Railway industry strike has ended – train traffic will run again on 24 March 2023
An agreement has been reached in the collective bargaining for the railway sector, and train traffic will run again in the early hours of Friday 24 March 2023. The first commuter traffic service will start at 4:04 am and the first long-distance traffic service at 3:40 am. VR's long-distance and commuter traffic will return to normal within about 24 hours. In the negotiations between RAU and Palta, it was agreed that train drivers will return to work for the shifts starting on Friday.
“We thank the negotiating parties and the conciliator. We are delighted that an agreement has finally been reached and that our customers will be able to travel by train again and that goods will be transported to meet the needs of industry, ”says Laura Ansaharju.
Possible changes, such as replacement bus services and individual cancellations, are still to be expected in the coming days as the trains start running. Restaurant cars may also be initially closed on some long-distance trains, or there may be limited products on offer. However, the situation will mostly return to normal within about 24 hours.
Exceptions caused by the strike can be expected for several days in freight traffic.
Operating trains are shown on trip search. You can check exceptions to these and the status of your train at https://www.vr.fi/en/train-traffic-at-the-moment, Opens in a new tab. The information will be updated during the day.
First long-distance train services:
IC62 from Kajaani to Helsinki at 3:40 am
IC40 from Vaasa to Helsinki at 4:44 am S2 from Joensuu to Helsinki at 4:58 am IC102 from Imatra to Helsinki at 5:02 am
S35 from Helsinki to Oulu at 5:03 am
First commuter traffic services:
K train from Helsinki to Kerava at 4:04 am
P train from Helsinki at 4:18 am
I train from Helsinki at 4:36 am
R train to Riihimäki at 4:20 am
L train from Helsinki to Kirkkonummi at 4:33 am
We will automatically refund all customers the price of tickets purchased during the strike
We will automatically refund all customers the price of tickets purchased during the strike within about a week using the same payment method with which the ticket was bought (such as bank card, credit card, internet banking). We will process refunds one day at a time.
If we are unable to directly refund the money automatically, we will contact customers via email. If you bought your ticket at an R-kioski, we unfortunately do not have your contact or payment information and we cannot refund the money automatically. In that case, you can apply for compensation from us for your train ticket by filling in the form at www.vr.fi/en/claim-for-compensation, Opens in a new tab.