Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Good for Business, Railways, Transport

Operail will be providing railway-hauling services for Rauanheimo from the border station Vainikkala to the port of Koverhar in Hanko, the company said.

"We are now present in Finland and our aim is to secure our position in the market. We already have new plans in place, and we will be happy to share them with the public when the time is right," Operail management board member Paul Lukka said in a press release.

Joakim Laxaback, managing director of Rauanheimo, said that Finland is at a long distance from the real world market and it is extremely important that the company further strengthens logistics and is cost-effective. 

"We see substantial volumes for dry bulk transported by rail on the Vainikkala-Koverhar route and in the long term a growing need for rail transport in the whole country, both in terms of domestic loads and transit," Laxaback added.

According to Lukka, Operail, which announced the expansion to Finland in October last year, has been well received in the new market.

Operail is an Estonian state-owned railway company whose main lines of business are freight transport, repair and construction of locomotives and wagons, and rolling stock rental. The company employs almost 600 people.

In addition to the parent company AS Operail, the Operail Group also includes the wagon rental companies AS Operail Leasing and Operail Leasing Finland Oy and the Finnish railway transport company Operail Finland Oy.

Rauanheimo is a Finnish port operator, which employs over 200 people. The company's services include total logistics services, stevedoring, forwarding, ship's agency and added-value services.