Original subtitles

Join us on an extraordinary journey through one of the world's

most northern countries.

On a railway line that penetrates the thickest of forests...

..passes vast frozen lakes...

..and runs all year round, no matter how tough the conditions.

It's extremely hard work.

A route that endures freezing temperatures...

We are crazy, we are Finnish, so that's normal.

..and has suffered extraordinary destruction.

The Germans felt betrayed.

On their way out, they destroyed everything.

We'll meet the people who live and work

along this very special train line.

This is no ordinary railway journey.

This is one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world...

..Finland.

Finland, the hidden gem of Northern Europe.

During winter, a fairy tale landscape of snow and ice.

Our rail trip begins in the capital, Helsinki, at its magnificent

Art Nouveau Central Station.

Waiting at the platform is our intercity train

with a powerful Sr2 locomotive and double-deck passenger coaches,

powered by overhead electricity

and capable of producing 6,100 kilowatts,

or over 8,000 horsepower,

it can reach speeds of up to 130mph.

Our journey will take us from Helsinki on the south coast,

to Kemijarvi in the far north.

The first stage is through Finland's lake district to Mikkeli,

and then onto the city of Kuopio.

At Lake Oulujarvi, we travel north west

towards Oulu and the Baltic Sea.

From there, we skirt the icy coastline before turning inland

for Rovaniemi, Lapland's capital.

After more than 600 miles, we'll arrive at our destination

inside the Arctic Circle.

It's winter, and even though our train is departing at 8.38 in the morning,

Helsinki is so far north, it's still dark.

Our conductor on board today is Joseph.

Now we are going with a double-deck intercity train

and the capacity of this train is about 600.

This part of our trip is from Helsinki to Mikkeli,

a two-and-a-half-hour journey through a wintry wonderland.

It may look cold outside,

but there's always hot Finnish delicacies on offer.

I'm working in the restaurant car

and we make some coffee and tea for the customers

and some meatballs.

Meatballs and mash might be recognised the world over,

but not that much is known about the Finns themselves.

Finnish people are maybe a bit shy and nice, polite, very honest,

and we do our best to help you.

Outside, the wide, flat landscape is soon hidden by forest,

with three quarters of the countryside,

almost 90,000 square miles,

covered in woodland, it's a view our passengers soon get used to.

I picked up this place here in the upper floor

so that I can look at the scenery.

Because if I'm downstairs, there are only trees, trees, trees.

Now I can see the scenery here.

But if the view doesn't interest you,

you can always visit the train's dedicated playroom.

Isla loves travelling in the train.

ISLA SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY

On board today are a mixture of families, tourists and commuters.

I live in Helsinki, but I work in Kuopio.

So, I take this train, like, once a week.

We just really loved travelling by train. Yeah.

And, yeah, especially during the winter, it's really beautiful.

Among the passengers is Finnish rail historian Sakari Salu.

When Finland got its first railway, 1862,

we were a part of Russian Empire.

This time it was very hard time for Finnish people.

We had very, very cold summers and people were suffering.

During the 1860s, when the early railways were being built,

Finland was in the midst of a devastating famine.

They were hungry and there were many diseases

because people were not in strong health.

And there were many people who died.

Half a century later, in 1917,

Finland gained its independence from Russia.

But even today, its trains still retain the wider Russian gauge.

The impetus behind the new railways was economic

to support what was then Finland's most important industry, timber.

First, it was only the raw material which was transported

to foreign countries.

Nowadays, the wood is still one of our main materials.

At its height, pulp, paper and wood from Finland's forests

made up 80% of its exports,

most of it transported to the coast by train.

So, we can say that our forests are good for the railways...

..and the economy.

Passengers, next stop Mikkeli.

I hope a nice day to everyone who is getting off in Mikkeli.

From Mikkeli a branch line takes

you past a disused station that's almost literally frozen in time.

I call this place my time capsule.

This is our station's office.

