Decline in volumes of goods transported by sea and rail; growth in traffic volumes on main roads and in railway passenger transport

In 2015, the volumes of exports and imports transported in international seaborne trade decreased considerably. Similarly, there was a drop in the volume of goods transported by rail. However, not all traffic and transport volumes decreased in 2015. There was a weak growth in the traffic volumes on main roads, in railway passenger transport and in international maritime passenger transport.

Decline in import and export volumes transported in international maritime trade, growth in passenger transport

In 2015, the volume of goods transported in international seaborne trade amounted to just over 89 million tonnes. Exports accounted for 44.7 million tonnes: 7.4 per cent less than the previous year. Imports showed almost the same figure, 44.5 million tonnes, which was a 7.4 per cent decrease compared with 2014.

In terms of exports, there was a particular drop in the transport volumes of ores, crude minerals and oil products. As for forest industry products, the export of wood pulp increased by 4.0 per cent. The export transports of paper and sawn timber decreased by a total of one per cent compared with the previous year. Regarding imports, there was a drop in transported volumes, especially those of crude oil, raw wood, crude minerals, coal, metals and products of the chemical industry.

In 2015, the number of vessels arriving in Finnish ports totalled just over 30,200, which was 1.5 per cent more than the previous year. The share of Finnish vessels, about 10,200, remained at almost the same level.

In the transit traffic through Finnish ports, exports decreased by 16.7 per cent and imports by 40 per cent. The volumes transported in transit traffic totalled 4 million tonnes, a decrease of 20.7 per cent when compared to 2014.

The number of passengers in international seaborne trade amounted to just over 18.5 million, i.e. 2.0 per cent more than the previous year. The number of passengers travelling by sea to and from Sweden was 8.8 million, accounting for 47.8 per cent of the total. This number was almost the same as in 2014. The number of maritime passengers travelling to and from Estonia was 8.4 million, which accounts for 45.4 per cent of the total international maritime passenger transport.

More detailed information can be found on the webpages for the Finnish Transport Agency’s monthly statistics on international waterborne transport.

Downward trend in goods transported by rail, while the Ring Rail Line increased the number of rail passengers

After three consecutive years of growth, there was a decline in the volumes of goods transported by rail. The volumes carried in both domestic and international transport decreased by about ten per cent. The transport volumes of ore concentrates on the busiest railway sections in Northern Finland saw the largest decline. The average length of line is still decreasing. A total of 33.4 million tonnes of goods were transported by rail. The volume of goods transported by rail thus dropped by 10 per cent from the previous year.

The number of rail passenger journeys increased, due to the opening of the Ring Rail Line last summer. A total of 76.0 million rail passenger journeys were made, about 6 per cent more than the comparable figure the previous year. The reduced number of passengers in long-distance train traffic was attributed mostly to fewer cross-border journeys. A total of 12.3 million long-distance train journeys were made, about 2 per cent less than the comparable figure in 2014. The number of commuter journeys was about 63.6 million.

Growing traffic volumes on main roads

Last year, there were only minor changes in the transport volumes on main roads, with the exception of South-eastern Finland. Due to the downturn in traffic to and from Russia, the share of heavy-duty vehicles went down by 6.8 per cent in South-eastern Finland.

Overall, traffic on main roads increased by two per cent in 2015. From a regional perspective, the differences are negligible. The traffic volumes grew the most, by 2.5 per cent, in Northern Ostrobothnia and in South-western Finland. In South-eastern Finland alone, the traffic on main roads decreased by 0.5 per cent from the previous year.

The share of light-duty vehicles (cars and vans) increased by just over two per cent nationwide, while the share of heavy-duty vehicles decreased by one per cent.

Data about traffic on main roads is obtained from automatic traffic counting systems (LAM).

Further information:

Traffic Specialist Harri Lahelma, phone + 358 29 534 3963, railway transport

Information Service Specialist Erkki Pakarinen, phone + 358 29 534 3668, road transport

http://www.liikennevirasto.fi/web/en/statistics