VR commuter rail
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VR commuter rail ( fi, VR:n lähiliikenne, ) is a
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Downtown, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter r ...
system operated by VR – the national railway operator of
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
– under a public service obligation agreement with the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Finland. The operations are planned in trilateral co-operation between the ministry, the operator and various regional transport authorities. VR commuter rail consists of seven alphabetically identified services on six different railway lines. Four of these services terminate at
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
, thus serving multiple
Helsinki commuter rail Helsinki commuter rail ( fi, Helsingin seudun lähijunaliikenne, sv, Huvudstadsregionens närtrafik) is a commuter rail system serving Greater Helsinki and the surrounding county of Uusimaa. The system is a joint venture between the regional t ...
stations along their routes. The system serves five regions of southern Finland which in total account for approximately half of the entire population of the country. Major cities and towns served include
Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...
,
Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of Kanta-Häme in the south of F ...
,
Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...
,
Kouvola Kouvola () is a city and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located along the Kymijoki River in the region of Kymenlaakso, kilometers east of Lahti, west of Lappeenranta and northeast of the capital, Helsinki. With Kotka, Kouvola is ...
and
Kotka Kotka (; ; la, Aquilopolis) is a city in the southern part of the Kymenlaakso province on the Gulf of Finland. Kotka is a major port and industrial city and also a diverse school and cultural city, which was formerly part of the old Kymi parish ...
.


Services

'' Limited-stop train from Helsinki to
Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of Kanta-Häme in the south of F ...
'' A single return service operated on weekdays only, established in 2016. The D train departs from Hämeenlinna each weekday morning and returns from Helsinki in the afternoon. At a total travel time of 1 hour and 15 minutes, it is the Main Line's fastest commuter service, calling only at eight stations. ''Stopping train from
Riihimäki Riihimäki (literally "Drying barn hill") is a town and municipality in the south of Finland, about north of Helsinki and southeast of Tampere. An important railway junction is located in Riihimäki, since railway tracks from Riihimäki lead to ...
to
Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...
'' An hourly service operated daily between the Main Line and the Lahti Line, the G train came into existence in 2017, replacing a two-hourly regional connection along the same route. This service connects remote villages and towns to their respective regional centres, whilst also serving as a connection between the main rail interchanges of and . ''Stopping train from
Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finland, i ...
to
Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...
, on certain departures to
Toijala Toijala is a former town and municipality of Finland, located some south of Tampere. On 1 January 2007, it was consolidated with Viiala to form the town of Akaa. Toijala is known as an important railway crossroads. The Helsinki–Tampere an ...
'' A weekday service in Greater Tampere and the surrounding region of Pirkanmaa, calling at all stations. Since its inception in 2019, the M train has consisted of two legs which meet each other at Tampere Central. As of 2022, the western leg towards Nokia has had hourly service, with every other departure continuing to the southern leg towards Toijala. In the southern direction, the M train is essentially a supplementary service to the two-hourly R train with identical stops, integrated timetables and shared rolling stock. ''Stopping train from Kotka Port to Kouvola and from Kouvola to Lahti'' A daily service calling at all stations, the O train is a key connection between major cities and towns in the region of
Kymenlaakso Kymenlaakso ( sv, Kymmenedalen; " Kymi/Kymmene Valley") is a region in Finland. It borders the regions of Uusimaa, Päijät-Häme, South Savo and South Karelia and Russia (Leningrad Oblast). Its name means literally ''The Valley of River Kym ...
. It was instated in 2022 by merging VR's remaining regional services on the Saint Petersburg Line and the Kotka Line into a joint commuter service. Although the two legs share a common letter designation, the timetables remained nonsymmetrical and only three weekday departures run directly through the entire route, with services otherwise terminating at Kouvola. '' Limited-stop train from Helsinki to
Riihimäki Riihimäki (literally "Drying barn hill") is a town and municipality in the south of Finland, about north of Helsinki and southeast of Tampere. An important railway junction is located in Riihimäki, since railway tracks from Riihimäki lead to ...
, on certain departures to
Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...
or
Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finland, i ...
'' The main commuter service of the Main Line with a half-hourly headway throughout the week. The R train only calls only at two major interchanges before Kerava, but at every station thereafter. The service has three different termini in the north; most trains terminate at Riihimäki but, departures extend to Tampere Central every two hours. There are also supplemental service between Riihimäki and Tampere, of which all but one extend to Nokia. The Helsinki-Tampere service is the longest on the entire VR commuter rail network, spanning 206 km and taking 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete. ''Stopping train from Helsinki to
Riihimäki Riihimäki (literally "Drying barn hill") is a town and municipality in the south of Finland, about north of Helsinki and southeast of Tampere. An important railway junction is located in Riihimäki, since railway tracks from Riihimäki lead to ...
'' A night service calling at all stations. As of 2022, the T train has three late-hour departures on weekdays and runs hourly through the night on weekends. Outside of the Helsinki commuter rail operating region, it is the only regular night time commuter rail service in Finland. ''Limited-stop train from Helsinki to
Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...
, on certain departures to
Kouvola Kouvola () is a city and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located along the Kymijoki River in the region of Kymenlaakso, kilometers east of Lahti, west of Lappeenranta and northeast of the capital, Helsinki. With Kotka, Kouvola is ...
'' An hourly service between Helsinki and Lahti, the Z train was launched in 2006 as the Lahti Line opened. Like the R train, it only calls at two major interchanges before Kerava, after which the two lines separate from each other. Certain peak and fringe hours departures continue up to Kouvola, mostly on weekdays, supplementing the O train on the Lahti-Kouvola section of the Saint Petersburg Line.


