The Finnish economy’s recession is weighing down in particular the volume of freight transport in traffic. In rail traffic, the volume of freight traffic has fallen by one fifth compared to the corresponding period in 2022, and heavy traffic on roads has also decreased. The data is available in the July-September traffic statistics compiled by Fintraffic.
"The unstable global situation and economic downturn are reflected in the volume of traffic. Transport in particular has decreased. It is important to continue developing the efficiency of Finnish logistics also in the context of decreasing demand so that we can keep transport costs under control in the future and thus support the success of companies in Finland. We will continue our determined cooperation with logistics operators in order to improve the preconditions for smooth freight transport. We are working on things such as improving the flow of information in port environments and other traffic hubs and promoting the introduction of electronic transport data," says Fintraffic CEO Pia Julin.
In July-September, heavy traffic on highways has decreased by slightly more than five per cent compared to the same period the previous year. In rail traffic, the volume of freight traffic decreased by just under 20 per cent.
"The reduction in the volume of heavy traffic is in line with the end of foreign trade with Russia, and a decline in production by industry and construction. The forest industry in particular is doing poorly, but as a result of the war, foreign trade with Russia has also decreased dramatically; transit traffic via Finland to Russia also to some extent, which is reflected in the statistics for heavy traffic," explains Päivi Puonti, Head of forecasting at ETLA Economic Research.
The economic situation is also reflected in Finnish car traffic, the growth of which has slowed down and its overall amount is still lower than before the pandemic in 2019.
Punctuality of rail traffic at a good level
The number of long-distance passenger trains on railways has continued to increase and was three per cent higher in July-September than during the same period in 2022. Commuter traffic numbers decreased in July-September compared to the same period the previous year. The volume of freight traffic was also on the decline.
The punctuality of rail services has improved compared to the corresponding period the previous year. Train punctuality is 95.4 per cent (91.8 %) in commuter rail traffic, 89.8 per cent (83 %) in long-distance rail traffic and 94.2 per cent (90.9 %) in rail freight services. The improvement in punctuality is significant, as more track work has been carried out in Finland during this past summer season (+28%) than the year before. The number of track works underway in July-September was 50,422 (39,314). During the summer, the most significant projects have been track work in the areas of Turku, Kuopio, Tampere and Tikkurila (Vantaa).
The decline in freight traffic is largely explained by the decline in Russian traffic. A cautious change for the better can be expected, for example, in Northern Finland, where freight traffic is increasing due to investments in the forest industry and growing demand for wood in Kemi.
Slight growth in overflights in Finnish airspace
In terms of departures and arrivals, there has been a slight increase of five per cent compared to the same period last year. The number of domestic flights has remained almost unchanged.
There’s been a ten per cent increase in overflights in July-September. The three airlines that use our airspace the most for overflights are Chinese.
Overall, the amount of air traffic in Finland is still nearly one third lower than before the pandemic. The Russian war of aggression has reduced demand for air navigation services more in Finland than in any other EU country.
Demand for traffic data has remained at it usual level
A total of 1.18 billion searches were performed in the Digitraffic service using Fintraffic’s open traffic data interfaces between July and September. Fintraffic provides real-time traffic information to consumers, companies and the media, as well as open-source data for transport operators, logistics service providers and software developers to use in a variety of map services and navigators.
In addition to the traffic situation picture, Fintraffic compiles data for the use of public transport journey planners. A total of 1.30 billion interface calls were made through the Digitransit service during the third quartal. During the same period, Fintraffic's compiled national public transport data covers nearly 4,800 routes throughout Finland and over 450,000 services. Information on public transport services, timetables and routes is available in the Opas.matka.fi journey planning service.
