Finland's FANTASTIC Intercity Train Along the Russian Border

[@NonstopEurotrip]

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[@kraatarin8226]

The russian border is not unguarded, you just can't see the guardians. :) It's very well patrolled, protected and monitored.

[@richard-riku]

Also it is not possible to walk up to the land border itself. There is a "border zone" of varying width (might be many km) in the part of Finland adjacent to the Russian border. You need a special permit to be in the border zone (even though it's Finnish territory). You will be arrested if found in the border zone without a permit.

[@2xtreem4u]

walk the wrong way and the snow starts to talk finnish before you get to russia :)

[@igorsiuda8108]

... especially if it's now a war with Ukraine. Currently, it's now very strict. And a fun fact: it was created in 1917 after Finnish independence, but was changed only once - in 1947, after WWII (which, although of Finland's territorial losses, was de facto a Finnish victory due to their technic, which would be later known as "Molotov's Cocktail").

[@2xtreem4u]

@ you forgot the vinter war

[@igorsiuda8108]

@@2xtreem4u Yes, I know that Winter War was part of WWII.

[@tapio_m6861]

The headphone jack thing on the seat is not working these days anymore. It used to be radio, but people didn't really use them and they then phased those out. On the older trains you can still see those on the chairs, but on the newer ones they're gone.

[@SeverityOne]

That little railcar is just too cute. I _love_ railcars. It's like a bus, but without the disadvantages of a bus (which is mostly that it's a bus). 🙂

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Haha I know right - so cute 🥰

[@onnihietala4349]

that exact unit has been on fire multiple times, and currently about 1/3 of them are taken out of service from fire damage. these railbuses have some fatal design issues and VR is currently searching for ways to refurbish them from top to bottom to add air conditioning and better fire safety. you can see some photos of them covered in flames on the finnish wikipedia article about them.

[@Itapirkanmaa2]

They're short of equipment as many examples have been destroyed in fires or railway crossing accidents. My wife had to recently use one on a conference journey from Joensuu. The 2 units (the maximum that can connect together) were not enough, although they were packed full, so VR had to hire normal buses for the balance.

[@sm6allegro]

Note that the student discount only applies to Finnish universities, they only accept Finnish student IDs

[@NonstopEurotrip]

I know of foreign student ID being accepted before.

[@DevastatedMonkey]

@@NonstopEurotrip Well that's only accepted out of pity :D but yea student is a student

[@joosepvall6370]

I have also travelled in Finland with a foreign student card and it was accepted. Just in case asked also before, but it's fine.

[@sl06bhytmar]

Foreign students are rare animals so VR conductors probably let it pass but accepted student cards should have VR logo printed on them.

[@izmolaitela6684]

@@sl06bhytmar Huh

[@laju]

While the double-deck coaches are on paper "Škodas", they are made in Finland by the company "Škoda Transtech". The design itself and most of the manufacturing dates back to the time before Škoda bought the majority of Transtech. Essentially, the only "Škoda" these things have is the part of the name of the company.

[@Marisolita_95]

I heard somewhere that they're made in Kuusamo, which is a remote little town pretty much in the middle of nowhere, in a province called Kainuu. Is that true? Oh, I also heard that they manufacture trams there too.

[@laju]

@Marisolita_95 The factory is in Otanmäki, which is in Kajaani, Kainuu. Kuusamo is relatively nearby, though. And yes, they make trams too. They are also locally designed and I believe are the main reason why Škoda bought the factory.

[@Marisolita_95]

@laju Damn, I knew it was Kajaani but I mixed up with these two towns, Kuusamo and Kajaani. Anyways, they're doing such a great job in the factory. Been to FIN and I've been riding in these coaches. They're probably the best ones I've been riding in. Well, they have some nice trains and coaches in Japan but not a dining cars, only vending cars are available in their trains. My dream is to take a Lapland Express and travel thru the night up in the north. Maybe next summer. Greetings from Las Palmas de G.C. (ain't got no trains here lol, thou used to be there was an industrial track from Las Palmas down to Telde, the steam loco is still in the square where's the main bus station).

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Exactly 💯

[@craigpenny289]

What a great train. I love the little compartment. Great for privacy. Peace and quiet to enjoy the views.

[@BoloH.]

Tried out Extra for the very first time few months ago and decided that I'm gladly going to pay that increased price if the trip is longer than two hours.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Good choice!

[@plague811]

Nice to see my home town Parikkala visited by international travellers! Welcome!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks! 😃

[@taahaseois.8898]

Parikkala on hyvä paikka kyllä. Sieltä suunnilta juontaa juurensa suuri osa omastakin suvusta. Moneen otteeseen tullut nuorempana kesällä käytyä nyt jo edesmenneiden isovanhempien luona.