This is interop system from 1956,

the only in Finland working.

There are now green light for a train, which is going south.

Rail enthusiast Pietari bought Kalvitsa's old railway buildings

in 2009 and has worked hard to take it back to its heyday.

This was empty building. when I bought this

and now this is a bit like wonderland from '60s.

I'm a little boy here again.

This is Telex.

It's like e-mail today.

In railways, they could send messages using this.

PHONE RINGS

This telephone system is from '70s and it's fully working.

These chairs are from '60s, from Finnish trains.

These are from 65 and these from 1960.

And people can sit and drink coffee or tea.

In fact, Pietari's vintage station cafe has proved so popular

it's become the social hub of the village.

I think this cafe is unique in a way, like,

where can you find places like this?

This place reminds people that older times were happy times.

As our train heads north, it now enters the heart of Finland,

a place filled with vast frozen lakes and forests

where man has had to learn to live hand in hand with nature.

Finnish look after the forest and forest look after that Finnish.

We're at the second stage of our train journey through Finland.

From Helsinki, we travelled 170 miles to Mikkeli.

Now we continue north towards the city of Kuopio.

Even though Finland is about 25% bigger than the UK,

its population is just 5.5 million,

making it one of the most sparsely populated countries in Europe.

So, there's plenty of space.

The quietness and just the nature.

And the fact you don't see in any houses for a long time when you travel,

I think that's something that is special and worth preserving.

On either side of the tracks,

enormous pine, spruce and birch forests stretch into the distance.

Over half are privately owned.

In fact, one in ten Finns own a forest.

My family has lived here in this area about 320 years.

Jukka Karvonen is the descendant of at least ten

generations of foresters.

This is my family and my relatives here.

In this picture, we see very heavy logs, very big logs.

They only have their hands to carry them over 100 kilos.

Just have to...

You can see how hard work it was.

Even as a young boy, Jukka was soon put to work.

These trees, I plant them when I was ten years old.

It was hard work to have to stay here and plant this forest.

Over three days, Jukka planted more than 1,000 saplings.

When you look at it now,

I don't regret that I have this few days working here.

I'm proud of it.

It's makes me some way emotional.

But they still are young trees.

It will be another 20 years before Jukka's trees are ready

to be cut down.

Something, rather surprisingly for a forester,

he's not looking forward to.

When you know that yourself you planted it.

They were so small and they are now so big.

I have to fight it inside me with myself, what shall I do this forest?

Do I cut it or do I let it grow?

But as planting trees is always a long-term investment,

Jukka probably won't have to make that decision.

When you think about forestry owning,

we don't work for ourself, but those who come after us.

My grandparents plants the trees I harvest

and I plant the trees my grandchild harvest.

For Jukka, forestry is not only in HIS blood,

but also Finland's.

Finnish people have the most emotional contact in the land.

I can say that Finnish are safe in forest.

Finnish look after the forest and forest look after the Finnish.

When you have forest, it gives you perspective for your whole life.

Working as a forester is tough and demanding, especially

since the best time to fell trees is in the depths of winter.

Luckily, over the past 40 years, the equipment has improved.

This takes care of everything.

It's so much easier today with these modern machines to do

the job which I am doing now.

100 years ago, it took at least two lumberjacks one hour

to cut down and load a large spruce.

Now to fell, de-limb, cut to length...

..and load takes just over a minute.

There was a little bit of broken wood. I take that away.

I love my work, it's like a jet operator.

Today, 25% of Finland's timber

is still transported to the paper mills and ports by train.

Our own journey has now reached the lakeside city of Kuopio,

four hours north of Helsinki.

Kuopio is really a charming, small city and

it's surrounded by Lake Kallavesi,

so you see water almost everywhere.

There are more than 188,000 lakes in Finland.

But during the winter, most of them are covered in around

half a metre of ice.

Those white places, they are lakes.

But if you don't know that they are lakes,

you could imagine they are fields.

We are used to it.

