VR posts EUR 38.8m operating profit in Jan-June

VR Group, the company operating the railway communications in the country earned EUR 38.8 million operating profit in the January to June period this year, said a VR press release on Friday.

The amount is EUR 1.2 million higher compared to the stipulated period of the previous year.

In passenger traffic, the number of journeys made in long-distance trains has grown sharply, on average 9.5 per cent. The filling rates have grown record high especially on the main routes.

VR Transpoint’s transport volumes increased by 5.3 per cent from the comparison period and totalled 21.5 million tonnes.

“It is wonderful to see that the Group’s net sales are growing well after several years of declining net sales. All business operations have increased and improved their operating profit during the first half of 2017,” said the President and Chief Executive Officer of VR, Rolf Jansson.

The growth in domestic long-distance traffic was 8.8 per cent. The number of journeys in market-based traffic grew by more than 11 per cent, on the main routes even more than 20 per cent. The filling rate for market-based traffic was 43.3 (38.0) per cent. In June, VR added 45 new weekly train services in long-distance traffic.

VR Transpoint’s transport volumes increased by 5.3 per cent from the comparison period and totalled 21.5 (20.4) million tonnes.