Rovaniemi needs better, faster train service

With winter around the corner, Rovaniemi is now making hectic preparations to ensure quality services for the incoming tourists.

One of the key tasks underway is smoothening public transport services, including train and bus, within and outside the city during the peak tourist season.

In recent times, the number of tourists coming to Rovaniemi by train has been on a steady rise, posting a 12.9 per cent growth this year on the Helsinki-Rovaniemi route, said Ville Melkko, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Passenger Services at the national railway operator VR Group.

Explaining the rise, the VR official said, “Train trips are more convenient to other transportation services, while Rovaniemi, with its unique Christmas context, has become an attractive destination for international tourists during the high tourist season.”

The capacity of the train services can be adjusted according to the demand of the tourists, observed Rovaniemi City’s International Relations Director Tuula Rintala-Gardin, adding that “VR is quite flexible in extending the capacity when needed.”

The director said the increasing demand for train services goes hand in hand with the growing number of tourists coming to Rovaniemi, thanks to successful marketing campaigns in Asia, while “traditional markets in Europe have grown fast partly due to economic growth in those areas.”

Despite such developments, the situation of railway services in Rovaniemi still faces some challenges. “First of all,” Rintala-Gardin said, “tourists usually get confused about where to purchase train tickets.

The issue of setting up ticket counters at the Rovaniemi railway station had already been discussed, but the VR Group argued that most of the domestic and international travellers purchase online tickets in advance and only seek directions after their arrivals.

In addition, the price for a railway ticket from Helsinki to Rovaniemi during the peak season is quite high compared to bus tickets, although outside of the period the prices may vary.

“The other challenge is finding the way out of Rovaniemi railway station. There are multiple ways to leave the station and finding the city center. The City of Rovaniemi has just put new information posts along the walking route from the railway station to the city centre,” she added.

So far, eight information posts between the railway station and the Lordi Square have been set up at a cost of approximately 80,000 euros to help tourists navigate easily.

The International Relations Director suggested that “the Finnish Rail Administration would improve the Rovaniemi railway station so that the task of finding the route to the city centre gets more simplified.” It is also expected that, in the long run, the Helsinki-Rovaniemi train trip would be faster than the current nine to 12 hours.

Meanwhile, the VR official said, since the Chinese account for the biggest slice of the total number of tourists visiting Rovaniemi, VR has been promoting its train services in the Chinese market through tour operators and by offering competitive prices to sustain the upward trend.

About half a million visitors come to Rovaniemi every year and the number has been on the rise in recent years. Based on the availability of accommodations and other facilities, Rovaniemi is expected to welcome more tourists this winter than the previous season.

In this context, the city authorities are well aware of the need for streamlining public transport services including train and bus. “Many important connections need to be enhanced, for example, the bus service from the city centre to the Santa Claus Village,” observed Rintala-Gardin.