Weekend rail works disrupt Kouvola–Joensuu train services through summer

Weekend rail maintenance on the Karelian Line will suspend train traffic between Kouvola and Joensuu every Saturday until early October, Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency officials announced.

The 24-hour disruptions begin around noon each Saturday, affecting services between Kouvola, Lappeenranta, Imatra, and Joensuu. Passengers will be transported by replacement buses, extending the Kouvola–Joensuu journey from just over three hours to five. Travel between Kouvola and Lappeenranta will take roughly 30 minutes longer than by train.

VR Group, Finland’s national rail operator, confirmed that schedules have been adjusted to accommodate major summer events, including the Ilosaarirock festival in Joensuu in July. “Outbound festival traffic will run before the disruption begins, and return services will operate after it ends,” said Anna Loukamo, VR’s long-distance traffic planning and distribution director, in an email.

Replacement buses will include toilets but will not be wheelchair-accessible. VR will arrange accessible taxi transport for passengers with disabilities if all scheduled trains on their travel date are replaced by buses. Child safety seats will not be available, as bus seatbelts may not be compatible with car seats or travel cots, Loukamo noted.

This marks the third consecutive summer of weekend closures on the Karelian Line. The current phase of the Kouvola–Luumäki double-track project includes renewing 40 kilometers of trackbed, improving drainage, and enhancing frost protection. “The goal is to ensure long-term operational reliability along the entire double-track section,” said Joonas Hämäläinen, project manager at the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.

In addition to the weekly Saturday closures, two longer 48-hour disruptions are planned for late September and early October.