Jetpak to Offer Rail Courier Service on Finnish Railways
The Finnish National Railways will begin to transport shipments on its services, thanks to an agreement with courier Jetpak. The Co-operation includes transportation of urgent shipments, such as sensitive samples and medicines from the healthcare sector as well as urgent industrial spare parts. At this stage, transports are only possible to and from Helsinki but hope to extend the service in the future if the consumer demand is there.
Taking Advantage of Challenging Conditions
VR Group is entirely owned by the Finnish state and also has some operations in Russia. It will, in partnership with Jetpak, offer a wide range of domestic destinations from Helsinki with excellent frequency, as there is up to one departure per hour across the weekly schedule, including evenings and weekends.
Topi Simola, VR's Director of Passenger Traffic, said: “We are excited about this collaboration and the new functionality which enables us to utilise the entire capacity of the Finnish railway system. The Finnish train system is carbon dioxide neutral, so we can offer emission-free transports to Jetpak's customers. Our train network covers areas that are essential for Jetpak's customers.”
- Decreased flight availability led to rail courier service
- All rail journeys in Finland are carbon neutral
- Jetpak grew from small courier to €1 billion annual net sales
Spotting Gaps in Service
With this new rail connection, the end customer receives door to door service in a country which sometimes struggles with road accessibility due to extreme winter weather conditions. Jetpak is the market leader for time-critical express deliveries in the Nordic Region and in Europe, so this collaboration is a timely one for domestic and commercial customers required or wishing to stay indoors.
Markus Haapanen Sales Manager of Jetpak Finland said: “During the pandemic, we are looking for alternative ways to grow and maintain our business. For Jetpak this is a great opportunity due to the reduction of available flights. We at Jetpak believe that the co-operation with VR is a great opportunity for the future, due to the fast connections and low environmental impact.”
Jetpak has seen steady growth in recent years, primarily thanks to air freight services, which is how the company was first born also three decades ago. The operation has grown to where you can now choose between door-to-door, airport-to-door and airport-to-airport services. Late pick-ups from warehouses around central Europe and early deliveries across the Nordics and the use of commercial flights enables Jetpak to have good coverage and availability in northern Europe. The group now employs over 6,000 professionals, with annual net sales of approximately €1 billion.
