Oulu–Kontiomäki railway

Oulu–Kontiomäki railway is a railway line in Finland. The line is owned and maintained by the Finnish Rail Administration. It connects the city of Oulu to Kontiomäki station, which is a junction of five railway lines in Paltamo municipality, approximately 26 kilometres (16 mi) north from the city of Kajaani. The line is single-tracked and electrified with a total length of 166.1 kilometres (103.2 mi). The traffic is controlled via centralized traffic control by the operator located in Oulu rail traffic control center at Oulu railway station.

Starting from Oulu, the line extends eastward, generally following the southern bank of Oulu River until it reaches Vaala station, where the line crosses over the river. From thereon, the line runs on the north side of Lake Oulujärvi, only reaching the lakeshore briefly in Paltamo and following the north shore before reaching Kontiomäki station.

The electrification was taken in commercial service on December 1, 2006, the power was turned on on October 1, 2006. First commercial electric-powered trains ran on November 1, 2006. The maximum allowed speed is 140 kilometres per hour (87 mph) in passenger service, and 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) in freight service.

Centralized traffic control installation was completed and taken in service in 1998.