SSAB and VR Transpoint have created a new highly efficient business model for transporting steel coils between the two sites. Whereas earlier two trains a day were needed to transport steel coils from Raahe to Hämeenlinna, the job can now be done by just one megatrain.

Fully loaded, the megatrain weighs 5,200 tonnes. This record long Finnish train can carry as much as 3,800 tonnes of steel at a time, more than 50% more than earlier. The train has 52 wagons and has a length of 690 meters including the locomotive. The megatrain will transport more than a million tonnes of steel annually.

"Longer trains mean more effective transport. We can transport more goods with fewer trains. This not only means optimal use of resources, but also environmental benefits in the form of lower emissions than before. The impacts can be seen at the level of the entire transport system, says Tero Kosonen, Director Sales and Marketing at VR Transpoint.

"We took a new approach together to identify benefits through higher volumes when reviewing the transport chain between the Raahe and Hämeenlinna sites. Effective logistics solutions are highlighted in the international business environment in the metals industry. Experiences of pilot traffic were encouraging and now we’ve rolled out the concept in full,” explains Seppo Tervonen, Logistics Director at SSAB.

Traffic from Raahe to Hämeenlinna based on the new business model started on April 30. The plan looking ahead is to also use VR Group’s new multipurpose, efficient Sr3 electric locomotives in transporting steel coils. These can haul even heavier freight trains.