[@taahaseois.8898]

The headphone jacks haven't worked since 2010, before that you could listen to radio.

[@zeearend1001]

Next time a review from that awesome and cute little railcar or railbus? That would be amazing!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Unfortunately not, sorry!

[@KalpeshPatelNL]

Nice child-friendly facilities

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Yes they are :)

[@mikrokupu]

Thanks for the detailed video! The Allegro-trains (Sm6 ) that operated between Helsinki and St Petersburg are expected to be put into service in domestic long-distance traffic this year, I'm curious to see how that service will look like. It seems the VR company is doing ok generally, the passenger numbers are growing and the customer satisfaction looks good too, according to the latest data

[@onelyone6976]

It is looking bright, however in the recent european railways comparison, VR was only just about better than SJ which isn’t a particularly great achievement, considering that in a similar comparison in 2017 Finnish railways were ranked third in Europe. VR are announcing record ridership, which is great, but infrastructure needs improvement badly. The mainline between Helsinki and Seinäjoki is already running at full capacity, so no extra services can be introduced, the only thing VR can do is increase train sizes. To increase capacity, would mean double tracking most of the line (it is mostly single track today) which is very expensive and will cause years of disruption to rail traffic. The Helsinki-Turku improvement is hopefully moving a little forward, as the current tracks are in bad shape, causing lots of delays and slow speeds

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks for the info!

[@MikayeYakovlev]

Aleksandr the Second was the Emperor of russia and Grand-duke of Finland, courtesy of being Emperor of russia. He has a statue in Helsinki, because he partially restored Finnish political autonomy that was taken away by one of his predecessors - I think, Nicholas the First, but I am not too sure.

[@daffi4139]

Aleksander 2 was indeed both emperor and grand duke, however the reason for statue is that he strengthened Finland's statehood, by having great relations with Finnish government/senate, so he accepted many things that strengthened Finland's position as semi independent state. So it didn't restore political autonomy, because Grand Duchy of Finland was politically autonomic since it was established. And Nicolas 1 indeed later pursued active proposals and attempts to end Finland's statehood and bring it in-to Russia, but eventually it didn't work out.

[@rezaalan3991]

Great trip. Your compartment remind me about Roomette in Amtrak, with exception you can't convert this into bed mode. Overall train in Finland is great, especially their Rolling Stock.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Very true! 😃

[@avirupsome]

VR rarely disappoints 😊❤

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Absolutely 💯😁

[@neymarjr3712]

As a finn, this honestly could not be further from the truth. I understand that from a tourist’s perspective it might be amazing, but from a locals point of view it is often disappointing and you can see that they have clearly cheaped out on pretty much everything due to the lack of competition

[@AK_.]

​@neymarjr3712 pakko kysyä että oletko paljonkin kokeillut junia muualla? Ulkomailla suht paljon junia käyttäneenä on sanottava että olen kiitollinen siitä että meillä kotona on VR

[@richard-riku]

@neymarjr3712 you should travel on UK trains and see if you revise your opinion. the childrens play area and family cabin with play area are things that a brit could not even imagine existing on a train and I have never heard anybody in finland having to use "split ticketing" to get the cheapest fare

[@neymarjr3712]

@@richard-riku i get where your coming from but i have always had some kind of issue traveling with VR. Whether it is showers not working on the entire train, the tap not working and the conductor having to carry water bottles for us across multiple wagons, the bed clothes being dirty and not cleaned up, the train not sticking to the schedule of stations etc. At one occasion before departing from lapland, the electicity cut out of our wagon, meaning no heating or light.

[@leevilindholm4081]

Great video! I believe Lahti (120k) and Kouvola (79k) are bigger than Lappeenranta on this specific route outside of metropolitan Helsinki ;)

[@gunj-k7t]

But kouvola is a beton forest ;D

[@martinstilton1535]

Love these trains! Can't think of a better journey than on the top deck going through the forests!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Couldn't agree more!

[@teme82]

Another nice video. I tend to take the IC trains in here and sit on the single side seats on the 2nd floor of the restaurant car. I think you know why ;)

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Oh absolutely 💯 🍻

[@onemore5952]

Short and sweet trip to Helsinki. The area shown brought good memories. Thanks for the trip.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@IsadoreLandsberg]

The railway station for the crossing into Russia is Vainikkala. The Allegro trains used to stop there. Because of the 'situation' with Russia vs Ukraine the station is 'mothballed'. There's one photo of it in a recently made KZbin video: 'montana fox every railway station in finland'.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

call it what it is - Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine.

