Transport
Street and traffic plans are prepared by the city's technical department.
Streets and roads
Varkaus' road and street network is defined in sub-plans and town and country plans. The city is responsible for the construction and maintenance of streets, while the technical department is responsible for the procurement of plans for traffic routes and the traffic environment.
The development of road safety is monitored on the basis of road accident statistics. A road safety working group has been set up to monitor the situation, which meets twice a year.
The technical department implements the public parking areas provided for in the town and country plans. The technical committee decides on the limits for parking spaces and the conditions for renting and selling them.
Highways and roads
The construction and maintenance of public roads is the responsibility of the North Savo Regional Development Centre. In Varkaus, public roads include the following:
- Main roads: VT5, VT23, Taipaleentie
- Roads: Jäppiläntie, Kangaslammintie, Harjurannantie
- Local roads: Puurtilantie, Kopolanvirrantie, Kurolantie, Härmäniementie, Pisamaniementie
Transport customer service
The Transport Customer Service is the contact service for road, railway and waterway matters within the transport sector of the Finnish Transport Agency and the ELY Centres.
Customer Service
- answers questions
- provide advice
- dealing with feedback
- guidance on electronic permit applications
You can contact the helpdesk online here or by calling 0295 020600.
Road user line
Road users are the best people to know the condition of the road. To report road conditions or maintenance electronically , click here. The electronic report is forwarded to the Traffic Customer Service, where reports are processed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. All reports are forwarded to the regional contractor, who decides on the necessary measures on the basis of the road quality requirements.
Examples of notifications covered by the services include
- Damage to the road surface (potholes, holes)
- water on the road
- fallen trees on the road
- very slippery road
For urgent problems on the road that clearly endanger traffic, call 0200 2100 (24h/day). The reporter will be asked for the exact location of the problem and contact details.
Street maintenance
Street maintenance in Varkaus is carried out in accordance with the quality requirements set out in the task cards. Destia Oy is the contractor responsible for the maintenance.
The maintenance task cards can be found in the following document.
The contact persons for the contractor are:
Petri Kettunen, Site Manager tel. 040 037 7714
During the winter season (15.10-30.4), the contractor has an on-call hotline for direct feedback on street maintenance on 020 444 1229 (no text messages).
Private roads
Road maintenance on private roads is the responsibility of the private road maintenance companies. The private road is also responsible for the connection of the private road to the public road. For more information, see the Finnish Transport Agency's guide to the maintenance of private road junctions and the guide to the visibility zone.
From the beginning of 2019, legislation obliges private road associations to report private road information to the Land Surveyor's Office and Väyla.
Private road grants 2025
The City of Varkaus grants subsidies for the maintenance of private roads under the following conditions:
The basic conditions for grants are as follows
1. at the time of the decision, there are at least 3 permanent residential addresses along the road as recorded in the Population Information System (Digi- und väestötietovirasto) and the distance to the last permanent residential address is at least 500 m. The basic conditions are.
2. The grant is only given to officially established road associations whose up-to-date information is in the private road register kept by the Land Surveyor's Office, and whose information has been submitted to the national Digiroad service (Private Road Act 560/2018). Exception: ice roads/winter roads that meet the conditions of point 1.
3. If the road is affected by services provided by the municipality that cause public traffic (beach, etc.) and the conditions in points 1 and 2 are not met, the granting of aid will be considered separately.
4. The service provided by the municipality is equivalent to two permanent dwellings for the purpose of calculating grants.
5. The grant awarded shall be reduced, at the time of payment, by the amount of the toll charged to the municipality by the utility for the previous year for the service provided by the municipality.
The use of the road to which the grant is made shall not be denied to third parties, nor shall tolls be collected from third-party users of the road unless the use of the road materially affects the condition of the road.
The deadline for applications for private road grants is 31 March 2025.
For road districts receiving a grant in 2024, the application guide and form will be sent by post.
For more information, please contact:
Arto Lehtonen, Technical Director
arto.lehtonen@varkaus.fi, 040 512 8500
Liisa Saavalainen, Head of Administration
liisa.saavalainen@varkaus.fi, 044 743 6502
Public transport
Services
Varkaus service traffic PALI
Public transport open to all, which will pick you up even from your doorstep if necessary and take you to
as close as possible to where you want to go.
