In the past, several European countries had railway lines dedicated to transporting the deceased by train to cemeteries located several dozen kilometers from large cities. The most well-known such line operated in London. A similar railway line—or rather, a spur—existed in Finland.
In 1894, a cemetery was established in Malmi, about 11.5 kilometers from central Helsinki. Due to the distance from the capital, a 2-kilometer branch line was constructed from Malmi railway station, and three years later a separate cemetery station was built. The total length of the line from Malmi Station was 2,302 meters plus a 194-meter siding at the cemetery station.
As early as February 1895, trains from Helsinki to the cemetery began operating. Initially, trains ran twice a week, later increasing to five times a week. The steam-powered train consisted of two carriages for the deceased and four carriages for cemetery workers, funeral company staff, and mourners. The trains were operated by Finnish Railways on behalf of the Lutheran parish. At the cemetery, the train would wait until the funeral ceremonies were completed, after which the passengers returned to the city. Starting in 1921, separate trains were used to transport the bodies and the mourners.
In the early 1950s, a debate arose about the high cost of rail transport, especially as road transport was developing. For economic reasons, the number of trains gradually decreased. The final train operated in the second half of December 1954 (the exact date is unknown).
In 1956, 1,560 meters of track were dismantled to make room for a parking lot next to the cemetery. Until the 1970s, a 400-meter section of the line leading to storage facilities remained.
Today, no trace of the tracks remains. The building of the former cemetery station still stands, a bike path now runs along the former rail embankment, and the former Harju mortuary in Helsinki—from which trains departed starting in the 1920s—is now a youth hostel (trains departed from the mortuary but returned to Helsinki Central Station).
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