Helsinki | A sign appeared at the railway station warning of falling glass – The expert reassures

Helsinki at the main train station, there is a warning about glass falling from the canopy of the platform area.

Do I have to be afraid that when rushing to catch a train, you can get glass on your neck?

The warning and the fencing have been put up just to be sure, says the area manager of track maintenance at the Norwegian Railways Agency Antero Kaukonen. Last week, one of the glass panels on the roof fell onto the pier.

According to Kaukonen, the fence is not at the glass pane that fell last week, but under another, previously broken glass pane. Both of these are supposed to be repaired at the same time.

Last besides the glass that fell during the week, at least in 2019 one of the sheets of the canopy fell on the R-train that was on the platform. Also between 2019 and 2024, according to Kaukonen, at least one glass has broken.

Kaukonen cannot say how many glass panels have been broken in total in recent years.

“They haven’t caused major damage, so we haven’t counted them in the calendar. I’d say there’s nothing to worry about.”

Last the glass panel that fell during the week did not cause any damage, as the platform was empty.

According to Kaukonen, the reason for the broken glass is unknown. He considers it unlikely that the glass would have broken, for example, due to the force of an external object.

Instead, he thinks that it could be, for example, a manufacturing error in the glass sheet or the canopy moving.

“It’s a challenging equation to figure out.”

The views and investigations of the Finnish Railways Agency are still ongoing. It’s not quite simple, because the electric voltage of the train track has to be cut off while walking on the roof.

Kaukonen does not think that the panels need to be replaced. According to him, they are checked regularly, and not a single panel has yet been replaced.

“The glasses sit in a steel frame. As long as the structure doesn’t move, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

The station skylights are tempered glass designed to break into shards when dropped. I did this so that the whole glass wouldn’t fall on anyone walking on the platform.

Regional manager of the maintenance of the Finnish Railways Agency Eero Liehu told for HS last weekthat the glass panels of the canopy of the wharf area have been inspected again this year.

The inspections have focused especially on surfaces where glass and structures meet. The latest glass fall will also be taken into account in the inspection.

So far, no problems have been found that would require immediate measures, Liehu commented.