Electrical fault disrupts train services in Finland affecting travel for over half a day

A recent electrical fault in the northern rail network has caused significant disruptions to train services, affecting travel for over half a day, although repairs have been made. The impact on schedules is expected to continue into the evening. “There may be changes, especially for connecting services and train equipment,” said Marika Schugk, Director of Customer Experience and Service Development at VR, the Finnish railway company.

The issue was first detected around midnight between Kokkola and Kruunupyy and was resolved before 2 PM. Regular traffic resumed shortly thereafter. The disruption directly affected 11 train services, according to Schugk.

Two overnight trains heading north had been stalled south of the fault since the morning, resulting in delays of 8 to 12 hours. To mitigate the situation, some daytime train services were replaced with buses, and passengers from the delayed overnight trains were also offered this option.

Two overnight trains traveling from the north to Helsinki were rerouted via the eastern Seinäjoki-Tampere route instead of their usual path. These services also faced delays of 3 to 4 hours. Due to the extensive delays, some passengers opted to cancel their train tickets, as Schugk explained. “This is indeed an option if the train is delayed by 60 minutes and travel has not yet commenced. In that case, the ticket can be fully canceled, and a refund is available.”