Trains connecting Helsinki with the Russian city of St Petersburg were cancelled this weekend after a felled tree caused electrical damage on the tracks Saturday. The interval between the cities of Luumäki and Vainikkala was inoperable for most of the day Sunday.
A replacement bus service was set up until the damage was repaired.
The track still has a span of six kilometres or so that has no electricity, but the train’s operators say they will simply accelerate and roll through the stretch until it can be restored.
The Finnish Transport Authority’s rail transportation hub says the track will be repaired in its entirety overnight.
Allegro is a high-speed train service equipped to operate on both the Finnish and the Russian railway networks that began in December 2010.
Before Allegro, the journey time by rail from Helsinki to St Petersburg was 5.5 hours. Currently it is 3 hours and 36 minutes, and there are plans to bring it down to 3 hours. There are four departures in both directions daily.
The trains are owned by Karelian Trains, a 50–50 joint venture between VR and the Russian Railways (RZD).