People think that it is not winter unless it is cold.

During the year, temperatures in Finland can range from minus 30

to over 30 degrees Celsius.

We have a real winter,

we have real summer.

We have real autumn and a real spring.

Whatever the season, though, the Finns do love a sauna.

And a short walk from the Kuopio station

brings you to one of the city's busiest.

Saunas are so popular in Finland that there are more than two million

across the country.

Almost one for every two Finns.

And once you've warmed up, it's time for a refreshing dip...

..even when Lake Kallavesi's frozen over.

The temperature is right now, I think it's lower than zero.

And it's quite cold.

A pump has to be used to keep the icy waters moving.

Without it, the surface would soon freeze.

Some people, they think I'm crazy a little bit.

I think it's quite traditional for Finnish people.

Finns, though, swear by the healing effects of a hot sauna

followed by a cold plunge.

I feel very well when I do this.

I feel more alive.

I have done this about 20 years.

Said to increase blood flow

and reduce aches and pains, as well as release a flood of endorphins,

around 100,000 Finns take a sauna and ice-cold dip like this

at least once a week.

We are crazy. We are Finnish.

So that's normal.

Just a mile and a half from Kuopio station

is the city's most famous landmark, Puijo Tower.

Opened in 1963 and 75 metres high, a revolving restaurant at the top

offers diners fine Finnish food

as well as a 360-degree view

of the lake, forests and ski jumps.

This goes around like once per every hour,

so the rotation of the restaurant is one hour, so

you can see different scenery when you're having a nice dinner here.

The food that we serve here at Puijo Tower Restaurant

is all locally produced, at least from Finland.

We forage mushrooms, wild herbs, and then all the fish comes

from the lake that's surrounding us.

Fishing in lakes and foraging in forests for wild mushrooms

and arctic berries is a popular pastime across the whole of Finland.

And today we are serving our main course up of a white perch

from Lake Kallavesi. So, about 3km away from here.

and the garnish for that is the potato.

And the potatoes come from about 15km away.

And it's served also with pickled carrots

and a chevril butter sauce.

It's been really nice to know just how much people actually appreciate

the local ingredients and kind of traditional recipes.

After Kuopio, our double-decker inter city continues north,

travelling through Finland's lake district towards the Kainuu region,

around the top of Lake Oulujarvi and on towards the city of Olou

and the Baltic coast.

It is pretty much forests and lakes, but the lakes are spectacular.

With an area of 358 square miles,

Lake Oulujarvi is more than 66 times

the size of England's biggest, Windermere,

and it's only the fifth largest in Finland.

We have one of the biggest lakes.

Somebody says that it's a kind of sea, but it's only a lake.

Pasi grew up near the shores of Lake Oulujarvi.

This is a beach. We always swimming in the summertime.

I think that this very beautiful landscapes in here.

We have many hills, lakes and rivers in this area.

The lakes and rivers may look beautiful even in winter.

But for the builders of this section of railway, they were a nightmare.

It takes so many years to build this

because there are many rivers to bridge

and of course, we have many swamps.

The line between here and the coast is just over 100 miles long.

But because the terrain is so awkward,

it took five years to complete.

Today, though, all the hard work's forgotten

and our fellow passengers simply enjoy the view.

Every time I pass lakes, it's like every time you get,

like, a different kind of a scenery and it's beautiful.

Four hours and 17 minutes after leaving Kuopio,

our train arrives in the city of Olou.

It's also the base for the region's biggest rail yard.

This depot is running 24-7, 365 days per year.

So, basically, we are always here for maintaining trains.

After travelling the icy lakes and snow-covered forests

of central Finland,

it's time for our train to receive some much-needed attention.

I am taking snow off the train.

It takes, like, one hour to two hours to clean one sector.

Despite appearances, the vast amount of snow and ice stuck to the bottom

of the train is not a problem for Yoonas and his team.

Basically, with the snow and ice, we are fine,

but the humidity in, like,

an air system is quite a big problem for us.

