A test train on the Finnish railway departed from St. Petersburg on June 22, 1869, heading for Pargolovo station. Construction of Finland station in the Russian capital was completed six months later under the supervision of the man who had won the contract for the job, the Vyborg merchant Pavel Yakovlev. The station was designed by civil engineer P. Kupinsky. The Finland station we know today was built in 1955 – 1960 to the design of architects P. Ashashtina, N. Baranova, and Y. Lukin, and engineer I. Rybina.

In the 1970s, a new building was erected on the site of the old station, preserving a small memorial fragment of its predecessor.

The fate of the Finland station is intimately intertwined with the life of the city.

Two plaques designed by architect Y. Kuznetsov were installed in 1965 depicting Vladimir Lenin’s clandestine trips to the city in 1905–1906 and his meeting with workers in 1917 upon his return from self-imposed exile. A metal plaque on the façade was installed in 1970 to commemorate the opening of the Riihimäki – Saint Petersburg railway, written in Russian and Finnish. In April 1961, Locomotive H2 293 – the train on which Lenin illegally crossed the Russia – Finland border on two separate occasions – was put on display on the platform.

During the Siege of Leningrad, Finland station was the only train station in the city that continued operations, as it was the starting point of the Road of Life train route. The first train from the mainland after the blockade was broken arrived on February 7, 1943.

The station underwent reconstruction and major repair works in the run-up to the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg. The building’s façade was renovated, the utility rooms and platforms were upgraded, the roof was completely replaced, the stained-glass windows on the station façade were removed for newer windows, the clock tower was repaired and parts of it were replaced, the floors were overhauled, the surrounding territory was beautified, and the shopping area in the station was renovated. Work was also carried out to repair and upgrade the water supply and sewerage systems, heating and ventilation, the electric lighting and electricity supply system, and the communications and signalling devices.

Since April 2007, Finland station has been part of the North-West Regional Directorate of the Directorate of Railway stations.