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About 1.4 million journeys were made in VR’s long-distance traffic in October – an increase of 8% compared to last year

6. November 2023 Press releases

In October, about 1.4 million journeys were made in long-distance traffic, an 8% increase from the previous year that was mainly due to the growth of travel on weekends. In total, 12.6 million long-distance journeys were made in January–October this year. About 1.9 million tonnes of goods were transported by rail in October, and a total of 19.1 million tonnes were transported by rail in January–October. The volume of freight traffic decreased by 23% from the previous year due to the downturn in the industrial sector and the end of Eastern traffic.

Compared to the previous year, the growth in the number of long-distance traffic journeys is mainly explained by the growth in leisure travel, especially on weekends, and the growth in business travel on weekdays.

"Long-distance journeys have shown excellent growth throughout the autumn. More and more passengers customise their journey with additional services by choosing a seat in the Ekstra Class or upstairs of the restaurant car, for example, or by ordering food to their seat either in advance or spontaneously. We also pay attention to the environment in the product selection of our restaurant cars by favouring Finnish ingredients and small producers as well as by expanding the selection of vegan products. We will also increase our recycling efforts and reduce the use of plastic," says Elisa Markula, CEO of VR.

The transport volumes of VR Transpoint’s railway operations amounted to 1.9 million tonnes in October. The volumes decreased by 23% year-on-year due to the end of Eastern traffic and the downturn in the industrial sector. In January–October this year, 19.1 (24.8) million tonnes of goods were transported by rail, which is about 23% less than in the previous year.

Speed limits reduced punctuality in October

The punctuality of long-distance traffic in October was 82.0%. The causes of delays were divided among track-related causes (61%), other causes (21%) and VR-related causes (18%), which had to do with, for example, rolling stock. The punctuality of long-distance traffic was particularly decreased by temporary speed limits due to track maintenance work between Parkano and Seinäjoki.

The punctuality of VR's commuter traffic in October was 96.6%. The causes of delays were divided among track-related causes (42%), other causes (44%) and VR-related causes (15%).