The police sought help from the public on Friday after a suspected case of railroad vandalism in Iittala, between Hämeenlinna and Toijala in south-central Finland. Officials said that cables along the railway line were damaged by a fire that was intentionally set between 2 and 3 am on Friday. The cable damage caused delays of 20-60 minutes for trains on the main north-south rail line for much of the day.
Traffic on the heavily used route began to return to normal after repair work was completed around 2 pm.
Police are seeking tips from the public about anyone who may have been seen moving around the area at the time or other possible observations. Tips can be reported by email pitkakestoinentutkinta.kh.hame@poliisi.fi or by phone at 0295 414 222.
Systems glitch in southwest
Meanwhile a separate disruption on the coastal line between Helsinki and Turku was fixed shortly before noon. The glitch between Salo and Paimio in southwest Finland on Friday morning was due to a system error, according to state railways VR.
According to Fintraffic, train traffic on the coastal line between Helsinki and Kupittaa station in Turku will returned to normal by about 2pm. The Kupittaa station is being used as the city's main terminal during track work between it and the city's central railway station. The temporary arrangement, with bus service to the centre and port, is to remain in place until the end of next year. Trains from Tampere still use the main station but stop some distance from the station building.