VR lobbies for visa-free travel for train passengers to Russia

Foreign Ministry considers whether or not to pursue issue

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The Finnish railway company VR would like Russia to allow visa-free travel to Russia by Finnish train passengers. VR is hoping for a similar arrangement that applies to cruise passengers who are in the country for a maximum of 72 hours.
      Antti Jaatinen, the VR director of passenger traffic, says that the matter has been passed on to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
      Mikko Hautala, and aide to Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb (Nat. Coalition Party), says that the ministry is considering whether or not to pursue the request. Much depends on how Foreign Minister Stubb feels about the initiative.
      Russia has not yet been approached on the matter, and nothing of the sort has come up in visa treaty talks between the EU and Russia.
     
Lifting the visa requirement for passengers taking short trips to Russia would significantly ease travel by Finns to Russia. A weekend visit to St. Petersburg would be as easy as a trip to Estonia nowadays. At present, travel to Russia requires a visa which has to be applied for nearly two weeks in advance.
      However, there are many bureaucratic obstacles.
      Finland is committed to the common visa policy of the European Union, and it is not easy to get approval for national exceptions.
      Finland also cannot deviate from the EU’s policy line and allow Russians visa-free travel to Finland.
      Therefore, the only possibility would be for Russia to make a unilateral decision, and allow visa-free train travel from Finland.
      The high-speed Allegro trains will start operating between Finland and St. Petersburg about a year from now. Hope is that the travel time can be brought down to three and a half hours. About 400,000 train trips are made between Finland and Russia each year.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  New high-speed rail link between Helsinki and St. Petersburg likely to attract business travellers (21.4.2009)
  Opinions divided on issue of visa-free travel with Russia (27.5.2008)
  New rules bring confusion to Russian visa application process (21.7.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat