[3] With 7,500 employees and net sales of €1,251 million in 2017, VR is one of the most significant operators in the Finnish public transport market area.

Since 2017, its headquarters is located at the Iso Paja [fi] building, previously occupied by the state-owned broadcasting company Yle, in northern-central Helsinki.

Rail transport started in Finland in 1862 between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, and multiple main lines and smaller private railways were built in the following decades.

During the twentieth century, most private railway companies were shut down and VR assumed a monopoly in rail transport.

The operation and network were originally carried out by the parent company Valtionrautatiet until 1995, when it was split into VR and the rail administration entity Ratahallintokeskus.

In the 2010s, VR has made connections faster by reducing stops at minor stations and increasing running speeds with new locomotives and renovated high-speed trains.

Cars can be loaded onto and unloaded from trains at seven stations: Helsinki, Turku and Tampere in the south, Oulu further north, and Rovaniemi, Kemijärvi and Kolari in Lapland.

[10] International freight traffic was concentrated to the four railways across the Russian border but there is also a connection to the Swedish rail network through Tornio.

The use of diesel locomotive hauled passenger trains has declined due to electrification of all main lines and the (re)introduction of railbuses (Dm12) on secondary routes.

Cars equipped with diesel generators, which are used to provide electricity to InterCity or sleeper wagons on non-electrified tracks, can be distinguished by a blue stripe above the windows.

[21] In 2006, direct sleeper services were discontinued beyond Rovaniemi (to Kemijärvi) because the new double-deck sleeping carriages were unable to operate with diesel haulage.

The decision led to the resignation of the President and CEO of VR-Group, Henri Kuitunen, and the group's Chairman of the Board, Antti Lagerroos.

Helsingin Sanomat reported they had wanted to defer the replacement of older sleeping car rolling stock until 2012 at the earliest.

[22] The Finnish loading gauge allows the operation of freight vehicles considerably larger than most other railways in the European Union.

VR also has a one-third ownership of SeaRail, a specialist operator of freight wagons designed for through running (via ferry) to Sweden and elsewhere in Western Europe.

The Sm3 class Pendolino is the VR's "flagship", mainly connecting largest cities to the capital with top running speed up to 220 km/h.

VR currently operates one class of diesel-powered multiple units: the Czech-built single carriage Dm12, which is used mainly on secondary lines.

The multiple unit classification system follows a similar logic as the locomotive classification system: the first letter signifies the power source (in addition to electric and diesel, gasoline (B, bensiini) and wood gas (P, puukaasu) have been used), followed by the letter m (moottorivaunu) signifyng a multiple unit, followed by a serial number.

In July 2022, VR Group established operations in Sweden by acquiring Arriva Sverige AB from the German state-owned company Deutsche Bahn.

VR Sverige also secured a 10-year contract to operate bus services for SL in Tyresö, Stockholm, beginning in July 2025.

In addition to the purchase of Arriva Sweden, VR Group has also strengthened its presence in the Swedish rail market through the acquisition of MTRX, a high-speed train operator on the Stockholm-Gothenburg route.