An "exceptional load" lorry damaged track and trains had to be interrupted for repairs. The lorry's low-loader trailer scraped parts of the track a little after midday. The passengers of Helsinki-Joensuu expresses needed to bypass the accident site by bus. The rails were repaired in time for evening traffic to operate normally.
Source Helsingin Sanomat 22.11.97
The bogie of one car of a Turku-Helsinki express left the tracks a little after 7.00. All of the trains six cars stayed up-right and no human injuries occurred in the accident.
The express train (P122) was slowly transferring to a loop-line where it should pass an oncoming train. One cars leading bogie took the turn-out but the trailing bogie continued straight-ahead. Such a case is unusual.
Accident investigation centre are researching the cause of the accident, which is likely to be a faulty turn-out control box.
Train traffic was interrupted until around 11.00 (during which time) traffic between Helsinki and Karjaa was substituted with buses. Trains continued to suffer delays of about 10 minutes.
Sources Yle
TV-Uutiset,
Helsingin Sanomat
21.11.97
VR is refitting its CEit and Cht "blue" first class carriages. The first of 34 carriages will be used between Helsinki and Vaasa this month and all should be ready by 2000. The refitting costs about FIM 25M in total and will be done at VR's Turku works.
Among new features are power supplies for laptop computers and equipment to improve mobile phone reception. Seats and tables are renewed. The main colour is grey. A smoking compartment is included. Interiors were designed by architect Pentti Hietanen.
Sources VR-uutisia:
UUSII ENSIMMÄISEN LUOKAN SINISET VAUNUT
YLE
tv-uutiset: VR uusi kaukoliikenteen ensimmäisen luokan vaununsa
The first of VR's new double-decker Inter-City carriages has started it's test runs which continue until January. In Helsinki (Pasila) the aluminium car could be admired from the outside, the interior is still a closely guarded secret. The carriages will be officially presented in February. The 42 cars come into use during 1998-99.
Source Helsingin Sanomat 15.11.1997
YTV's Board has decided to cancel the agreement regarding Helsinki regional train traffic. The withdrawal notice period is two years - the current agreement runs until 31.12.1999.
Cancellation was said to be a normal action when the parties want changes to the next agreement.
YTV wants the savings derived from bus traffic tendering to be available from train traffic. The reduction in bus operating tariffs has meant that train operating tariffs are now more expensive.
Discussions between YTV and VR are affected by the planned opening of the rail network to competition. In September a Transport Ministry workgroup started to work out the conditions and possibilities for realising rail competition.
The current agreement was made for years 1995-99. In it was agreed buying of local train services and also reconditioning of old carriages and purchasing of new train units. Train requirements increased when the Helsinki-Tikkurila city railway started running last year.
Train unit requirements grow again after 2000 when the Helsinki-Leppävaara city railway begins operations. That lines affect on traffic is not taken into account in the current agreement.
Sources YTV Ajankohtaista:
10.11.1997 YTV:n ja VR:n lähiliikennesopimus irtisanottu
MTV3
uutiset- Kuka hoitaa lähijunat?
VR has cancelled the Dm11 rail car order because rail cars do not fulfil the agreed technical requirements. The biggest problems are too much weigth and too high interior noise levels. The railcars so far delivered have been tested on different lines in Finland since the summer.
The contract for a series of 16 railcars was made with GEC Alsthom Transporte during 1995 and was valued at FIM 100M. It also included an option for further series of 16 railcars.
According to the contract the weigth of each railcar should be 38 tons, however it weigths nearly 9 tons more. The noise level inside is around 12 decibels higher than was written into the contract.
Sources VR-uutisia:
VR PURKI KISKOBUSSIKAUPAN
MTV3
uutiset - VR purki miljoonien kiskobussikaupan
One wagon of a train loaded with timber skewed off the rails a little before midday in Lauritsala, Lappeenranta. The wagon's derailment interrupted rail traffic until the evening.
Passengers of the day-trains needed to transfer to buses between Lappeenranta and Joutseno. Trains were delayed by one and a half hours.