Over our 650-mile journey north from Helsinki to Lapland,

the outside temperature will drop so much

that it can cause major brake failure.

Finland is a quite long country that when we start

running from Helsinki it could be like plus five.

And when you end up, it could be minus 40.

That's quite difficult for us.

But because brakes are working by air

and if we have water or humidity in the brake systems

those will get ice.

If there is condensation or ice in the air brake system,

our train's wheels could lock.

And then we have problems.

But it's not only the trains that need regular maintenance.

In Britain, even a sprinkling of snow can cause delays.

But here in northern Finland, it's a very different story.

Our job is to keep the train moving.

Keep the snow off the rails, switches, level crossing.

With temperatures often as low as minus 30,

Yuha and his colleagues must check and clear every mile of track.

We're sing the excavators plus a snow blower.

It's extremely hard work.

All weather, all day.

Once the train and tracks are clear of ice, it's time for us to leave

Olou and head north into Lapland...

..and across the Arctic Circle.

Our train journey through Finland has now reached Lapland...

..the country's most northern region.

Our first stop is the town of Kemi

before we turn to the northeast for the Arctic Circle

and Lapland's capital, Rovaniemi.

Kemi is the base for enormous icebreakers,

and just a mile from the railway station,

the world's biggest snow castle.

This castle, it is made from sea water.

There is about six million litres of water in this castle.

This far north, it's so cold that the giant SnowCastle

can be built out of sea water.

We need minus 70 so we can take the water from the sea just nearby

and take it through the pumps.

And - PRSH - with the pressure, we can make the mountain of snow.

The buildings, that can be as large as 20,000 square metres,

are then created by spraying the snow

over enormous inflatable bubbles.

And we are putting the snow on the top of the forms

and then we wait a little bit and then we take the forms off.

For example, this one, it has been a very, very big ball

and it was full of air.

And then they are putting the snow on the top.

And after the snow is hard,

they are just - PIEU - taking the air off

and take the ball off and we get a castle shaped like this.

The SnowCastle even has its very own snow chapel.

This place we are now, it is our small church.

And every year here in SnowCastle,

many couples are getting married.

That means that your heart is very warm

if you are getting married here.

Whether it's in the bedroom or the bar,

each wall has been decorated with imaginative ice carvings.

And every carving, they have some meaning, which they are carving.

And this one here, it is a tree of life, which is connecting

all the people all over the world

because it is in our mythology here in Finland, it is in Vikings,

it is in Bible and it is in China and India, everywhere.

Everything here is either made from snow or carved out of ice,

including the drinking cups.

Once the visitors have left, keeping the castle snow white,

even after a spilt coffee, involves a lot more than a quick wipe down.

But like all good things, the SnowCastle

will eventually come to an end.

And in this case, when the weather warms up around mid April.

And what is the best of SnowCastle is that all the snow,

you can see, is recycled.

So, when the summer is coming, we have to crash this one.

And we are putting it back to sea and then next year

we are taking it back.

After Kemi, our train journey leaves the coast and heads inland

towards the capital of Lapland,

Rovaniemi.

Located 66 degrees north, the city is right on the edge

of the Arctic Circle.

75 years ago, though, Rovaniemi station was at the very centre

of an enormous explosion.

Local guide Frank explains what happened.

We have to talk a bit about the war history, the Second World War.

In 1941, Finland,

terrified that the Soviet Union might invade from the east,

decided to join forces with Germany.

There are quite many Germans living in this town.

Actually, the town doubled in size during the Second World War

because all the soldiers,

they had to live somewhere, dare to eat somewhere.

So, for local shopkeepers, this was a great thing.

By June 1944, though, the German army was on the back foot

and the Russians on the offensive.

In 1944, we knew that the Germans were going to lose the war.

So Finland had to find a solution with Russia.

And so we made a peace agreement.

Unfortunately, there were over 200,000 German soldiers

in Finland at the time.