[@TitiSnorlax]

I’ve been on the Helsinki Joensuu line a lot of times because I live in joensuu

[@sbiccaa3584]

I really like your vlogs your editorial work is on point very professional thank you !

[@NonstopEurotrip]

I appreciate that! 🙏🏻

[@barringtonw2]

Excellent video thanks. VR is certainly passenger friendly with many facilities.........UK rail companies take note!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Couldn't agree more!

[@michaelhall8586]

I’ve done this trip, it’s extraordinary.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

It sure is!

[@ConscienceofChrist]

🎉 thank you for the awesome video again. In the year 2000 I found out that my family had a namesake town in Virginia. It was an old map in National geographic right near the Appalachian trails. I have to go find it but I lived in Canada and British Columbia on the Pacific coast. I was married and didn't have permission to run away. But I own the business and I was tired and I got mad one day and I took my car to Seattle and I got a sleeper train 2 West Virginia because that's where I thought the town would be. When I got to West Virginia I went into a cafe and a couple of postmen looked at my ancient map and said it looks like it could be in Virginia. The state has split in two remember. So I have the amazing experience of renting a car and driving through the rolling Hills of West Virginia South to Virginia. I had two days before I had to get back on a train and go home. The first night I had two hotels because I booked one went out on the road and end up kept going. Finally I arrived in Marion Virginia. My town was still there at 5 miles. Groseclose, Virginia. It is now on the map by the way again. It has a museum an old store with an old man and a lot of junk. An amazing tea house with pastry and tea and warm soup. A large cemetery filled with Grosecloses. I saw many of their houses that they maintained. There is a gas station with a young man who has no idea what I'm talking about. My family arrived in Virginia in 1750 from Germany. Peter senior picked up a wife in Norway and here they came. My train ride was awesome. I want to get on a train again so bad it hurts. That's all I want to do. Ride around in a train looking at our glorious world with no noise about getting things done. 😂 4 years later by family had a 250 year reunion in West Virginia. I brought my aunties and my uncle and they were in their Glory. You can see them in this picture on my KZbin. Sometimes we do things in Pennsylvania we think we're going to get in trouble. So we moved to Virginia. The government of America at the time really wanted my family to build Pennsylvania. But they liked Virginia better. ❤ It was like they were paid for their voyage and they took the money and ran 😂. They became the founding fathers of America.

[@Tommimeh2]

The headphone radio does not work anymore. It was discontiniued in 2010 due to extreamly low usage. About one person per train used them.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks!

[@francescopitrelli7403]

I love Parikkala station's platforms disposition (2-1-3), the first time I stopped there I was a bit confused (I arrived at platform 2 and the train to Savonlinna was at platform 3) 😂

[@tuunaes]

It used to be normal 1-2-3, until numbers were changed. Guess some big salary manager, or expensive consult, needed to justify his/hers existence in payroll. Though could be also something whole train network wide like making trains going south and north on main route use same platform numbers on all stations. Don't remember if there was some explanation when swapping numbers was done.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

😆😆😆

[@theobrattinga500]

Great video.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks!

[@sl06bhytmar]

Not perhaps popular opinion but I liked the old blue passenger cars more. Seats were more comfy though lack of AC during the middle of summer was probably only downside.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

They are also very comfortable:)

[@bazinga378]

Good job as always, buddy. My first thought would be that those two seats in your compartment could be converted into a bed. But if you're going for a 3 hour ride, that's not really appropriate.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

That would be cool! 😎

[@maelmoor]

Great video, really happy to see you doing this route, as pretty much everyone is just doing the Lapland service! I've travelled this route (though all the way to Joensuu, was hoping you would go there!) a lot of times and it's probably my favourite train in Europe. I always try to get the 2 person compartment if its available, such a chill and comfortable way to travel! Savonlinna train gets a bit too crowded in the summer during the Opera Festival though.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks for the tips! 😀

[@ggreg2258]

Enjoyable; informative.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks!

[@barefram]

Very interesting. In Belarus for example are the rails direct on Belarus-Lithuania border with passenger trains.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Probably not for much longer

[@barefram]

@NonstopEurotrip you can check, between Pastavy and Lyntupy.

[@Vihtori13]

I used to use the trains to commute 3 times a week. The shift to dynamic pricing has made it far too expensive unless you can book at least 2-3 weeks in advance. It is often cheaper to drive. Luckily, there is Onni bus close by, which does not have the track issues.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

There's no season ticket option?

[@Vihtori13]

@NonstopEurotrip Yes, there is. Season ticket option is worth it, if you go enough to get the value.