To order a PALI bus, call 050 329 7618.
It is recommended to call between 7.30 and 8.00 and between 12.00 and 12.30.
PALI timetable from 5.6.2023 (summer and winter season 2023-2024)
Winter season timetable valid from 10.8.2023.
Local and suburban transport
As of 3 June 2024, Soisalon Liikenne Oy will be the operator of local and commuter transport.
Contact details for Soisalon Liikenne Oy can be found here.
Timetables for urban and suburban transport from 2.6.2025
Varkaus local traffic will switch to the winter timetable on 4.8.2025 and Joroinen commuter traffic on 6.8.2025. The winter timetable is the same as in 2024.
Winter timetables, local services from 4.8. and local services from 6.8.2025
Kangaslampi Auto / Taksitaito Oy will operate the Kangaslampi-Varkaus-Kangaslampi route on school days in 2024-2025 according to the timetables in the link below.
Timetables Kangaslampi-Varkaus-Kangaslampi
Matkahuolto's Routes and Tickets app
With Matkahuolto's Routes and Tickets app you can buy and pay for tickets for Varkaus city transport and Varkaus-Joroinen local transport. With the app, passengers can search for route options from the address to the address and receive timetabled, map-based guidance, as well as buy tickets for their upcoming journey. The mobile ticket is automatically activated according to the travel plan or can be activated earlier if desired. Once activated, the ticket is valid for 60 minutes. Tickets purchased with the app are displayed in the app on the Active tab, where they are shown to the driver and can be checked if necessary.
Easy to use the Routes and Tickets app
The app can be downloaded from the app store and easily activated by email. The free Travel Service Routes and Tickets app can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.
The Routes and Tickets app replaces the Savobus real-time bus tracking system.
Long distance
The competent authority for long-distance services is.
North Savo Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY)
You may be interested in:
Team ticket
Team I, II and III tickets are available for travel between Iisalmi, Lapinlahti, Siilinjärvi and Kuopio, and between Varkaus, Leppävirra and Kuopio. The tickets are loaded with 30 trips at a time and are valid for 30 or 60 days from the date of loading.
- The mass ticket is a mobile product. The ticket is purchased through Matkahuolto's Routes and Tickets app, which is downloaded from the app store on your phone.
- The price of the ticket depends on the selected connection frequency and validity period. The validity period starts on the day of your choice.
- With a Joukkis ticket, you can travel on buses from different operators, which you can identify by the bus sign with the Joukkis logo. .
- The ticket can be used to pay for several journeys at once.
Link to the ELY Centre's Joukkis website
Link to the ELY Centre's timetables
Link to Joukkis services to and from Mikkeli
Vilkku - Link to public transport services in the Kuopio region
School trips and transport
The municipality organises free school transport for the pupil to the nearest school and the nearest pre-school place to the child's home. The local school is determined by the education administration on the basis of the population register for each incoming first grade of basic education and for each pupil moving to the municipality during the school year. If a pupil has applied to attend a school other than the local school (a so-called secondary school), transport is neither provided nor reimbursed.
School transport is not necessarily provided for the whole journey, but the pupil must be prepared to travel part of the way to school on his/her own.
Transport will be provided primarily by public transport. The education provider is responsible for organising supervision and guidance during waiting periods. The school day runs from the start of school in the morning until the end of the last lesson; for insurance purposes, school journeys are part of the school day.
For more information on school travel and transport, see the link to school travel and transport.
Road safety
The Central Savo Road Safety Plan has been completed and approved by the Technical Committee.
Traffic management
Permanent traffic control devices, speed limits and structural speed restrictions are decided by the technical committee.
On construction sites, traffic control is carried out by the site manager. Other temporary traffic control is decided by the City Engineer.
Excavation permits
Work on streets and public areas is subject to the approval of the city, which is granted by the city engineer.
Siting permits
A permit must be obtained from the City Engineer for the placement of wires and related equipment in public areas.
All of these permits can be applied for using the ePermit application.
Link to the ePermit application
Other traffic management
Traffic is controlled and secured by means of traffic barriers, for example on light traffic routes .
