Illegal track crossings endanger Lapinlahti residents and delay thousands of trains

Illegal crossings of railway tracks are putting people at risk in Lapinlahti, where residents routinely use unofficial paths across the line, Yle reports. Trespassing across Finland’s rail network caused more than 2,000 train delays in 2024.

The railway divides the centre of the North Savo municipality. Many homes lie on one side of the tracks, while local services, including the 600-pupil Matin and Liisa comprehensive school, are on the other. Although official crossings are available at either end of the centre, several unofficial paths run between them.

Yle observed several illegal crossings near Lapinlahti railway station in half an hour one morning after 8am. Both adults and young people use the paths, often while heading to school or running errands. The school says it has received reports of the crossings each year and has discussed the danger with pupils and parents, but the practice continues.

School principal Jaana Koivistoinen said the risk of an accident weighs on daily life at the school. Deputy principal Sari Jokelainen said the paths had been there since at least 1976. The school has heard reports of several near misses, though no serious accidents have occurred in Lapinlahti.

Locomotive drivers have reported people crossing with hoods up, headphones on and their attention on their phones. Koivistoinen said people had even crossed between the carriages of a stationary train, putting their lives at risk.

Fintraffic data show that unauthorised movement on railway tracks caused more than 2,000 train delays in 2024. The following year, 2,296 trains were delayed, and about 2,200 delays were forecast for the current year at the time of the report. Incidents are recorded across Finland, although many observations come from the Helsinki metropolitan area.

The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom reported in 2025 that trespassing on railway areas had increased nationwide. A driver who spots someone on the tracks may have to brake sharply or reduce speed, disrupting services. If a person is hit, rescue operations can halt rail traffic for an extended period.

In 2024, the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency asked locomotive drivers to report every unauthorised person they saw on railway property. The reports identified more than 1,000 cases, three times the number recorded in earlier statistics. The agency says only a small share of incidents reach it, despite voluntary reports.

Lapinlahti municipality wants a barrier fence along the railway. Building one would require moving a timber loading area, a project the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency says could take three to five years at the earliest.