Goods transport services

Trade and industry produce goods and services needed by citizens, companies and the public sector. Their provision involves needs to transport raw materials, intermediate products and final products, and recycling fractions. In addition to private roads and municipal streets, commercial transport services use state-owned roads, railways and waterways.

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency is responsible for the maintenance and development of state-owned transport routes. The aim of the Agency is to provide an appropriate infrastructure that enables safe, smooth and efficient transport using the strengths of the various modes of transport.  

There are significant differences in the transport needs of the various sectors. As a rule, the aim is to transport raw materials and bulk goods as cost-effectively as possible. On the other hand, the speed of transport is often crucial for processed products. Road transport serves all sectors, while rail transport and domestic waterway transport primarily serve the forest, metal and chemical industries. 

The characteristics of the transport network affect the efficiency and safety of goods traffic. Factors affecting road transport include road speed level, junction density, surface width and condition, and various dimensional restrictions. Rail transport is affected by, for example, permitted axle weights, electrification, rail network capacity and railway yard capacity. The depth of the waterways affects the size of the vessels used. 

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency conducts link the results of which show how satisfied the respondent are with the functioning of transport services and the service level of the routes, and bring up what kind of needs businesses have for the transport network.