The Kemijärvi railway station has passenger train services to Rovaniemi (connecting with the overnight services to or from Helsinki). The direct overnight train service between Kemijärvi and Helsinki was controversially withdrawn in September 2006, with VR (Finnish Railways) stating that its new sleeping car trains could not operate with the diesel locomotives needed for the non-electrified railway north of Rovaniemi. As of summer 2007, the future of Kemijärvi's overnight train services seems more assured; the Ministry of Transport and Communications and VR have reached an agreement concerning partial public funding of the service
