Operail’s volumes drop again in the first half of the year
The Estonian national rail freight company Operail has transported 1,1 million tons of goods during the first half of 2023. This is the second consecutive year the company has lost significant volumes in the first...Read more
Kouvola RRT is in the driver’s seat for smart and sustainable logistics
Finland’s first dry port is also a champion for the Green Transition. The Kouvola Rail & Road Terminal (RRT) enables a more versatile utilisation of environmentally friendly rail transport. But what other factors weigh in...Read more
Finnish VR’s freight business deteriorates, layoffs approaching
The freight business of the Finnish state-owned VR Group is probably going through one of its roughest periods. The cut-off of eastbound traffic towards Russia, directly affecting the transport of wood products, has considerably lowered...Read more
Newest and largest terminal in Finland receives 1st train today
On Monday 15 May, the first train will roll onto the terminal grounds of Kouvola RRT, Finland’s latest logistics addition. The new rail and road terminal has been anticipated for quite a while but is...Read more
Full migration to standard gauge out of the picture for Finland
The costs of migrating the whole Finnish TEN-T network from 1,524 mm gauge to the European standard are far greater than the possible benefits deeming such an option unfeasible. A viable alternative would be the...Read more
Latvian Transport Ministry: ‘Future is bleak, but Baltic cooperation is stronger’
INTERVIEWThe transport sector in the Baltic States is currently in a delicate position since the area constitutes the EU border with Russia and Belarus. In an interview with RailFreight.com, the Latvian Ministry of Transport underlined...Read more
Rail strike in Finland is over after new collective agreement
breakingThe nationwide rail strike in Finland that started on March 20th has come to an end after only two days. This is because, as trade union Railway Union Finland (RAU) specified, Finnish locomotive drivers accepted...Read more
Domestic freight traffic impaired, international unaffected as Finnish strike continues
UPDATEAll domestic rail freight services are cancelled in Finland as the strike of train drivers reaches its third day. At the same time, international traffic seems to be unaffected. The strike will continue until further...Read more
Finnish train drivers on strike, at least until the end of March
A nationwide rail strike in Finland started Monday 20 March and will take place until further notice. “Freight trains will also be cancelled, with a few exceptions”, the Finnish national railway company VR pointed out.Read more
Nurminen Logistics: ‘everything changed, but mainly for the better in 2022’
INTERVIEWSanctions, new routes, new offices and acquisitions. 2022 had it all for Nurminen Logistics. The leading Finnish logistics company had to take certain measures to adapt to the changing and challenging environment. However, 2022 was...Read more
Finland’s first dry port Kouvola RRT goes live
The sole rail and road terminal on Finnish soil was commissioned and is ready to commence operations. Construction of the Kouvola RRT concluded in late 2022, and currently, the terminal is ready to claim its...Read more
Estonian Operail sells Finnish business to Nurminen Logistics
The Estonian state-owned company Operail sold its Finnish subsidiary, Operail Finland, to Nurminen Logistics. The company, active in Finland since 2020, decided to proceed with the sale in 2021 in a move unrelated to Russia...Read more
Will anyone transport nickel from Russia to Europe next year?
The Finnish railway company VR will stop transporting nickel from Russia to Europe in 2023, as it has announced a full stop of any Russian cargo per 1 January. However, the commodity is in high...Read moreVR Group wants more Metsa cargo on trains
Finnish state-owned railway company VR Group and Finnish forest industry group Metsa Group agreed on shifting more goods from road to rail to reduce their CO2 emissions. According to VR Group, this measure would lead...Read moreFrom Finland to Kazakhstan via Hamburg: this is how
Nurminen Logistics has set up a service to Kazakhstan via the Middle Corridor, in cooperation with Kazakh State Railways (KTZE). The service is a combination of sea and rail transport: from Helsinki to Hamburg by...Read more
Finland’s VR will stop rail freight traffic to Russia by the end of the year
VR Group, the Finnish state-owned railway company, said it will stop the transportation of goods to Russia by the end of 2022. In April, VR Group claimed that rail freight traffic between the two countries would...Read more
Raw timber transport in Finland flourishes despite challenges
VR Transpoint, the logistics branch of Finnish VR Group, saw its timber transport business hitting sky-high numbers in August. The company transported 1,2 million cubic metres of raw wood, marking an all-time record. A new...Read moreKouvola RRT: a fully sustainable terminal ready to kick off
The Kouvola Rail and Road Terminal, Finland’s first dry port covering a 42-hectares area, is nearing completion. The site will commence operations in early 2023, while companies can already examine business possibilities in the large...Read moreWill Finland adopt the European gauge?
Finland’s Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka has called the recent proposal by the European Commission on the European standard rail gauge “unreasonable”. The views of Finnish officials and experts vary, but specifically the...Read more