Traffic lights
There are 15 intersections with traffic lights in the city and two separate pedestrian lights. Traffic lights are generally in operation at all times.
Traffic light plans are procured and traffic engineering is carried out by the Municipal Engineering Department. The technical operation and maintenance is the responsibility of the Electricity Department.
Give feedback on the traffic lights.
Contact details:
Petri Nykänen, Electrical Engineer
PETRI NYKEN, PETRI NYKEN, PETRI NYKEN, PETRI NYKEN, petri.nykanen@varkaus.fi, 044 743 6544
Guidance for companies renting electric vehicles
The purpose of the guidelines is to ensure the safe movement of all street users in the street environment and to create rules of the game for operators of electric scooters in Varkaus.
Click on the link below to read the City of Varkaus' guidelines.
Charging points for electric cars
Charging points for electric cars in Varkaus
- On Päiviönsaari in front of Hotel Oscar and Warkaus Hall (Kauppatori 4)
- Taulumäki next to the Forum business centre (Pirnankatu 4)
- In front of Navitas 1 (Wredenkatu 2)
-
Waterborne transport
Varkaus is home to a large number of companies in various industrial sectors. The Port of Varkaus has had foreign traffic for almost 40 years. Year-round domestic timber transport has been in operation since 1991. Raw timber, bulk cargo, sawn timber and project shipments are transported through the port.
Marinas
The City will designate land for winter and summer storage of boats and moorings for summer storage.
The City of Varkaus has an electronic system for booking and paying for boat places. The person reserving the boat place pays the boat place fee via the Internet.
Price list for boat mooring fees 2025
Responsibility for the maintenance, upkeep and supervision of marinas lies with
Stella Maria Oy
tel. 020 792 0830
sukelluspalvelu@stellamaria.fi
In cases of vandalism and theft, the first thing to do is always to contact the police!
Varkaus police station:
- Visiting address: Pirnankatu 2, 78200 Varkaus
- Postal address: Pirnankatu 2, 78200 Varkaus
- Police station switchboard: 0295 450 311
Police emergency services , including reception of crime reports, advice on police matters and guidance at street level.
- Open: Mon - Fri 9.00 - 16.15,
Sat-Sun closed - Tel.: 0295 415 455, 0295 415 268
- Phone number: 0295 415 232
Freight port
The Port Authority of the City of Varkaus manages two freight ports, Akonniemi Freight Port and Taipalee Freight Port.
The Akonniemi port is used as a port for international cargo traffic. The port is currently used mainly for the import of feed raw materials and has one quay where ships' cargo is unloaded or loaded. The port is operated by an external port operator. The port facility does not have its own staff. The port of Akonniemi is located at the end of the harbour road in Akonlahti.
The Taipalee cargo port is located below the Taipalee canal. The port is a freight port for domestic traffic. The port of Taipalee has three quays. The port transports raw timber to wood processing plants in the Saimaa area, but in recent years no other cargo has been transported or imported from the port.
Contact information:
Martti Kääriäinen, Port Manager
martti.kaariainen@varkaus.fi, 041-730 8694
Marina services
Clean water: the Kivipuro and Viltinranta marinas
Waste collection point; hazardous waste, waste oil, mixed waste: in all other harbours except Pisamaniemi, Tyyskä and the boat harbours, where only mixed waste is collected.
Boat launch: Atolantie, Kivipurun, Käärmeniemen, Luttila, Pisamaniemen, Rajakatu and Viltinranta marinas.
Clean water: Kivipuro and Viltinranta marinas
Waste disposal point; hazardous waste, waste oil, mixed waste
Guest marina
The guest marina services in Taipalee are run by the Harjuranta Youth Theatre.
Harbour services:
- café and kiosk
- fuel distribution
- toilets and showers
- Laundry and drying (€5 per machine)
- septic pump
- waste reception
- Varkaus city bike hire free of charge
- shower for day visitors (€5 per person)
Fuel distribution open 24/7, payment by cash or card directly to the payment machine.
| Guest place per overnight stay, including use of shower and sanitary facilities (VAT 0%) | 15 €/day |
| Electricity charge for guest boats | 5 €/day |
| Septage for cruise ships | 34 €/day |
| Septage service for guest boats | free of charge |