Rail traffic between Helsinki and Turku halted by signalling fault

Rail traffic between Helsinki and Turku has been suspended because of a signalling system fault on the coastal railway, Yle reported. The disruption affects both long-distance and commuter trains.

A communications failure in the traffic control system between Espoo and Karjaa has halted railway services. Maintenance workers are investigating the fault, but there is no estimate for when repairs will be completed.

The disruption could last for several hours because the cause has not yet been identified, according to Finland’s railway traffic control centre. Trains from Helsinki are currently running as far as Espoo, while services from Turku are running only as far as Karjaa.

VR is trying to arrange replacement buses between Helsinki and Karjaa, but the availability of buses is limited. Passengers can travel from Helsinki’s Kamppi bus station to Karjaa, Salo or Turku and apply for a ticket refund afterwards.

There are also cancellations and other changes to commuter services in western Uusimaa. Services on commuter train lines E, Y and U are affected, with trains from Helsinki to Espoo and Kirkkonummi cancelled. No commuter trains are running between Espoo and Siuntio.

Helsinki Regional Transport Authority said passengers can use replacement bus routes 911 between Kirkkonummi and Kauklahti, and 171 between Kirkkonummi and Matinkylä.