Finnish train travellers have apparently given a warm welcome to a new service offered by VR, the state-run railway network. As of a few weeks ago, it has become possible to book tickets for long-distance trains online and to print out the tickets immediately or have them sent to an e-mail address or even to a mobile phone as an SMS message.
It has long been possible to book tickets online, but the ticket has then had to be posted to the home address or picked up from a service desk or ticket automat at the railway station. These alternatives will still operate in the future.
Apparently some 70% of passengers buying tickets in advance online are taking advantage of the ability to print out the ticket immediately or have it sent to their mobile phone. Sales have surprised VR, who have set the target of having 5% of all long-distance tickets bought via the Internet by the end of this year. The change two weeks ago brought an immediate leap of online buying from less than 2% to around 4% of all long-distance ticket sales.
VR plans to advertise its online services heavily until the beginning of June, with spots on television, in the newspapers, and on the Net itself.