Source Helsingin Sanomat 8.11.1997
The Finnish Parliament decided today to build the Helsinki-Leppävaara quadruple railway line in its extra budget for fiscal year 1997. The two new tracks allow separation of local and longer distance trains as already in use between Helsinki and Tikkurila. New tracks will mean a doubling of the density of local trains to Leppävaara, and Vantaankoski. Also long-distance trains to Turku can be increased by about 25%. The revised line should be ready by 2001.
Source YLE Teksti-TV 10.10.1997
An InterCity train reversing from Helsinki to Ilmala depot drove over a trackworker in the approach yard on Wednesday. A 49y.o. VR-Rata Oy employee was killed and another 34y.o. man was injured.
The train had arrived at 10.02 from Iisalmi and was despatched back to the depot at about 10.20. When moved the whole train is reversed - locomotive last. The train conductor checks from the first carriage that the route is clear, and is in connection with the driver at the other end by radio-telephone.
Special investigator Esko Värttiö from the Accident Investigation Centre says that the conductor was in his own place and notified at once to the driver when he saw some men on the track. However, the driver did not manage to stop the train in time. According to Varttiö the communication acted properly.
VR's Safety Officer Kaj Karjalainen said he had heard on Wednesday that of the four repair gang members only one was away from the place to get something at the time of the accident. According to his (Karjalainen's?) knowledge one man managed to jump clear from the train.
Warning signs could not be sited on the track on which the accident happened because it was so close to the station. For that reason on of the repair gang should have been a trained safetyman who would warn others of an approaching train. Karjalainen did not know if in the gang was one safetyman.
Track Officer Seppo Ronni says that the repair gang's foreman should take care that in the group is a safetyman. According to Ronni on the track is normally a three-man track repair group. The group's foreman was the dead man.
The accident train stood on the track for about an hour which caused for four long-distance trains' departures were delayed 10-18 minutes and four local traffic trains' departures were delayed 5-15 minutes.
Source HS 9.10.1997
A new version of a computer program at VR's Espoo area signalling controlbox turned-out to be a "bad egg" on Friday. Some small improvements were made to the program at night, but in the morning the system failed.
Trains needed to stand for up-to 25 minutes between Huopalahti and Kirkkonummi. In the middle of the day the same fault occurred with similar delays.
The equipment controls trains' movements. When it failed signals began to show red light and trains were halted at the signals.
In the afternoon the original program version was restored and the new version returned to its manufacturer - Siemens, for examination. According to VR their is no risk of the same fault occurring elsewhere.
In spite of the morning rush people stuck in the trains took the situation calmly. Problems were caused by the lack of information to advise how long the delays would last.
Source: HS 4.10.1997
Reason for fire is not yet known. Traffic was interrupted for about on hour until locomotive was towed to Toijala. Locomotive stayed on track and nobody injured in accident.
Source: MTV3 uutiset - Veturi syttyi pääradalla
Work in connection with repairs caused electrical damage and interrupted train traffic between Hämeenlinna and Riihimäki at about 15.00.
Train traffic was replaced by buses between Hämeenlinna and Riihimäki. The second track was re-opened to traffic at 16.20, and trains ran 30-40 minutes late the whole evening because of the damage.
Source: HS 28.8.1997
A Helsinki-Tampere train hit a tree that had fallen onto the catenary at Letteensuo north of Hämeenlinna. The accident happened during the morning in thick fog.
Emergency braking shocked passengers but according to the accident researcher Kari Alppivuori no-one was injured. The train driver managed to throw himself onto the cab floor before the impact.
The pine tree had fallen just before the train's approach. The treefellers managed to run to warn the train just 100 metres before the place of impact, so the driver managed to apply the emergency brake. The train managed to damage the catenary however. Because of the accident the electricity supply was interrupted in the surrounding area.
The railway line was impassable for 1½ hours, which at worst caused delays for 1½ hours. Passengers were ferried betwen local stations by taxis and buses.
The first track was re-opened at 9.00, and repairs to the second track lasted until the following morning. Trains were being delayed by 5-10 minutes.
