9 Dec 2019 09:45

Russian, Finnish railways see freight traffic falling 8% in 2019, growing 2% in 2020

ST. PETERSBURG. Dec 9 (Interfax) - Freight traffic between Russia and Finland could drop by 8% in 2019, Russian Railways's (RZD) corporate newspaper, Gudok reported.

"According to the forecasts of railway companies, based on data received from clients, the total volume of shipments on the Russia-Finland route will drop by about 8% for the year compared to last year," with exports to Russia tumbling 20%, transit through Finland dropping 7% and imports into Finland falling 9%, the paper said.

Traffic through the Buslovskaya-Vainikkala and Svetogorsk-Imatrankoski border crossings is expected to grow, while traffic through other crossings is falling, the paper said. Transit shipments of fertilizer, coal, grain and chemical freight are expected to grow. In addition, port operator Oy M. Rauanheimo Ab plans to open a new coal terminal with initial handling capacity of 5 million tonnes per year at the Pori port, the paper said.

In 2020, freight traffic between Russia and Finland is expected to grow by at least 2%.

It was reported earlier that RZD and VR Group, Finland's railway operator, are intensifying the work of their marketing and logistics divisions to "create efficient logistics products" for freight shipments "taking into account best practices in this area."