Articles · Guide · 2026-10-12
The night train from Helsinki to Kolari: what you need to know
VR runs night trains from Helsinki to Kolari in Lapland, about 80 km from Levi and 40 km from Ylläs by VR's own figures. Until mid December the train runs four nights a week in each direction. From mid December it runs every night, and in the busiest weeks a second train is added. This guide sets out the timetable pattern as published on 12 October 2026, the cabins, taking a car, and the stops on the way.
Which trains, and on which days
The regular trains are 269 from Helsinki and 276 back from Kolari. In the season a second pair, 263 and 262, is added. VR itself says that on the busiest nights of the ski season as many as five night trains leave Helsinki, two of them for Kolari.
The days below come from the timetable data that Fintraffic publishes as open data through Digitraffic, which we read for every date from 12 October 2026 to 29 April 2027.
- Train 269, Helsinki to Kolari: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays until 12 December 2026 (it does not run on Wednesday 14 October). Every night from 13 December 2026 to at least 29 April 2027, the last date we checked.
- Train 276, Kolari to Helsinki: mostly Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays until 12 December 2026, then every night from 13 December.
- Train 263, Helsinki to Kolari: on ten dates between 17 December 2026 and 5 January 2027, then Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 27 January to 16 April 2027.
- Train 262, Kolari to Helsinki: on ten dates between 18 December 2026 and 6 January 2027, then Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 28 January to 24 April 2027.
Times vary between dates, so take these as examples only. On 2 November 2026 train 269 is timetabled to leave Helsinki at 20:24 and reach Kolari at 10:55 the next morning. On 27 January 2027 train 263 leaves Helsinki at 18:33 and arrives at 08:49. The day-specific timetable is in VR's trip search. VR's night train page says tickets are on sale until 10 October 2027, while its timetable page gives 3 October 2027.
Stops on the way
Train 269 stops at Helsinki, Pasila, Tikkurila, Riihimäki, Hämeenlinna, Tampere, Seinäjoki, Kokkola, Ylivieska, Oulu, Kemi, Tornio-Itäinen, Ylitornio, Pello and Kolari. On the dates we sampled, trains 263 and 262 also called at Toijala and Pännäinen, and 276 at Toijala.
The line from Kemi to Kolari is not electrified, so the electric locomotive is swapped for a diesel during a longer stop. In Fintraffic's composition data for train 269 on 10 October 2026, the diesel took over at Oulu, where the timetable for 2 November 2026 has the train standing for 48 minutes.
Tornio-Itäinen is also a stop for VR's trains between Oulu and Haparanda in Sweden, running since 10 August 2026, which continue from there via Tornio to Haaparanta. VR notes that times are always given in local time, and that there is a one-hour time difference between Sweden and Finland. VR's page for Tornio-Itäinen lists no toilet, no luggage lockers and no assistance service at the station.
Cabins and carriages
VR sells whole cabins, never single berths, and the price is per cabin. Its sleeper car page describes two-berth cabins downstairs, with shower and toilet in the corridor, and two-berth cabins upstairs with their own shower and toilet. There are also accessible cabins and pet cabins. VR does not say which of these each Kolari train carries, so check the car map when you book.
One thing VR singles out for Kolari: there is at least one older blue sleeping car on every train to Kolari. Its cabins sleep three in a triple bunk, have more room for luggage than the new cars, and have the toilet in the corridor. VR notes that the cabins in the old cars have no air conditioning.
Bring your own drinking water. VR says the water on the train is not drinkable and should not be used for brushing teeth. On the night train page, VR says luggage usually travels with you in the cabin, and larger items can go in the paid luggage storage; ask the conductor.
Taking your car
Kolari is one of VR's car-carrier stations, and the loading point is at the northern end of the station. VR advertises car spots from €49 and motorcycles from €39, and you can add a car to a ticket you have already bought. VR does not carry vehicles with a total mass over 3,300 kg.
Coming south, remember to get off in Pasila. VR's loading guide says the car-carrier wagons are uncoupled before the train reaches Pasila and moved to the unloading platform. Pets may not stay in the car; they travel in the cabin.
Arriving in Kolari
Levi is about 80 km from Kolari station, and VR gives the connecting bus as about 1 hour 15 minutes. VR says buses to several ski resorts run to match the train timetables and leave from in front of the stations.
Nobody has confirmed anything about Kolari yet.
38 facts about Kolari not known yet
| Luggage lockers at the station | Not known yet | |
| Price for a large locker, 24 hours | Not known yet | |
| When the lockers can be reached | Not known yet | |
| Staffed left-luggage desk | Not known yet | |
| Toilet at the station | Not known yet | |
| Toilets free or paid | Not known yet | |
| Waiting room | Not known yet | |
| Heated waiting room | Not known yet | |
| Ticket machine | Not known yet | |
| Shelter on the platform | Not known yet | |
| Wheelchair access | Not known yet | |
| Toilet adapted for wheelchair users | Not known yet | |
| Staff present at the station | Not known yet | |
| Wheelchair to borrow at the station | Not known yet | |
| Hearing loop | Not known yet | |
| Lifts and escalators | Not known yet | |
| Lifts and escalators working when last checked | Not known yet | |
| Assistance for disabled travellers | Not known yet | |
| Assistance fee | Not known yet | |
| Assistance hours | Not known yet | |
| Where to meet the assistance staff | Not known yet | |
| Toilet price | Not known yet | |
| Shower at or inside the station | Not known yet | |
| Shower price | Not known yet | |
| When the station building is open | Not known yet | |
| Waiting room at night | Not known yet | |
| Step-free from street to platforms | Not known yet | |
| Earliest place to buy food or coffee, weekdays | Not known yet | |
| Free wifi in the station | Not known yet | |
| Tip for getting from the train to the exit or onward | Not known yet | |
| Minutes you really need to change trains here | Not known yet | |
| Walk from the night train platform to the exit | Not known yet | |
| How the lockers are paid | Not known yet | |
| Station building locked from | Not known yet | |
| When the waiting room is open | Not known yet | |
| When the shower is open | Not known yet | |
| Lifts: where they are and whether they worked | Not known yet | |
| Onward across the border: walk, bus or train, and how long | Not known yet |
How punctual is it?
These figures come from our own record of actual arrival times, built from Fintraffic's open data.
| Train | Arrives on time | Typical delay | Bad night (1 in 10) | Runs, period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 262 Kolari to Helsinki | 83% | 2 min | 8 min | 33, 9 cancelled 2025-12-18 to 2026-04-18 |
| 263 Helsinki to Kolari | 42% | 8 min | 44 min | 34, 10 cancelled 2025-12-17 to 2026-04-17 |
| 269 Helsinki to Kolari | 62% | 1 min | 30 min | 287, 38 cancelled 2025-10-15 to 2026-10-11 |
| 276 Kolari to Helsinki | 83% | 1 min | 11 min | 286, 37 cancelled 2025-10-15 to 2026-10-11 |
On time means at most 5 minutes late at the last stop. Counted by us from Fintraffic Digitraffic (CC BY 4.0) and Trafikverket open data. Put these numbers on your own site.