And feeling betrayed, they weren't leaving without a fight.

This is not the original Rovaniemi station.

The station that we had before was blown up.

The original station, there was ammunition train parked next to it.

And when the train blew up, that explosion was enormous.

The previous station just disappeared completely.

Was it the Germans who blew it up?

Was it the Finnish army who blew it up?

We still don't know.

The station wasn't the only casualty of the German withdrawal.

When the Germans retreated, they destroyed the whole city.

It was either burned or bombed.

So, over 90% of the buildings in this town were destroyed.

When the first people arrived after the Germans have left,

they called this town the Chimney Point

because the chimneys were the only things left standing.

All the wooden houses were either bombed or burned down.

Once the war was over, Finland's most famous architect, Alvar Aalto,

was given the task of rebuilding Rovaniemi.

But besides designing the actual buildings,

he also designed the layout of the town.

And it was while planning the layout that Aalto noticed

something unusual, that the land, roads, rivers and railways

created the shape of a reindeer's head.

So, as the reindeer is the symbol of Lapland, Rovaniemi, its capital,

it was worth highlighting.

It's quite cool.

It really looks like a reindeer.

And over here we see the eye of the reindeer,

that is the soccer stadium.

Today, it has grown into a sprawling city of 63,000 people

with the majestic Lumberjack's Candle Bridge

dominating its skyline.

Aalto's reindeer head is now absorbed into the surrounding suburbs.

I think people at Rovaniemi, they do know about it,

but it's not really well known, I would say.

I think if somebody moved to Rovaniemi, they would be not aware

that actually the street map is modelled after a reindeer.

The world-renowned architect Alvar Aalto

may have had a sense of fun,

but just five miles north of his new station...

there's the official Arctic residence

of someone even more fun loving -

Santa Claus.

I'm here at my office every day of the year.

I'm meeting visitors and my friends.

People are coming here with their wishes and dreams

and we are talking here and they have some fun here.

My favourite day of the year?

I think it's every day when I see happy people.

And I think I see happy people here every day.

As well as welcoming over half a million visitors

to his Arctic home each year,

Santa also receives another half a million letters

from around the world.

Oh, some nice letters.

This is from Italy.

I think that's me.

Every letter addressed to Father Christmas ends up here.

Well, this is Santa Claus' main post office.

And I'm a post elf.

And with so many letters to read, Santa's elves don't just make toys.

Our elves, they are very well-behaved and hardworking.

In these piles, here, I have letter from, for example, Italy

and United Kingdom, piles from Germany, United States, Switzerland.

The letters to Santa Claus, they come from all over the world.

He has received letters from over 200 countries.

So, we are definitely not sitting with our feet up.

But it's not just elves that are kept busy.

When they're not pulling Santa, Rudolph and his fellow reindeers

are happy to take you out for a spin through the snow.

And if you can't make it on the train journey to Santa's home,

don't worry, you won't be forgotten.

Now, you, I mean just you there.

I remember you have been quite good last year,

but I hope you're going to be good this year too.

So, behave and have fun.

See you at Christmas.

We're now only 54 miles from our final destination.

And as we venture across the Arctic Circle,

we have a first-class view.

When the sun is rising, it's beautiful.

Yes, I love it, my job.

We are now at the final stage of our epic train journey through Finland.

From Rovaniemi, we will travel 54 miles northeast towards the town

of Kemijarvi, a gateway to Lapland's wild open spaces.

It's 7am and minus 18 degrees.

Our river, Mikko, is about to carry out his final checks.

Yeah, everything looks OK.

PHONE RINGS

SPEAKS IN OWN LANGUAGE

CONTROL:

We're good to go now.

Soon sparks fly as our electric train rushes through the ice and snow.

This time of the year, the typical temperature is running

between minus 15 and minus 35 degrees.

Over the next hour, Mikko will drive our train through some

of Finland's most stunning scenery.

Yeah, it's nice to drive the train when the sun is rising.

