For other uses of the word VR, see VR (disambiguation). VR can mean: VR - a Finnish railway company Victorian Railways of the Australian state of Victoria Virtual reality A type of bus made by the Bristol bus company. ...

VR or VR Group (VR-Yhtymä) is a state-owned railway company in Finland, and formerly known as Valtionrautatiet. Its most important function is the operation of freight and passenger rail services. Maintenance and construction of the railway network itself is the responsibility of the Finnish Rail Administration (Ratahallintokeskus - RHK). Both operation and network were originally handled by the parent company Valtionrautatiet, which split into the two current ones.

Companies in the VR group also provide road freight and bus services, carry out catering activities and real estate management, and provide data, technological, and telecommunications services for the transport and logistics sectors. The group owns a bus company Pohjolan Liikenne and a road freight haulage company Transpoint.

Finnish trains are spacious, comfortable and clean. The scenery among the lines is beautiful, especially in Eastern Finland where there are very many lakes. Because in most parts of Finland density of population is low, Finland is not very well suited for railways. Commuter services are rare outside Helsinki area, but there are express train connections between most of the cities. As in France, most trains are coming or going to the capital city Helsinki. In addition there are also good ExpressBus and aeroplane connections, both of which are generally more expensive than trains. Buses are sometimes faster and/or cheaper than trains (e.g. Helsinki-Pori). The Province of Eastern Finland is a province of Finland. ... It has been suggested that Hietaniemi beach be merged into this article or section. ... thumb|250px|Expressbussi Kampissa ExpressBus is a high-quality Finnish express coach product with a service network covering the whole of Finland. ... Town hall of Pori The Juselius Mausoleum Pori or Björneborg in Swedish is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. ...

The only international rail services from Finland are to Russia. There are two trains a day to St Petersburg, called Sibelius and Repin, and one overnight train to Moscow via St Petersburg called Tolstoi. Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Sibelius Jean Sibelius (December 8, 1865 – September 20, 1957) was a Finnish composer of classical music and violinist. ... Ilyá Yefímovich Répin (Илья́ Ефи́мович Ре́пин) (August 5, 1844 (Julian calendar: July 24) – September 29, 1930) was a leading Russian painter and sculptor of the Peredvizhniki artistic school. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: listen â–¶(?)) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ... Coat of arms of Count Leo Tolstoy Tolstoy, or Tolstoi (Russian: Толсто́й) is a prominent family of Russian nobility, descending from one Andrey Kharitonovich Tolstoy (i. ...

Altogether the group of companies includes 21 companies employing a total of about 14,400 persons. The President and CEO of the VR group of companies is Henri Kuitunen.

History

The Finnish State Railways was founded by the Senate of Finland in 1862, when Finland was a Grand Duchy under Russia, and was built to the broader Russian track gauge (1524 mm, i.e. 5 ft. exactly), rather than to the European standard gauge of 1435 mm. In the coming decades the company incorporated many private Finnish railroads, such as the Hanko-Hyvinkää Railroad, and several others. The Senate of Finland combined the functions of cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland between 1816 to 1917. ... A grand duchy is a form of principality, monarchy which has a Grand Duke or a Grand Duchess as head of state. ... The Hanko-Hyvinkää Railroad, 1872-1875 (Hangö-Hyvinge Järnväg in Swedish) Hanko is the southernmost town in Finland. ...

Travel time and speed

Travel time and speed by fastest train connections from/to Helsinki (2005).

