The last "window" to Europe has closed: Finland suspends rail service with Russia
Passenger rail service between Finland and Russia by Allegro high-speed trains will be suspended from March 28.
This was reported by the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat.
According to the Minister for European Affairs and Property Management of Finland, Tytti Tuppurainen, further operation of Allegro trains is "impractical."
On March 27, the Allegro train from Helsinki to St. Petersburg will run only in the morning, and the day train AE786 will be canceled.
"Until now, we have continued to operate Allegro trains according to official instructions. The goal was to ensure Finnish people access to Finland. During these weeks, people who wanted to leave Russia managed to leave the country," said Topi Simola, VR Group's passenger transport director.
On March 1, VR Group, which is responsible for the operation of Allegro, announced the cessation of cooperation with Russian railways due to sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
It was then stated that Allegro trains would continue to run to ensure the return of Finns home from Russia.