Source HS 22.8.1997
The aging railway network needs more appropriations for renewing railway track. Traffic (speed) restrictions are becoming more common even though appropriations for railway work have been increased during recent years. The rail network needs to be renewed now, because the last refurbishment was made 30 years ago, in the 1960's.
Source MTV3 Uutiset - Rataverkon ikääntyminen lisää kunnostustarvetta
Local and long distance trains were late during last week due to signal failures.
On July 29 thunder and lighting caused a burning tree to fall onto catenary north of Toijala. Repairs lasted the whole evening. Trains were delayed from one to two hours. Earlier on the same day thunder caused signal failures between Hämeenlinna and Toijala. Trains were delayed by up to one hour.
Signal failures have caused trouble to traffic mainly due to new signal systems, which are still in test use. Voltage spikes associated with lightning cause modem connections to break and then commands to switches and signals do not reach their destination. However, this does not cause safety problems as signals start to show red, explains press chief Timo Saarinen of Finnish Rail Administration. During signal failures traffic is controlled with radio phones, and the maximum permitted speed is 50 km/h.
On 24 July thunder caused signal failures around Hyvinkää and Parkano. Because of signal failures between Jokela and Hyvinkää were only one track in use. Also trains between Seinäjoki and Parkano were late. At worst trains were 50 minutes late. Signal failures should be fixed at night.
On 25 July thunder again caused signal failures between Parkano and Seinäjoki from 2 p.m.. Trains were late by more than one hour.
During the night of 25-26 July a track maintenance tractor derailed between Parkano and Seinäjoki. Three night trains were re-routed via Haapamäki. In the afternoon thunder again caused signal failures, but now between Toijala and Riihimäki. Trains were late by about an hour.
Sources: MTV3
Uutiset - Junat myöhästelivät opastinvaurioiden takia,
MTV3
uutiset - Junat myöhästelivät jälleen, Uutislehti
100 30.7.1997
VR continues to test two Pendolino trains and Dm11-DMU:s. A decision to buy more Pendolino trains should be made in August.
Pendolino trains have driven over 2500 departures, and only six times has the journey had to be halted because of technical failure. Tapio Myllymäki, chief of the traffic unit, personal traffic department, declares that problems have been solved and new problems have not occurred.
First departures run by Dm11-DMU should be run before the year's end.
*** On November 3 Kauppalehti told that VR does the Pendolino decision in December 1997. It does time because VR doesn't want to make any mistakes in a hurry.
Sources MTV3
uutiset - VR jatkaa Pendolinojen ja kiskobussien testiajoja,
News
Bulletin July 9 1997,
Helsingin Sanomat 20 Aug 1997
VR's cargo traffic increased by about 16 percent in the first third of the financial year, due to good utilization by the forest industry. From January to April cargo traffic was about 14 million metric tonnes. VR's profit before financial items was FIM 92 million, net profit FIM 59 million and net sales FIM 1.8 billion.
In traffic terms most increase was in through Finland transit traffic, about 29 percent, although it's still under the highest level of three years ago. More importantly domestic traffic increased by 12 percent to 8.2 million metric tonnes.
Passenger traffic continued to increase slightly. The number of trips grew in long distance traffic about one percent and Helsinki area commuter traffic about eight percent. The reason for the big increase in Helsinki area commuter traffic is the improved suburban line between Helsinki and Tikkurila, started in August 1996.
See also: VR news, VR Yhtymä - Osavuosikatsaus (in Finnish)
According to the study made by the accident investigation board there were several reasons for the derailment at Jokela in April 1996. If only one of these would be missing, the accident wouldn't have taken place. The accident investigation board handed-over the end report to the minister of justice Kari Häkämies, today.
Accident investigation board proposes several ways to improve train safety. These concern driving trains in difficult conditions, traveling in locomotive cabs and weekly warnings, which are distributed to the drivers. The board also suggests speeding-up the building of automatic train protection (ATP). At the moment ATP is in use on lines Helsinki-Turku, Tampere-Seinäjoki and Riihimäki-Kouvola-Lappeenranta.