Haapamäki is a village in the municipality of Keuruu, Finland. ... Hämeenlinna or Tavastehus in Swedish is a municipality and city of about 47,000 inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Häme in the south of Finland. ... Joensuu City Hall Joensuu is a city in eastern Finland. ... Location of Jyväskylä in Finland Jyväskylä (IPA: /jyʋæsËŒkylæ/) is a city located in central Finland, 140 km from Tampere and 270 km from Helsinki, near Lake Päijänne and Lake Keitele. ... Kajaani or Kajana in Swedish is a town in Finland. ... Kotka (finnish Eagle) is a town and municipality of Finland. ... Kouvola is a small town in southeastern Finland. ... Kuopio is a Finnish city located in the province of Eastern Finland and the region of Northern Savonia. ... Location within Finland Lahti (Lahtis in Swedish) is a Finnish city of 98,253 inhabitants (2003), bordering the Vesijärvi lake. ... Lappeenranta or Villmanstrand in Swedish is a city and municipality that resides on the shore of the lake Saimaa in South-Eastern Finland, about 30 km from the Russian border. ... The city of Mikkeli Mikkeli or S:t Michel in Swedish is a town and municipality in Finland. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: listen â–¶(?)) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ... City Oulu (1605) Administrative Province Oulu province Historical Province Ostrobothnia Area (2004-01-01)  â€“ Total (excl. ... Town hall of Pori The Juselius Mausoleum Pori or Björneborg in Swedish is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. ... City scenery of Rovaniemi in January 2004 Rovaniemi (Roavenjarga in Northern Sami) is the administrative capital and the centre of commerce of Finlands northernmost Province, Lapland. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Panorama image of Seinäjoki, Finland Seinäjoki is a town located in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland. ... Location within Finland Tampere (Swedish name Tammerfors) is a city in southern Finland located between two lakes: Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. ... Province Western Finland Region Finland Proper Sub-region Turku City manager Armas Lahoniitty Official languages Finnish, Swedish Area  - total  - land ranked 311th 245. ... Vaasa, or Vasa in Swedish, (Wasa in Latin), is a city on the west coast of Finland. ...

Pendolino

Pendolino is the high speed train system operated by VR. It is one of the premier high-speed trains of Europe. The Pendolino has an average speed of 160-200 km/h, and its highest speed record was 248 km/h. The reason why the Pendolino was chosen in the beginning of 1990s is due to the fact that the country has a large amount of curved rail tracks and this is the cheapest method to build a high speed train, which runs on existing network. A tilting train provided the advantages of high speed and comfort for the passengers, as tilting trains are made for curved railways. Pendolino is a tilting train used in Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. ... Japanese Shinkansen trains began the development of modern high-speed railways (shown here: West Japan Railway Company 500 Series Shinkansen at Kyoto). ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ... track Railroad or railway tracks are used on railways, which, together with railroad switches (points), guide trains without the need for steering. ... A tilting train is a train with a tilting mechanism that enables increased speed on regular railroad tracks. ...

Unlike the TGV, Thalys and other European high-speed trains, the Pendolino, due to its tilting mechanism, does not run on specialised high-speed lines - it runs on existing lines. This has both beneficial and negative consequences. Firstly, the trains cannot run to as high a speed as the TGV, for example, due to the lines. However, the Pendolino can also run alongside 'standard' trains, allowing for greater use of the railway. Also, building high-speed lines costs a lot more, which makes them uneconomical due to Finland's low population and long distances. Despite its relatively low speeds for a high-speed network, the Pendolino has been successful due to the fact that it connects many Finnish cities and towns, similar to the TGV, which spans a large number of major cities in France. TGV trains depart from Gare Montparnasse in Paris to western and south-western destinations. ... Thalys PBKA Thalys is a high-speed train network built around the high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. ...

The Pendolino is a premium facility train. There are audio sockets for radio and music channels, as well as headphones. In some seats, there are also electricity sockets for laptop and mobile phones. There is a bistro on board that serves snack bar-style dishes. In Business Plus Class (1st class), there is personal service and a complimentary meal, similar to airline service. Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Music Look up Music on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikisource, as part of the 1911 Encyclopedia Wikiproject, has original text related to this article: Music MusicNovatory: the science of music encyclopedia The Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Distionary, with definitions, pronunciations, examples... Electricity is a general term applied to phenomena involving a fundamental property of matter called an electric charge. ... A Boeing 747-400 belonging to Virgin Atlantic Airways, one of the UKs largest airlines. ...

Pendolino Routes

The Pendolino fast train network radiates out from Helsinki. The following other destinations are served: It has been suggested that Hietaniemi beach be merged into this article or section. ...

