VR largely attributed the increase to lower ticket prices, along with improve services and improved digital offerings.
The Helsinki - Oulu line reported the highest growth - 24% - year on year. Patronage on the Helsinki - Rovaniemi and Helsinki - Jyväskylä lines by 14% on both lines. Travel on these lines also increased by 30%, 24% and 21% respectively in December.
“We are very pleased with the continued strong growth in train popularity in recent years,” says VR's director of passenger services, Mr Topi Simola. “Our lower fares have boosted travel volumes: rail’s share of domestic long-haul travel since 2015 has grown by more than 26%.”
VR has reduced fares in recent years, with students, children, military and civil service personnel, and pensioners entitled to receive discounts of between 20% and 40%. Fares for commuters using single, concession and season tickets in Järvenpää and Hyvinkää were further reduced in December.
Russia
Rail travel between Russia and Finland has also grown rapidly, with 560,000 journeys made on the Allegro service between Helsinki and St Petersburg in 2019, a 15% increase on the previous year. Passenger numbers also increased on the Russian Railways (RZD)-operated Tolstoy train between Helsinki and Moscow.
Overall, more than 600,000 passengers travelled between Russia and Finland by rail in 2019, 16% more than in 2018.
VR has increased capacity on the network, including on the Helsinki - Oulu line, with Pendolino trains operating additional inter-city services at peak times.
“We have significantly increased the number of train shifts and routes, extended trains, decreased travel times, improved train services and renewed our digital sales channels,” Simola says. “Our goal is to provide competitive, smooth and comfortable train travel for everyone in the future.”
