Editing VR Group (section)

==Services==
{{main|Rail transport in Finland}}
Because in most parts of Finland the density of population is low, Finland is not optimally suited for railways. Commuter services are nowadays rare outside the [[Helsinki]] area, but express trains interconnect most cities. As in [[France]], the majority of passenger services are connections to the capital, Helsinki. In the 2010s, VR has made connections faster by reducing stops at minor stations and increasing running speeds with new locomotives and renovated high-speed trains.

[[File:Car loaded on Finnish car transport train.jpg|thumb|right|For motorail services, passengers drive their cars on board the car transport wagons themselves, and then leave the aforementioned wagon on foot to board a passenger wagon.]]
[[File:Waiting for car unloading at Kolari railway station.jpg|thumb|right|People waiting to unload their cars off the train at [[Kolari railway station]].]]
VR provides [[motorail]] services. Cars can be loaded onto and unloaded from trains at seven stations: [[Helsinki Central Station|Helsinki]], [[Turku Central Station|Turku]] and [[Tampere Central Station|Tampere]] in the south, [[Oulu railway station|Oulu]] further north, and [[Rovaniemi railway station|Rovaniemi]], [[Kemijärvi railway station|Kemijärvi]] and [[Kolari railway station|Kolari]] in [[Lapland (Finland)|Lapland]]. Car transport trains stop at other stations along the way for normal passenger transport and is available as daily service to Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi and several times a week to Kolari. Finland is the only Nordic country to offer car transport on trains; however, car transport on trains is available in many European countries outside the Nordic countries.<ref>[http://www.sj.se/sj/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=11316&a=362&l=sv SJ.se - ett Bra Miljöval - Bra att veta], Swedish Railways (SJ.se). Accessed 29 November 2012.</ref> In August 2021 VR began operating the [[Tampere light rail]].<ref>[https://www.metro-report.com/news/news-by-region/europe/single-view/view/vr-group-to-operate-tampere-tramway.html VR Group to operate Tampere tramway] ''[[Metro Report International]]'' 29 April 2019</ref>

In March 2022, VR acquired the Swedish bus and rail company Arriva Sverige, which operates urban transport in [[Stockholm]] and regional transport in southern and southeastern Sweden. Arriva Sverige was part of [[Arriva]] and owned by [[Deutsche Bahn]]. Following the acquisition, it was announced that Arriva Sverige would become an independent company within the VR Group.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-26 |title=VR Group acquires Arriva Sverige to expand operations to Sweden |url=https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2022/03/vr-group-acquires-arriva-sverige-to-expand-operations-to-sweden.html |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=RailAdvent |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Commuter rail===
{{main|Helsinki commuter rail}}
VR operates the commuter traffic in the Helsinki area on behalf of [[Helsinki Regional Transport Authority|HSL]] and [[VR commuter rail|its own commuter rail services]] in southern [[Finland]].

===International services===
{{see also|VR Snabbtåg Sverige}}
[[File:Torne River railway bridge 20140503.JPG|thumb|left|Railway bridge connecting the Finnish Tornio with Swedish Haparanda.]]
There are plans to open a new passenger rail service between Finland and [[Sweden]] in the end of 2024, between [[Haparanda]] in northern Sweden and [[Helsinki]].<ref>[https://www.vagabond.se/europa/snart-kan-du-ta-taget-till-helsingfors Snart kan du ta tåget till Helsingfors]</ref> The cross-border railway will be electrified according to Finnish standards by then.{{Needs update|date=March 2025}}

Before the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], VR operated jointly with [[Russian Railways]] a passenger rail service named [[Allegro (train)|Allegro]] between Helsinki and [[Saint Petersburg]]. However due to [[International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine|sanctions imposed on Russia]] as a result of the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], all passenger rail traffic between Finland and Russia has been suspended in March 2022, and the rolling stock has since been parked. These trains were in late 2023 taken over by VR, and are planned to be used in domestic traffic in Finland beginning 2025.<ref>[https://svenska.yle.fi/a/7-10047371 Allegrotågen tas i bruk för inrikestrafik år 2025 – har stått stilla en längre tid]</ref>

If and when the proposed [[Helsinki–Tallinn Tunnel]] is built, trains may be run by VR, [[Elron (rail transit)|Elron]] or a joint-venture similar to the former arrangement with Russia.

===Freight===
Domestic and international freight services are provided by VR Transpoint, a part of VR. In 2009, both domestic and international freight traffic declined, which worsened VR's financial position.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.x-rail.org/render.asp?o=7306|access-date=9 November 2010|title=VR restructuring for growth | publisher=X-Rail.net}}</ref> International freight traffic was concentrated to the four railways across the Russian border but there is also a connection to the [[Sweden|Swedish]] rail network through [[Tornio]]. [[Train ferry]] connections from [[Turku]] to [[Stockholm]], Sweden, and to [[Travemünde]], Germany have previously existed.

{{Clear}}