LIMITED FREIGHT TRAFFIC BEGINS ON LIETMAJÄRVI-KOTSKOMA LINE

The joint logistics advisory board of Northlink and Oulu County Administrative Board, which met in Kostamus in the end of February, received information about the start of limited commercial traffic on the Lietmjärvi-Kotskoma section.

The October Railways assistant manager of the Petrozavodsk district spoke of the start of commercial freight traffic from Kostamus to Murmansk and to Severstali plants in Cherepovetsi, where October Railways will transport pellets from Kostamus. This freight traffic is still within Russia, and the country's internal transport tariffs will apply. According to October Railways, wood transport by rail to wood processing plants of Northern Finland is already possible. According to representatives of Finnish companies that import from Russia, shifting their transport from the present route to the Lietmjärvi-Kotskoma section requires competitive prices and flexible, unrestricted movement of freight over the border.
Participants at the meeting also discussed the requirements for transporting containers by rail via Vartius to Kostamus and farther onwards to Northwest Russia. According to representatives of Russian customs, however, this requires additional resources for either Kivijärvi or Kostamus. The members of the advisory board promised to give an estimation of commercial transport needs to the customs of both countries. The advisory board also considers the possibility of arranging a pilot transport along the new section into Finland.

The chairmen of the joint logistics advisory board of the Northlink group and Oulu County Administrative Board were Eino Siuruainen, governor of Oulu Province, and Sergei Katanandov, head of the Republic of Karelia. Other members included the Petrozavodsk district of October Railways, Northwest Russian customs administration, the government of the Republic of Komi, Eurosib-Sbp freight agent from St. Petersburg; from Finland there were the Northlink-group, the Finnish Trucking Association Oulu district, VR Cargo Northern Finland, Rautaruukki Oyj, Stora Enso Oyj, John Nurminen Oy, Norther Finland Customs District and Council of Oulu Region.