Train service | Suspected arson slows down trains between Riihimäki and Toijala, the effect may continue for a long time

In Iittala the suspected arson that took place is now slowing down trains between Riihimäki and Toijala, according to the Rail Transport Center.

A fire that broke out next to the track at night damaged safety device cables. Repair work was underway on Friday morning.

According to the estimate of the Swedish Rail Transport Agency, the cables can be repaired by two in the afternoon.

Repairing the strands of safety device cables is manual work that requires precision.

“The threads are repaired one at a time, it takes time,” the Rail Transport Center said in the morning.

Trains can drive through Iittala, but at a reduced speed. Without functioning safety device cables, the speed of the trains is limited to 50 kilometers per hour, in some places even lower than this. The reduced speed has to be driven for a distance of eight kilometers.

At ten in the morning, traffic was already somewhat congested, according to the Rail Transport Center. Traffic jams typically cause a chain reaction of being late.

VR cancelled early Friday morning train shifts due to fire. According to VR’s communication, there have been no new cancellations after ten in the morning and there will be no more.

Many long-distance trains passing through Iittala were late. According to information on VR’s website, delay estimates vary from 20 minutes to an hour.

Also On Friday morning, there were delays on the coastal line between Helsinki and Turku Kupitta due to a system failure.

In the morning, problems arose between Salo and Paimio, which were eventually traced to safety devices.

In the morning, the trains on the beach line were about 30–60 minutes late.

The fault was fixed at noon on Friday. In the afternoon, the Rail Traffic Center estimates that traffic on the coastal line between Helsinki and Turku Kupitta will return to normal within about two hours.