The Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (Finnish: Helsingin seudun liikenne, HSL; Swedish: Helsingforsregionens trafik, HRT) is the inter-municipal authority that maintains the public transportation network of the nine municipalities of Greater Helsinki, Finland.
HSL oversees the operation of all of Helsinki's public transportation. The system consists of local buses, trams, metro trains, ferries, commuter trains, and bikeshare.
The Helsinki capital region (Finnish: pääkaupunkiseutu, Swedish: huvudstadsregion) is the area formed by the cities of Espoo, Helsinki, Kauniainen and Vantaa in Finland. The area is limited around Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The area is located in the southern part of Finland on the shores of the Gulf of Finland and is an important growth centre with a population of 1.3 million.
The municipalities of the capital region have a legal obligation to cooperate in the areas of waste management and public transport, with HSL being responsible for public transport and HSY for waste management and water supply. Municipalities other than the four capital region municipalities may also be members of the association of municipalities. HSL has Kirkkonummi, Kerava, Tuusula, Sipoo from the Helsinki metropolitan area and Siuntio from outside the area, and Kirkkonummi for the waste management of HSY.
The Market Square (Finnish: Kauppatori, Swedish: Salutorget) is a central square in Helsinki, Finland. It is located in central Helsinki, at the eastern end of Esplanadi and bordering the Baltic Sea to the south and Katajanokka to the east. HSL maintains a year-round ferry link from Market Square to Suomenlinna, and in the summer there are also private companies providing ferry cruises, both to Suomenlinna and to other nearby islands. The Presidential Palace, Helsinki City Hall, Swedish Embassy and the Stora Enso Headquarters building (designed by Alvar Aalto) are all located adjacent to Market Square.
From spring to autumn, the Market Square is active with vendors selling fresh Finnish food and souvenirs. There are also many outdoor cafés at the square. Some cafés also provide meat pastries (Finnish: lihapiirakka).
Helsinki commuter rail (Finnish: Helsingin seudun lähijunaliikenne, Swedish: Huvudstadsregionens närtrafik) is a commuter rail system serving the Helsinki metropolitan area. The system is managed by the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) and operations are contracted out to VR at least until 2031.
The system operates on four railway lines and comprises 13 services, all of which terminate at Helsinki Central Station. Within the HSL region, tickets and timetables are fully integrated with other modes of public transport. Some VR commuter rail services extend into the HSL region, and HSL tickets are used instead of VR ones when travelling entirely within the HSL region. Both parties discontinued onboard ticket sales in 2017.