[@mariadelmarjimenezarroyo]

Good video

[@tompsu9536]

The only problem I have with VR as a Finn is that they lack diversity compared to other companies haha. A bit geeky but still would be nice to have different kinds of trains, although these are amazing.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

You've got many different types of train

[@MartinBrez]

I took the Allegro train from St. Petersburg to Helsinki in 2015. It was a very comfortable train. Entering the EU was seamless on a UK passport back then as it was prior to Brexit. Not possible now of course.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Shame, I'd have liked to try it too

[@olivalkor6053]

Don't remenber if you did that trip already but the jungle train in Malaysia would be a nice trip !!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

I have :)

[@amberbaltic297]

I do not understand the pricing of double compartment. You bought one place and got the whole space? What is the price when two people are travelling? Double extra price?

[@jameslovestokyo]

Unless you book two seats, the second seat would appear available in the VR booking engine. It's unlikely that someone would choose to reserve it unless the train was absolutely full.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Double base fare, plus the compartment fee

[@amberbaltic297]

@@NonstopEurotrip What about four place compartment? I can buy one ticket plus compartment fee and the whole compartment is for my use? Quite illogical.

[@michaelj3282]

Only problem with that 2 seat room, is when you're sat down you can't really see outside - or is that just the angle?

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Seemed fine to me 😕

[@Itapirkanmaa2]

The headphones have not been working for decades. There was some sort of copyright issue I recall. The Wi-Fi has traditionally been horrible and the connectivity on some routes largely 404 due to the lack of cell stations. They have promised to improve the Wi-Fi connection within the cars.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Ive usually found the WiFi to work fine

[@Itapirkanmaa2]

@@NonstopEurotrip You're lucky. YLE wrote on 22 Nov 2024: "VR upgraded the Wi-Fi on the trains, but the unreliable connections did not improve, even the minister responsible was very dismayed".

[@samtrak1204]

Some seats have very limited train window views.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Like with most trains

[@Nathan-hk5xp]

I'd hope that, with Ukraine becoming more European-aligned, they should buy rollingstock from Skoda / Transtech Oy, if they do not want to re-gauge the entire network in 1,435mm standard from their 1,520mm Russian gauge.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Just make sure it's not connected to the Nazis. No regauge required

[@Abnerbandanovotempoinscrito1mi]

Bom dia boa viagem faz uma boa viagem de trem Finlândia lindo trem

[@NonstopEurotrip]

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@BeknurZhanibekuly]

Hey NonstopEurotrip! Remember the 4 day kazakhstan journey? You said you have a tulpar Talgo video coming out soon which was 8 months ago? When will you post it? Because i love feedback of our kazakh trains :D

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Sorry - I've had so much to edit. I haven't forgotten it and will try and get around to it soon! ☺️

[@BeknurZhanibekuly]

@ alright!

[@BeknurZhanibekuly]

@@NonstopEurotrip i have a question, in late 2025 there will be new Stadler coaches on the network. Will you review them in the future?

[@oulalintula210]

The empty bookself at 11'30" looks sad. It is sponsored by the publishing company Tammi and it used to have books for kids but they were taken away in corona years. I haven't been paying attention lately if they'd have returned.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

They are back now I believe!

[@Finntrans]

Excellent video! As a local, I've traveled many train routes in Finland, including the sleeper from Tampere to Rovaniemi with a car in the rear. I have made some short trips also on these Dm12 railcars (as shown in the video). I love railcars, but I think VR needs to refurbish them, so that they'll be more reliable and comfortable later on. Sad news about locomotives, is that VR will slowly replace the Sr2's in the 2030's together with Sr1's, since they require a full-on refurbishment and there's a limited amount of spareparts. That means the only locomotives will be Sr3 (Vectron) since then.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻

[@_CarrotCake]

You say the filming date was 4.4.24...but at 2:49, the departure board says "4.4.2023" and on the 4th of April both years, IC 3 was hauled by an Sr3, not an Sr2. 🤔

[@NonstopEurotrip]

@_CarrotCake correct, yes.

[@toivopirttimaki9156]

10:13 se on miiiin kalis

[@MarSen1294]

Nice video

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks

[@michaelmacdonell4834]

Oh, you lucky thing!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

😀🇫🇮

[@richard-riku]

6:29 the cabins are dynamically priced (I regularly travel Riihimaki - Kauhava). The dynamic pricing can also lead to some strange behaviour - in your screenshot why would somebody pay 8.90 to have a single seat in standard class when they can get two seats to themselves for 3.70e less (so called "seat next to you").

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Interesting

[@amberbaltic297]

Are people skating on lakes in Finland?

