Several changes to be made in train service at the end of March

At the end of March (27 March) several traffic changes will be made to timetables, routes and trains. Passengers are advised to check the impact of these changes on the vr.fi website, by calling VR Customer Care or at any station well before travelling.

• Changes in rail traffic made by the Ministry of Transport and Communications will enter into effect on 27 March. This will result in changes to rail service for several rail sections.
• Changes in long-distance traffic timetables will take effect on 27 March. Train departure and arrival times may change, in most cases by a few minutes.
• Several changes will be made on the Coastal line:  

• On 29 March, VR will launch a faster connection between Turku and Helsinki. The train will depart from Turku at 7:08 a.m. and from Helsinki at 4:10 p.m. Passengers will arrive in Turku 20 minutes faster than before.
• In addition to the new Turku connection, Coastal line timetables will undergo major changes. The updated timetables also shorten travel times from Turku and Salo to East Finland by approximately 30 minutes, with faster connection times at Pasila.

Beginning on 27 March, the first long-distance train to Turku in the morning and last train to Helsinki in the evening will stop at Kirkkonummi. VR will provide bus transport between Kirkkonummi and Karjaa three times a day on weekdays. This bus service offers a convenient connection for Turku-bound trains. All tickets purchased in advance, including Season tickets and Multi-tickets are accepted on buses. Single tickets must also be purchased in advance, as there are no ticket sales on the buses.

• In rail service to Russia, timetable changes for Allegro and the Tolstoi overnight train to Moscow will take effect on 27 March.

• Allegro service to St. Petersburg is now even faster. The train no longer stops at Pasila, thus shortneing the travel time by nine minutes to 3 hours and 27 minutes.
• The Tolstoi departure time from Helsinki is now one hour later.  

Changes in commuter traffic

There will be several changes in commuter traffic timetables on 27 March. An entirely new timetable structure will be adopted for zone area traffic. Major changes are being made to departure and arrival times.

• R and H lines will be consolidated to form the new R line, in addition to which a new timetable structure will be introduced. Furthermore, the new rush hour D-train will begin service between Helsinki and Riihimäki.
• Beginning on 27 March, trains will no loner stop at Mankki and Luoma as part of traffic decisions made by HSL. Trains will also no longer stop at Purola, Nuppulinna and Inkoo as part of traffic procurement decisions made by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
• Services in Ainola and Saunakallio will be improved when trains will stop for 30 minutes instead of the current 60 minutes.
• The Y-train will continue to run between Helsinki and Siuntio, while train stops at Inkoo and Karjaa will be discontinued.
• In HSL traffic, U and S lines will be consolidated to form the new S line, in addition to which a new timetable structure will be introduced. Furthermore, the new rush hour X-train will begin service between Helsinki and Kirkkonummi.

Information on timetables and rail traffic can be found at www.vr.fi. For additional information, you can also call VR Customer Care at 0600 41 900 (1.99 €/call answered + local network charge) or station ticket offices.