’ stories and mentions on travel sites or articles. It had no website nor active social media channels.

Our brand film for the Central railway station and its partners articulates the station’s iconic position at the heart of our nation

Solution
To lead the Central railway station to its second century with the best condition of its existence, a development program was launched in the station’s Property Unit. But the planning, strategies, programs and visions can’t turn into decisions, changes, achievements and impact until the society is inspired to take part.

Because of its cultural and historical value, from the start we have involved stakeholders to the project in a large scale, for example Museovirasto, Helsinki City, architectural community and of course the customers of the Central railway station. Extensive stakeholder surveys and a materiality assessment were carried out as a base for the sustainability program. The program itself focuses not only on zero emission mobility but also on minimizing the Station’s own environmental and climate impact, creating an equal experience of safe space for all, increasing transparency, and promoting awareness of the building’s cultural and historical uniqueness. Channels for communication and dialogue have been used according to situation and need, from Power Point presentations to events and social media channels.

The online presence of the Central Railway Station has been built step by step. In addition to launching the service website and taking over the social media, attention has also been paid to the accuracy of the information on the service sites used by tourists.

The visual identity we have designed for the Central railway station is repeated in all marketing and communication

Results

According to the latest visitor survey, the image of the Central railway station has clearly moved to the right direction. The station is most appreciated for its architectural value and its new restaurants.

The website, päärautatieasema.fi, which has also won an award at the Finnish Web Awards, has in two years reached a position where it already serves more than 50,000 visitors a year.

On Instagram and Facebook, the Central railway station’s social media content reaches tens of thousands of people every month. In just a couple of years of its existence, the Central railway station’s social media accounts have already gathered a highly engaged following group of thousands of people.