Rail transport in Finland

The Finnish railway network has a total track length of . The railways are built with a broad 1524 mm track gauge.   is electrified. 

Passenger trains are run by the state-owned enterprise VR.  These services cover all major cities and many rural areas. The coverage is less than the coverage provided by the bus services. Most passenger train services originate or terminate at Helsinki Central railway station. VR also operates freight services. Maintenance and construction of the railway network itself is the responsibility of the Finnish Rail Administration, which is a part of the Finnish Transport Agency.  Cargo yards and large stations may have their own signalling systems.

Finnish trains have a reputation for being spacious, comfortable and clean.  The scenery round the railway lines is beautiful, especially in Eastern Finland with its many lakes. Commuter services are  rare outside the Helsinki area, but there are express train connections between most of the cities.  Night trains only run on the lines between Helsinki or Turku via Oulu to Lapland (minimum distance of .  Most tracks are free for nightly freight traffic (about 40 million tonnes per year).  

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