North Rail lays off 25 workers after fertilizer imports end

Rail transport company North Rail is laying off 25 employees after imports of fertilizer from Russia to Finland effectively ended, Yle reports.

North Rail transported the fertilizer through Vainikkala. An estimate by analysis service Inderes, based on public sources, suggests that Russian fertilizer shipments accounted for about two thirds of the company’s transport operations.

Russia increased customs duties on rail shipments to Finland eightfold at the beginning of July, effectively halting fertilizer imports by rail.

North Rail said the changes were intended to generate annual savings of three million euros.

North Rail is a subsidiary of Nurminen Logistics. In its half year report in July, Nurminen Logistics said it expected rail transport volumes to grow between the Nordic countries and Europe, and over the longer term also in traffic to Asia.

Fertilog, which stored and loaded the fertilizer, previously estimated that the end of the shipments could directly or indirectly lead to the termination of at least 50 employment relationships.