VR respects the past in its operations

1900-1960

Finland’s rail network was for the most part completed by the time the country gained independence (1917). The lines running from south to north were built first, at the end of the 19th century, then the cross-country lines from west to east at the beginning of the 1900s. Rail traffic was growing strongly.

The 1930s were the golden age for rail travel in Finland as elsewhere in Europe. The all-time record for rail passenger volumes was set in the 1940s when the population began moving from farms to factories and commuting distances became longer.

After the war Finland started to modernize its rolling stock and diesel locomotives were introduced. Living conditions in Finland gradually improved and people started travelling again. The railways marketed round trips for holidaymakers.

1960-2000

A major track renovation programme was started in the 1960s. The first electric trains were introduced on commuter services in 1969. The last remaining steam locomotives were taken out of regular service in 1975. The railways started closer co-operation with Finnish industry. People going on skiing holidays in Lapland were offered a new service, allowing them to take their cars with them by train.

Restructuring of the Finnish State Railways began in the 1980s. In 1990 Finnish State Railways ceased to be a civil service department and became a public enterprise, and five years later a state-owned limited liability company. VR-Group Ltd, a limited liability company owned entirely by the Finnish state, with its subsidiaries was incorporated on 1 July 1995.

The new InterCity trains were introduced in the mid-1980s. Ten years later VR started the Pendolino service on the coastal line between Helsinki and Turku. The first urban commuter line, between Helsinki and Tikkurila, was completed in 1996.

2000-

During the 2000s, the Pendolino service has been extended and the first wagons with bogies that can withstand an axle load of 25 tonnes have been introduced for carrying freight. Most passenger services are covered by the Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, which greatly improves rail safety.

The urban line between Tikkurila and Kerava was completed in August 2004. In autumn 2006 the Kerava-Lahti direct line took the entire VR Group into a new railway age.