“We’re Going to Russia”: Strange Announcement on HSL Train

Passengers on an HSL commuter train were left confused and amused after a series of bizarre announcements were heard over the train’s speakers on Monday afternoon.

The incident happened on a U-train travelling from Kirkkonummi towards Helsinki. The unusual announcements began shortly after the train passed Huopalahti station, shortly before 6 p.m.

One of the first announcements reportedly said:

“How has your day been? We’re going to Russia today.”

The strange messages continued for around three minutes, with the final announcement heard at about 5:47 p.m.

According to a passenger who recorded the incident, two men could also be heard talking about things including a “milkshake.” At one point, the passenger heard someone apparently telling the men what to do.

The train also made an unusual short stop near Ilmala before continuing its journey.

The passenger believed the men were in the rear carriage, while he was sitting with two friends in the first carriage.

Passenger used the train’s announcement system

VR, which operates HSL commuter trains, confirmed that the unusual announcements did take place.

According to VR’s city traffic safety manager Jaakko Rantala, the incident was caused by vandalism. A passenger had managed to use the train’s public announcement system.

The incident is currently being investigated.

VR apologized to passengers for the disturbance but did not provide further details about how the passenger was able to access the announcement system.

For those on board, however, the unexpected messages turned an ordinary Monday evening journey into a very unusual train ride.