Haapamäki railway station's transformation into a junction station was a major turning point in the development of the station. The number of the State Railways staff at Haapamäki rose to 200. An enormous staff was required to deal with traffic, rolling stock, and the tracks themselves around the clock. Traffic was run from the station, which had several clerks and other workers working there. In addition to the engineer and conductor, trains had a lot of other staff on them, as well. The central storehouse for wood used as fuel for the steam locomotives was located in Haapamäki; this provided work for many locals. The wood was hauled to the station's wood yard by sledge from the surrounding forests and some were even shipped from nearby stations by train. Chopping the wood and loading it into the tender required a large workforce. One load of wood was enough for a train to reach the next loading point after Haapamäki, which were Seinäjoki, Jyväskylä, or Tampere in this case. The water tower supplied water for the engines to use to create steam and the depot was used for more demanding maintenance. Workers were required year-round to keep the track in shape. In winter, snow was removed from the tracks and in the summertime, the sleepers were changed and workers ensured that the track was sound enough for trains to run on it.