• Espoo
• Haukivuori
• Hämeenlinna
• Jyväskylä
• Jämsä
• Karis
• Kokkola
• Kouvola
• Kuopio
• Lahti
• Lapinlahti
• Mikkeli
• Mäntyharju
• Oulu
• Pieksämäki
• Riihimäki
• Seinäjoki
• Siilinjärvi
• Suonenjoki
• Tampere
• Turku
• Ylivieska
• Vihanti

Location within Finland Espoo (IPA: ; Esbo in Swedish) is a city on the Southern coast of Finland. ... Haukivuori is a municipality of Finland. ... Hämeenlinna or Tavastehus in Swedish is a municipality and city of about 47,000 inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Häme in the south of Finland. ... Location of Jyväskylä in Finland Jyväskylä (IPA: /jyʋæsËŒkylæ/) is a city located in central Finland, 140 km from Tampere and 270 km from Helsinki, near Lake Päijänne and Lake Keitele. ... Jämsä is a town and municipality of Finland. ... Karis (IPA: //), or Karjaa (/ˈkÉ‘rjɑː/) in Finnish, is a municipality of Finland. ... Kokkola (Karleby in Swedish) is a town and municipality of Finland. ... Kouvola is a small town in southeastern Finland. ... Kuopio is a Finnish city located in the province of Eastern Finland and the region of Northern Savonia. ... Location within Finland Lahti (Lahtis in Swedish) is a Finnish city of 98,253 inhabitants (2003), bordering the Vesijärvi lake. ... Lapinlahti is a municipality of Finland. ... The city of Mikkeli Mikkeli or S:t Michel in Swedish is a town and municipality in Finland. ... Province Eastern Finland Region Southern Savonia Sub-region Mikkeli City manager Jussi Teittinen Official languages Finnish Area  - total  - land ranked 52nd 1,210. ... City Oulu (1605) Administrative Province Oulu province Historical Province Ostrobothnia Area (2004-01-01)  â€“ Total (excl. ... Pieksämäki is a town and municipality of Finland. ... Riihimäki (literally Drying barn height in English) is a town and municipality in the south of Finland, about 69 km north of Helsinki and 109 km southeast of Tampere. ... Panorama image of Seinäjoki, Finland Seinäjoki is a town located in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland. ... Siilinjärvi is a town of about 20,000 inhabitants, located in the middle of Finland, in Northern Savo, 20 kms north of Kuopio. ... Suonenjoki is a municipality of Finland. ... Location within Finland Tampere (Swedish name Tammerfors) is a city in southern Finland located between two lakes: Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. ... Province Western Finland Region Finland Proper Sub-region Turku City manager Armas Lahoniitty Official languages Finnish, Swedish Area  - total  - land ranked 311th 245. ... Ylivieska is a town located in Ostrobothnia, Finland. ... Vihanti is a municipality of Finland. ...

Commuter traffic in Helsinki area

VR runs commuter traffic in Helsinki Metropolitan Area. See VR lähiliikenne. Central Helsinki, the focal point of the Capital Region, from the sky Greater Helsinki (Finnish: Suur-Helsinki, Swedish: Storhelsingfors), Capital Region (Pääkaupunkiseutu, Huvudstadsregionen), Helsinki Metropolitan Area, and Helsinki Region (Helsingin seutu, Helsingforsregionen) all refer to the conurbation surrounding the Finnish capital, Helsinki. ... Image:VR lähiliikenne route map. ...

See also

• Transportation in Finland
• List of Finnish government owned companies
• List of railway companies
• TransPoint
• ExpressBus
• SJ, RZD
• List of railway lines in Finland

Transportation is well-handled in Finland. ... This is a list of Finnish government owned companies: Wholly Owned Alko Altia OHY Arsenal CSC-Tieteellinen laskenta Edita Finnvera Hansel Kapiteeli Motiva Rahapaja Solidium Suomen Erillisverkot Suomen Posti Suomen Teollisuussijoitus Suomen Vientiluotto Suomen Viljava VPU Pukutehdas VR Shared majority ownership Boreal Kasvinjalostus Finnair Fortum Haus kehittämiskeskus Kemijoki Kemira... This is a list of the worlds railway operating companies listed alphabetically by continent and country. ... thumb|250px|Expressbussi Kampissa ExpressBus is a high-quality Finnish express coach product with a service network covering the whole of Finland. ... SJ AB (Swedish Railways, Statens Järnvägar, commonly known as SJ) is a Swedish government owned public transport on railway operator. ... This is a list of railway lines run by the Finnish national rail carrier VR, including lists of stations on the most important lines. ...

External links

• VR
• Finnish Rail Administration