Collisions between trains and animals rising as hunting season begins in Finland

Collisions between animals and trains occur daily on Finland’s railways. Markku Lehtinen, a locomotive driver with 20 years of experience, notes that such incidents often happen suddenly, as animals dart onto the tracks. He recalls the most distressing cases involve hitting dogs, beloved pets to their owners.

Dog accidents typically rise during the autumn hunting season when dogs are more frequently in the wild. Lehtinen, who is also the chair of the Railway Union RAU, observes that accidents involving moose and deer peak in autumn as well.

According to VR, Finland’s main railway operator, about 300 to 400 animals are struck by trains annually in Northern Finland alone. Fintraffic, a traffic management company, states that roughly half of these incidents cause some disturbances to train operations. The majority of animal-related accidents take place in Northern Finland, particularly in winter when reindeer venture onto railway tracks, where they can move more easily compared to deep snow. In severe cases, dozens of reindeer may be hit at once.

The regions of Kainuu and Southeast Finland experience the most moose accidents, while deer-related incidents are more common in Southern Finland. Notably, train collisions with predatory animals are not uncommon; recently, three bear cubs were reported struck by a train in Pirkanmaa.

When an accident occurs, the driver immediately reports it to Fintraffic, which then notifies wildlife management teams for cleanup. Drivers can sometimes alert standing animals with a horn or apply the brakes, but due to the long stopping distances of trains, collisions are often unavoidable if the animal does not move.

Animals strikes rarely disrupt a train’s journey unless they cause mechanical damage. After such incidents, locomotives are cleaned at the next depot, but drivers typically do not receive professional counseling; instead, they find support among their colleagues.