Train travel sustainability
Trains are a climate-smart choice
Rail traffic is the most energy-efficient and low-emission mode of transport. We believe that by increasing the popularity of rail transport, we can reduce emissions throughout Finland. By choosing a train as your mode of transport, you can easily reduce the climate impact of your journey.
Most of our trains run on electricity
95% of our passenger train services run on fossil-free electricity. The equivalent figure for our freight trains is 80%.
Railcar and Kolari night train routes
Railcars and Kolari night trains run on routes which are yet to be electrified. On these routes, train services are carried out using diesel locomotives.
Working together to improve
We are committed to reducing our emissions and energy consumption by 15% from the level in 2019 by the end of 2025. In addition, we will improve material efficiency by increasing our recycling rate to 80 per cent.
We are proud of the Sustainable Travel Finland, Opens in a new tab label, as well as the honorary mention of being one of the most responsible tourism operators of 2024 in the Sustainable Brand Index, Opens in a new tab.
Carbon calculator
How have carbon dioxide emissions been calculated?
- We obtain our emissions data from reliable public sources. The data comes from DEFRA, Opens in a new tab and LIPASTO, Opens in a new tab, a calculation system developed and maintained by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd for calculating transport emissions and energy consumption in Finland.
- Information for comparison has been also retrieved from Statistics Finland, Opens in a new tab and VR Group's annual report for 2022, Opens in a new tab.
- Passenger car: 110g CO2e/hkm. According to DEFRA, the emission factor for passenger cars per km is 176g CO2e/km (Source: DEFRA 2022, Opens in a new tab, Passenger vehicles, medium car, unknown fuel (petrol & diesel)), assuming 1 passenger per vehicle. DEFRA's km-based emission factor has been distributed according to the latest assumption of 1.6 persons per passenger car in 2021 in Finland, based on the latest Traficom, Opens in a new tab study (Finnish only).
- Buses and coaches: 27.3g CO2e/hkm. This emission factor assumes an average of 17.5 passengers per bus (Source: DEFRA 2022, Opens in a new tab, Business travel land, Coach).
- Plane: Short-distance trips <440km: 0,257kg CO2e/pkm, long-distance trips >440km: 0,177kg SO2e/pkm (Source: LIPASTO).
- Passenger trains: CO2 emission intensity 1.5 g/pkm (Source: VR GROUP Yearly report 2022, Opens in a new tab).
- Melting of the polar ice caps: 1000 kg CO2e savings equivalent to 3 m2 of polar ice (Source: sciencemag.org, Opens in a new tab). The train emissions have been compared to those of a passenger car.
Towards environmentally smarter travel through energy efficiency
Energy efficiency as a means to reaching carbon neutrality
The shared environmental goals of the entire VR Group state that emissions per unit of output will decrease by 15% from the 2019 level by 2025. Energy efficiency and the goal of reducing energy consumption by 15% are key to achieving this target.
In rail traffic, energy efficiency has been increased by investing in a more energy-efficient fleet. The predictive and energy-saving driving style of our drivers also plays an important role. With our energy efficiency programme, we saved 8% of the energy used to drive electric trains in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Source: VR Group’s corporate responsibility report 2023, Opens in a new tab
750 MWh of solar power
The solar power plant located at the Helsinki depot produced approximately 750 MWh of electricity for the maintenance of rolling stock, which is the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of approximately 40 electrically heated detached houses.
Vectron – the newest addition to our tractive stock
We have invested in more energy-efficient Siemens Vectron, that is, Sr3 electric locomotives. Some of the locomotives are already in use and all 80 locomotives are set to be in operation by 2026.
The VR Matkalla app’s Year on the Rails overview summarises your journey data and shows how much carbon dioxide emissions have accumulated from your journeys compared to other modes of travel. See your summary in the app!
Does your company have environmental goals? When business trips are made by train, employees’ travel supports the achievement of these goals.
The peace and quiet in the Ekstra Class and cabins that can be reserved exclusively for your group are ideal for business travel.
Better choices also in the restaurant car
Try our delicious tomato and broad bean pie baked at Minnan Juustokakkutehdas in Helsinki, for example. The filling vegan tomato pesto pasta is made by chefs in Juva. A visit to the restaurant car is rounded off with a cup of coffee or tea served with a cinnamon roll from Tampere or a giant chocolate cookie baked in Tuusula.
Smoother travel with first and last mile connections
FLEXIBLY TO THE DESTINATIONJourneys with first and last-mile connections combine multiple modes of transport. For example, you can first travel by train and then continue your journey on a local bus, rented car, or taxi.
Join us on the journey
Our trains carry you to over 200 railway stations in Finland.