[@richard-riku]

not this winter because it has been too mild. But normally the council will make ski and skating tracks on the lakes. I have even cycled on some lakes in the winter near Helsinki.

[@mikrokupu]

Ice skating on lakes in winter is not very common, often the snow covering the ice makes skating difficult. There are some maintained skating routes for (long distance) skating though. Ice fishing is more common, loved it as a kid. This winter has been quite mild so far, I would only trust ice in Northern Finland.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

I've seen it quite a lot

[@superbrian113]

Is it possible to bring a bicycle on Finnish trains ?

[@redneck96100]

Yes, you just have to reserve a spot in the bike storage on the train. Or if you have a compact folding bike you can store it in luggage for free.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

See above :)

[@saaraa7876]

Like the other person said, you have to reserve it in advance. Check it when buying your ticket cause not all trains have a bike compartment. Some are also really cramped so if your bike is particularly big (or if it has a bolted in little basket in the front like mine.... speaking from experience here) it may not fit.

[@superbrian113]

@ Thanks. I am a dane, and this train video makes me want to go to Finland with my e-bike. Unfortunately I have to find a way to get there- because the Swedish SJ are not welcoming bicycles on trains- And all ferries to Finland from Sweden goes from Stockholm, which is very far from my hometown,Copenhagen. It seems all ferries from Sweden to Finland goes via Stockholm ? If you know an other route, please let me know :)

[@tuunaes]

@@superbrian113 There are ferries between Finland and Germany (Travemünde) so maybe that route could be option for getting to Helsinki. And if you're interested in nature you should visit what is called "Lake Finland", including Punkaharju (search for videos) between Parikkala and Savonlinna. Should myself really just bicycle there living in Parikkala. Have also thought couple times to bicycle area around Puumala.

[@barrywood2806]

Aren't Finnish trains wonderful! So much attention to detail. And I'm old enough to have used them in the 60s, riding up to Rovaniemi in wooden carriages with a wood-burning stove at the end of each. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it, but all was fine. To be honest though, 12 hours of forest scenery can get a bit monotonous. And I spent a summer in Helsinki. It was often in the mid-30s and I'd take the ferry over to Suomenlinna to bask in the sunshine and slide now and then into the water to cool off. Another island holds a zoo.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

They still have them on many ex soviet trains!

[@ЭнгельсинПолиграфович]

Isn't being so close to the orcish border dangerous?

[@NonstopEurotrip]

The Finns protected me 👍🏻😎

[@pasikallinen]

The armrest headphone jack / radio isn't in use anymore, and hasn't for many years.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Thanks! 👍🏻

[@RassuYT357]

I once got a 2 seat compartment for 4 euros

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Whaaaaaaaat?!

[@RassuYT357]

Yeah, it was crazy. The earlier you get the tickets, the cheaper they are

[@6yjjk]

12:14 Be the bear!

[@williamthawley9251]

how come the dining cars look more interesting food wise in Europe, than in amtrak in the USA. yet the price you paid for omlet, if available from amtrak would be far less.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

I'd rather pay more for freshly cooked, healthier food than microwaved shiz

[@williamthawley9251]

@@NonstopEurotrip I meant far more, sorry. as amtrak would be about 15.00

[@JonathanButler-zd8qt]

What is your overall favourite train that you have been on?

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Gotta be Chinese high-speed trains :)

[@_autom]

the perslstent flagging flags cracked me up

[@NonstopEurotrip]

?

[@ЦзинКэ-ы5х]

Suomi mainittu, torilla tavataan!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮 for the salmon soup 💕

[@artur67m]

Отличное видео. Также рекомендую посетить Россию и съездить на ретро поезде в горный парк Рускеала

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Absolutely not

[@artur67m]

@NonstopEurotrip а ну да Россия страна изгой о чем же я остальные страны белые пушистые. Очень жаль что у вас на первом месте политика однозначно отписка.

[@gothic-v4r]

A three hour service from Helsinki that runs along the Russian border?

[@NonstopEurotrip]

?

[@peterdrechsler9526]

Abteil viel zu eng. Preise in Euro falsch angesagt. Zu viel Werbung

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Too much German

[@jadreskipina5899]

😆

[@paulthiel5145]

😂

[@annemasci5000]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@lovemunchkin]

Best not to make political digs. Keep it to travel.

[@NonstopEurotrip]

Nope

[@jameslovestokyo]

In Imatra, you can visit the incredible modernist Church of the Three Crosses (1958) designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Staying there with some architecture students a few years ago I noticed that the GPS in several of our smartphone maps were being disrupted by external interference. We were only a few km from the border. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Three_Crosses