Coal circumnavigates the Baltic
Russia increasingly exports coal from its Siberian coal fields through Finland. Pori and Hangö are thus in action, instead of Baltic ports. The growing volume of freight on the railways has also led to Finland investing in the electrification of its railway infrastructure.
Political tensions with the Baltic states have prompted Russia to seek alternatives for the shipment of coal on freight vessels. The Gulf of Finland, stretching across to St Petersburg, is frozen in winter, contributing to Finland becoming an ever more usable option. No change of gauge impedes the trains on their runs there, the same as on routes to and from the Baltic region. In Lavna (Russia), on the ice-free Kola Bay, the country is now building an coal port with a 46 km rail link to the Kirov railway (previously known as the Murman railway). The move will make the country less dependent on Baltic ports for the transport of Russian coal.
Two-week runs
Up to three Russian coal trains a day have run on the 4,700 km from Novosibirsk to the Finnish port of Pori, on the Gulf of Bothnia, since 2017. The transit time of the units, consisting of 40 four-axled freight wagons, comes to about two weeks. From the Pori deepwater port, which is open all year round, the coal from Siberia is shipped overseas by Baltic Bulk Carriers, as far as the USA. Last year volumes came to about 1.5 million t.
Supplying the steel industry
Since October 2019 Russian coal trains have also run to Hangö, the southern-most Finnish town. Railship’s freight-wagon ferry used to ship units to Travemünde from there. The coal handled in the port of Hangö Koverhar is mainly destined for ports in Europe and the steel industry there.
Market observers expect Pori to handle about the same volume in 2020, that is to say approximately 220 ships or 50,000 railway wagons. After that, volumes are expected to rise further. In June the Finnish government decided to electrify the stretch from Hyvinge via Karis to Hangö, with work on the project set to start by the end of 2020. The state has pencilled in construction costs of around EUR 62 million. Coal trains are thus set to be completely electrified in Finland too.
But the trains from Russia, which run at night too, have led to complaints from local residents concerning vibrations and noise. Infrastructure operator Väylä believes the vibrations are down to the bogies at the end of the wagons, and has started taking measurements in the areas concerned. Slowing down in the affected areas might provide a remedy.
The same type of wagon has transported iron ore from Kostamukscha to Kokkola since 2004, without any complaints from local residents.