Tickets

It is worth noting that all tickets for any Finnish passenger trains must be purchased in advance, with the exception of the Tampere region where platform validators are used. Rail transport in Finland works on a
proof-of-payment Proof-of-payment (POP) or proof-of-fare (POF) is an honor-based fare collection system used on many public transportation systems. Instead of checking each passenger as they enter a fare control zone, passengers are required to carry a ticket, p ...
system. Failing to present a valid ticket (or proof of one's right to a discount when applicable) is considered
fare evasion Fare evasion or fare dodging, fare violation, rarely called ticket evasion, is the act of travelling on public transport without paying by deliberately not buying a required ticket to travel (having had the chance to do so). It is a problem in man ...
; getting caught doing it results in a
penalty fare A penalty fare, standard fare, or fixed penalty notice is a special, usually higher, fare charged because a passenger using public transport did not comply with the normal ticket purchasing rules. It should not be confused with an unpaid fares n ...
of 80 euros across the system, including in the HSL and Nysse regions.


Within the VR region

Unlike the dynamic ticket pricing on VR's long-distance trains, commuter rail tickets have set prices. The prices are determined separately for each combination of stations – alphabetical zones have been discontinued on VR commuter rail as the network has grown massively over the years. Certain discounts are available for military conscripts, alternative servants, children, pensioners and students.


Within Greater Helsinki

HSL, the Helsinki regional transport authority, holds authority over issuing and inspecting tickets on all commuter trains passing through its operating region. VR tickets are necessary for journeys to and from the HSL region, whereas only HSL tickets are sold for journeys within it. Unlike in Greater Tampere, HSL tickets are not valid on long-distance trains within the HSL region.


Within Greater Tampere

Nysse, the Tampere regional transport authority, does not hold a similar position of authority akin to the HSL. Despite that, tickets issued by Nysse are valid on all commuter and long-distance services between Nokia and Lempäälä, as well as on regional trains up until the town of
Orivesi Orivesi () is a town and a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipality official language is monoling ...
. Alongside VR conductors, ticket inspectors employed by the city of Tampere have the right to inspect tickets on and off commuter trains, as Nysse tickets have to be pre-validated on station platforms. VR and Nysse also collaborate in regard to the scheduling of each other's services.


In other regions

In Kymenlaakso, VR co-operates with the cities of
Kouvola Kouvola () is a city and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located along the Kymijoki River in the region of Kymenlaakso, kilometers east of Lahti, west of Lappeenranta and northeast of the capital, Helsinki. With Kotka, Kouvola is ...
and
Kotka Kotka (; ; la, Aquilopolis) is a city in the southern part of the Kymenlaakso province on the Gulf of Finland. Kotka is a major port and industrial city and also a diverse school and cultural city, which was formerly part of the old Kymi parish ...
by offering a mobile ticket which is valid both on local buses and on commuter trains between
Koria Koria is an unincorporated village in the region of Kymenlaakso, Finland. It is under the administration of the town of Kouvola. It is located on Finnish national road 6 6.7 km west of Kouvola and 129 km from Helsinki Helsinki ...
and Kotka Port. Regular bus tickets or passes issued in said cities are not valid on VR commuter rail, though. As of 2022, VR does not co-operate or collaborate with the regional transport authorities of
Kanta-Häme Kanta-Häme (), sometimes referred to by the obsolete Tavastia Proper ( sv, Egentliga Tavastland) or as the Häme region, is a region ( / ) of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Pirkanmaa, Päijät-Häme, and Uusimaa. Hämeenli ...
or
Päijät-Häme Päijät-Häme () is a region in Southern Finland south of the lake Päijänne. It borders the regions of Uusimaa, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Pirkanmaa, Central Finland, South Savo and Kymenlaakso. The biggest city in the region is Laht ...
.


See also

*
Helsinki commuter rail Helsinki commuter rail ( fi, Helsingin seudun lähijunaliikenne, sv, Huvudstadsregionens närtrafik) is a commuter rail system serving Greater Helsinki and the surrounding county of Uusimaa. The system is a joint venture between the regional t ...


References


External links

* {{Commuter rail in southern Finland/navbox Rail transport in Finland