It's beautiful.

Yes, I love it, my job.

The surrounding forests might seem quiet,

but our driver can't afford to be complacent.

I need to keep my focus on the railways all the time

because we have lots of animals here.

In Lapland, there are around 200,000 reindeer roaming through the snowy woodland.

Very often, we see reindeers on the track.

Very dangerous accidents happen too, often.

No reindeers on the track so far.

And that is good.

Today, our train provides a vital link

between Lapland's capital, Rovaniemi,

and the small lakeside town of Kemijarvi,

a place so dependent on the railway that its economy would soon collapse

if the track were closed.

A few years ago, though, the government decided

to do just that.

In 2005, there was a horrible news in the radio and TV.

They will have stopped all train traffic from Rovaniemi

to Kemijarvi.

No goods traffic, no timber traffic.

Everything stopped.

Economically, problems.

Problems with tourists.

Everything.

It was horrible news, what's happened. Oh, boy.

With new electric trains being introduced throughout the country,

this old track would need converting.

But as far as the government-run railways are concerned,

it simply wasn't worth it.

They say that it's too expensive.

We felt that the government had forgot us.

That was the feeling.

Realising the end of the railway would be a catastrophe

for their town, the locals decided to fight back.

Two businesswomen began to contact, everywhere, politics, media

and then began the railway rebellion.

The message was to government,

"Don't forget Lapland, don't cut the railways off from Lapland.

"We need the railways."

Despite their pleas, the government decided they could afford

to forget Lapland.

In December, 2006, the last train from Kemijarvi left the station.

A very sad day.

Abandoned by the government, Kemijarvi

and its 7,500 residents now faced a very uncertain future.

With the local economy crashing,

young residents began to leave.

It was clear the small town was dying.

Then two years later, something unexpected happened.

First March, 2008, a new fine night train came to Kemijarvi.

And it was a wonderful festival in Kemijarvi.

It was so positive.

A very great surprise.

Their railway rebellion HAD made an impression after all.

The railway station was full of people.

Hundreds of hundred people

were welcoming the new night train from Helsinki.

It was a miracle.

The town of Kemijarvi was finally back on the rail map.

We are now approaching to Kemijarvi.

And it's our last stop.

In schedule, right on time.

For Kemijarvi, the train is the town's main link

to the outside world.

In fact, anyone who moves here is known as a Junantuomat,

a train traveller like Tytti.

So, we are now on top of Suoma,

it's the ski resort here in Kemijarvi.

And it's our diamond.

Like our own train journey, Tytti left the busy streets and crowds

of Helsinki and travelled north through Finland

to enjoy the wild beauty of Lapland.

You can see the lakes forests.

It's just something that you cannot explain by words.

You have to experience that.

Here, even the trees are different than the other places.

Here you can see all the trees are covered by snow.

This is my paradise here.

So I never could imagine to leave this place.

It's a kind of relaxing way of life.

In Finland, everyone is allowed to roam wherever they wish.

It's known as the Everyman's Rights.

And here, in Kemijarvi,

there's so much space and so few people,

just two for every square kilometre,

you can walk across enormous frozen lakes

without meeting a single soul.

It's not crowded here like in Helsinki.

So it's totally different.

Kemijarvi might be literally the end of the line,

but with its wide-open landscapes and little light pollution,

there's also a good chance of spotting one of nature's

most extraordinary displays.

For the first time when I saw the northern lights,

I was walking with my dogs and suddenly I looked up onto the sky

and there their were.

In Lapland, the aurora borealis can be seen on clear nights any time

between September and March.

The northern lights, they were really dancing.

It was amazing.

Our train has travelled the length of a country through some

of the harshest conditions.

A route that was not only essential for foresters,

but also the economy and success of Finland.

Providing a vital link between remote communities

in some of the most stunning winter landscapes.

The trip from Helsinki to the Arctic Circle,

a journey taken straight out of the perfect picture book.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media