As of March 2025, all passenger train services between Finland and Russia remain suspended. This suspension began in March 2022 following geopolitical tensions arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The primary service affected was the Allegro Express, a high-speed train that had connected Helsinki, Finland, to St. Petersburg, Russia, since 2010. The Allegro Express was jointly operated by Finland’s VR Group and Russia’s RZD under the joint venture Karelian Trains. The service significantly reduced travel time between the two cities to approximately 3.5 hours, with multiple daily departures.
In December 2023, VR Group announced that it had assumed full ownership of the Allegro trainsets after Russian Railways defaulted on their obligations. VR Group plans to repurpose these trains for domestic long-distance services within Finland, with deployment expected to commence in 2025.
Regarding freight services, VR Transpoint, a subsidiary of VR Group, previously managed international freight traffic between Finland and Russia. However, the current status of these services is uncertain, and it is advisable to consult VR Transpoint for the most recent information.
In summary, there are currently no operational passenger train services between Finland and Russia, and the resumption of such services is uncertain due to ongoing geopolitical circumstances.
