CarTrain journeys

On this page

1. Planning your CarTrain journey »
2. Loading your car »
3. If your travel plans change »
4. VR conditions of car carriage »

Planning your CarTrain journey

VR's web pages provide useful information if you plan to transport your car by train to Lapland. On the Lapland pages you can find information on e.g.:

• Timetables. View car-carrier train timetables.
• Car-carrier fares. Check out the car-carrier train fare in the Online Shop. The fare depends on whether the intended travel date is in low season or high season. The price of the ticket also depends on whether you travel in a day or sleeping car or a double-deck sleeping-car or an older blue sleeping car.

Booking or buying a car-carrier space or package

• You can buy a car space or CarTrain package online. Read the instructions and go to VR Online Shop to buy a CarTrain journey.
  
• You can book a car space and CarTrain package at VR station booking offices, sales agents or by calling VR Customer Care, tel. 0600 41 902 (€1 per answered call + local network charge). A car space or CarTrain package must be paid within 24 hours of booking or the reservation is cancelled.
  
• When booking a car space or CarTrain package state the make, model and registration number of your car.
  
• You also need the car's dimensions which are easy to find on e.g. the registration book. It is important to say whether you car has a roof box or whether your car's height exceeds 1.65 m. A limited number of spaces are available for high vehicles and vehicles with roof boxes.
• If your car has a particularly heavy load check load limits when booking your ticket.
• Please make sure that you enter you car's information correctly. If the car does not fit into the reserved space VR cannot transport the car and is not responsible for costs arising from the cancellation.

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How to pay for train tickets

• Car spaces and CarTrain packages must be paid when booking in the Online Shop or when buying at ticket offices or sales agents within 24 hours from booking or when booking if there is less than 24 hours before the train's departure.
  
• If the car space or CarTrain package is not paid within the deadline the reservation is cancelled.

Children on night trains

Children aged 10 and younger travel free of charge on night trains with a parent in the same sleeping compartment if a berth is not booked for the child. Please note the following matters before departure:

• Tell the ticket office clerk that a child will be travelling when purchasing tickets so that a free of charge train ticket may be printed.
• Train tickets entitling a child to travel free of charge are available at ticket offices and by contacting VR Customer Care by phone.
• If you buy CarTrain packages or your night train tickets from VR Online Shop you may book free of charge tickets for children to the same sleeping compartment at the abovementioned sales points.
• Children under the age of 6 do not need train tickets.

Loading your car

Check the loading times on your ticket and arrive at the loading site well in advance. The vehicles are loaded in the order that they arrive at the loading site. A marking on the ticket does not guarantee a specific space but only the fact that a space of sufficient height is available.

Car loading stations:

Helsinki until 3.6.2012
Helsinki (Pasila) from 4.6.2012
Tampere
Turku
Oulu
Rovaniemi
Kemijärvi
Kolari

Please take note of the following facts:

• Only the driver may be inside the car when it is loaded on the car-carrier wagon.
• All personal belongings needed during the train journey shall be removed from the car before loading.
• The car shall be locked and fresh air nozzles shall be closed during transport. Specific instructions applying to your car make shall be followed.

If you cannot load your car yourself VR can in exceptional cases do it for you. However, loadings effected by VR have to be always agreed beforehand when you make the order. VR drives your car on the car-carrier wagon and delivers the keys to the destination station. (Please note! The driver shall always drive a car-trailer combination on the car-carrier wagon.)

When VR loads your car in the cases referred to above, please obeserve the following:

• Park your car in the car-carrier wagon loading site parking space on the departure date. You can check the location of the parking space from VR Customer Care or a VR station booking office.
• Leave your keys at the departure station booking office, in Tampere at the platform office at platform 1, in Helsinki at station service.
• Car keys left at a VR office can be collected at the booking office of the destination station (in Helsinki at station service).

VR does not bear responsibility if the vehicle cannot be loaded due to causes beyond VR's control.

If you wish you can have your car transported to your destination station 1-5 days before you travel. VR will take care of unloading the car.

Delays in vehicle loading / unloading are not compensated.

Please note! Importer's regulations shall be followed when transporting Mitsubishi Pajero and VW Transporter diesel vehicles in winter time. The vehicles shall be loaded with the rear of the vehicle facing the front of the train in the old car-carrier wagons.

At the destination station

• If you drive your car yourself out of the car-carrier wagon you have to come to the unloading area immediately after the train arrives at your destination station.
• When VR takes care of unloading, the car is parked in the station parking space where the car is stored at the liability of the customer. Many stations have power sockets for engine heaters in their parking space.
• Check your car after driving the car out of the car-carrier wagon before leaving the loading area. Notify VR personnel of any damage you suspect your car incurred during transport.
• If the vehicle is loaded in winter time in an open-air car space check before starting the motor that there is no snow or ice in the motor compartment. VR will not compensate for damage to the motor caused by snow or ice when starting the motor.

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If your travel plans change

You can change the travel date for the car space or package you have booked or you can cancel it. The changes must be made seven days before the journey at the latest. The service charge is 10% of the ticket price.

CarTrain packages

VR conditions of car carriage

Please read the VR conditions of car carriage to ensure a smooth journey.

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Further information

If you have any additional questions please call VR Customer Care, tel. 0600 41 902 (1.99 €/answered call + local network charge). You may want to make a list of questions and special requests before calling.