The accident took place in April 1996, at Jokela (near Helsinki) when express train from Oulu via Kouvola to Helsinki derailed on a turn-out. Due to fog and excessive speed the driver didn't notice an advance signal advising of a 35km/h speed restriction and transfer to another line.
The driver did not read the weekly warning about rail works carefully enough. The weekly warning was also written misleadingly.
The train's speed was 133 km/h when coming to the main signal, although the permitted speed for train was 120 km/h. The driver made an emergency brake application, but the speed of train when the accident took place was still 124 km/h.
The locomotive driver and three passengers died in the accident. It was worst railway accident for many years.
Source: MTV3 uutiset - Jokelan junaturma useiden osatekijöiden summa
Hafas now has main Finnish train timetables too, but with some errors. Main errors are
In summer there is major building work on many railway lines. Biggest delays to train traffic are caused on routes Helsinki-Tampere and Lahti-Riihimäki where trains can be up to 15 minutes late. Other work is going on routes Tampere-Seinäjoki, Tampere-Pori/Rauma, Turku-Toijala, Karjaa-Hanko, Riihimäki-Lahti-Kouvola, Luumäki-Vainikkala, Kouvola-Kotka, Kouvola-Pieksämäki, Iisalmi-Pyhäsalmi, Pieksämäki-Varkaus and Laurila-Rovaniemi.
This year Finnish rail administration (RHK) is investing 1.1 billion Finnish marks on the railway network, from which most goes to track renewals. About 230 km of new rail and about 130 turn-outs will be installed. The lines Turku-Toijala and Tampere-Pori/Rauma will be electrified. Automatic Train Protection (ATP) will be ready this summer on lines Huopalahti-Kirkkonummi, Riihimäki-Lahti and Luumäki-Vainikkala.
Source: YLE TV News, Finnish Rail Administration
There is only one major change, trains to Russia are about 20 minutes faster, when Finnish passport controls are made on moving trains between Vainikkala and Kouvola. Timetables for "Tolstoi" trains from Moscow and "Repin" trains from St. Petersburg are changed.
Minor chances are: Trains to Kolari run without any autumn break from 16. June. Some IC-trains don't run from 23. June to 2. August. Night train P 69 runs via Haapamäki from 1. June to 2. August with number P 269 and departs from Helsinki at 22:02. From 3. August train departs at 22:30 with number P 69. Train P 179 to Tampere doesn't run after 2. August.
Train P 108 departs at 9:37 from Pieksämäki to Turku and runs to Helsinki instead with number P 92. Schedules of trains to/from Turku Harbour are changed because of Silja Line amended ferry schedules from 1. June to 10. August.
See also: VR Timetables
Due to brake problems, the new Sr2 locomotives are out of use since 22. April. After the brake pads were changed the first locomotives are back in traffic from 10. May. Sr2 locomotives use Knorr brakes, while the Swiss 460 uses brakes from Westinghouse.
Source: Resiinan TASORISTEYS-palsta
VR's profit before taxes was FIM 958 million and after taxes and minority interests FIM 460 million. VR's first financial year as a joint-stock company was a year and a half long. The first fiscal year lasted from July 1995 to December 1996. VR-Groups net sales were FIM 9401 million. Net sales from cargo traffic were FIM 3700 million and net sales from passenger traffic was FIM 2200 million. The Finnish state bought construction and maintenance work from VR worth about FIM 2700 million. The final FIM 800 million of net sales come from bus traffic, restaurants and kiosks.
Freight traffic tonnes went down by five percent to nearly 38 million tonnes, because of drop in through Finland transit traffic. Other Russian traffic and domestic traffic was at about the same level. Long distance passenger traffic grew about one percent and commuter traffic about seven percent.
The VR Group is one of the 20 largest enterprises in Finland. VR Group has a total of nearly 17,000 employees. Its share capital is owned by the Finnish state.
Source: YLE Teksti-TV, VR news
Note that I don't work for VR. Created Mon, Oct 6 1997 Kimmo Kotimäki. Updated Oct 14 2007 Kimmo Kotimäki.