Starting on 29 July, we will also offer bus connections on railcar routes
From 29 July, we will also be offering bus connections on some of our railcar routes to improve travel comfort.
Railcars are used on non-electrified railway sections, which are unsuitable for electric trains. Railcars run on the routes Pieksämäki–Joensuu–Nurmes, Iisalmi–Ylivieska, Savonlinna–Parikkala, Tampere–Keuruu and Jyväskylä–Seinäjoki. For now, there is still a railcar running between Iisalmi and Ylivieska, even though the railway section is now electrified.
There is limited space on board the railcar, and booking a specific seat is not possible. Previously, if a lot of tickets were booked for a railcar service, a bus was ordered in addition to the railcar, but information about this was not shown on our customers’ tickets. This led to confusion at the station when, despite the passenger having booked a ticket for the railcar, they were instructed to board a bus.
What changes?
From 29 July, if a lot of tickets have been booked for the railcar, we will also start selling bus tickets on the busiest routes. As usual, the bus tickets will be sold on the VR.fi website and in the VR Matkalla app. You can find more detailed information about the bus connection on your ticket. The departure location of the bus can be found on your departure station's page at vr.fi/asemat. The bus routes and timetables are planned so that you will also have enough time to catch your connection.
However, the railcar may sometimes be sold out and there is no bus connection available. In these situations, you can buy a ticket for the next available service. To improve travel comfort and safety, a maximum of two bikes can be transported on a railcar from 29 July.
