VR has issued an apology to customers that followed a major electrical fault that caused significant disruption to rail services on Saturday evening and left thousands affected. As a result, the company expressed that it is now reviewing the incident in cooperation with Fintraffic and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
Published: 29/06/25 | 03:23
Train services between Järvenpää and Riihimäki were severely affected due to a power line malfunction and VR has highlighted that normal operations are not expected to resume until Monday.
The disruption caused twelve long-distance trains to a halt at various stations on Saturday night. While VR tried to organize replacement buses many travelers reported that they were left without timely updates or adequate information regarding their travel plans.
Among the affected passengers was Vilma Flinkman who spoke to Yle about her unsuccessful journey from Helsinki to Kolari Lapland. VR only notified her of the train’s cancellation over 15 hours after its scheduled departure.
Yle posed four questions to VR about how it managed the situation. The responses provided by VR’s Chief Operating Officer Toni Rinne were relayed via the company’s communications team over the phone.
Were passengers adequately informed on board the trains?
– The disruption was widespread and difficult to manage and initially we believed the issue would be resolved efficiently but it became clear during the night that the disruption would continue into the next day. Our communication relies on updates from the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency and Fintraffic and train conductors strive to provide passengers with as much information as possible. Even lack of new information is still something we try to share as we acknowledge the difficulty of the situation and sincerely apologize.
Why did many travelers feel poorly informed?
– The situation was evolving quickly throughout the evening and night and the full extent of the disruption became apparent only later. With many people affected and the disruption occurring overnight, communication was more difficult than usual. We used our own information channels and contacted passengers directly when needed. However, providing updates and arranging alternative transport at night presents significant challenges.
What kind of feedback has VR received?
– We are aware that this has caused frustration and confusion among our customers. Many have reached out to our customer service which has experienced high traffic today. People have had questions about their travel plans, how to get updates and how to get reimbursed for alternative travel expenses. There’s also been concerns about the unusual cancellation of night trains. We are taking all feedback into serious account and will use it to improve our response in the future. We’re also continuing to analyze the situation with Fintraffic and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.
Would anything be handled differently in hindsight?
– We are still addressing the aftermath and focusing on restoring services. We will conduct a thorough review of the disruption both internally and with our partners at Fintraffic and the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. Our goal is to enhance our disruption management strategies guided by both customer feedback and our own observations.
