About us

About us

Santa Claus Train Oy

The whole operation is based on the idea of Seppo Lankinen, the man behind the Kemi Snow Castle, to have a Santa Claus train in Lapland, which would operate in the area during the high season and make the region an increasingly interesting place for international customers to visit. This Santa's Express was a strong vision and background until Seppo met Marku. Markku Seppälä is a developer of both Tornio and Kemi railway stations and together these two enterprising and imaginative men developed the idea of developing Tornio station into a Santa Claus station with lots of activities and a departure point for Santa's Express. Years passed and the summer of 2022 came. Seppo Lankinen was looking for a new wind in the sails of the concept and visited tour operator/travel agency entrepreneur Irina Lousteen in Kemi. Irina introduced Seppo to Minna Miettinen, concept developer and sales specialist. At the same time, long-time travel professionals Päivi Koskela and Oskar van Ieperen joined the team. Santa Claus Train Ltd was born and six multi-sector entrepreneurs started working on a pilot for Christmas 2022 in the region.

Pilot in Christmas 2022

Joulupukukin juna oy found as an operating partner Höyryveturimatkat 1009 oy from Kouvola, which has a unique Ukko-Pekka, a locomotive Hr1 1009, which used to run a lot in Finland. This large and rugged locomotive arrived in Meri-Lapp at the beginning of December with 6 wagons. The aim of the pilot was to understand the demand and what kind of product could sell. The demand took the operators by surprise and the train practically sold out in a few days. The sales target was a Christmas steam train trip to Pello. Overall, the pilot exceeded the news threshold nationally and on both sides of the border and was the hottest topic on social media for a week. It further reinforced the idea that some form of activity in the region should continue.

Summer-Autumn 2023

In the summer of 2023, steam train operations will continue in cooperation with Höyryraide Oy, which operates in Nurmes. The train will operate in the area in late summer 2023 (5.8.-9.9.2023) and will make 3 separate trips to Aavasaksa in Ylitornio. The umbrella brand for the summer is Wild West Lapland. It is more a concept than a geographical area. We are talking about the unexplored and untamed Finnish and Swedish Lapland, which the international tourist is only just discovering - on both sides of the border.

Our mission

Joulupukin juna Oy is facing great opportunities. The most important thing is to establish operations in the area and operate in every season and every year. The focus of the strategy is cooperation with Haaparanta, Sea Lapland and whole area of Tornevalley.

Our Team

Our iron-clad team of experts

Seppo Lankinen

Father of the idea
Without Seppo, there would be no Joulupukki juna Oy. Lankinen, who played a role in the background of Lumilinna and in many other broths, is a world-class idea creator.

Markku Seppälä

Station manager
Markku Seppälä is a long-time multi-business entrepreneur and Seppälä and his family own both Kemi and Tornio stations.

Minna Miettunen

Sales and Concept
Minna Miettunen is a digital sales professional and has worked with travel companies for years. Passionate about writing and real estate.

Oskar van Ieperen

Operational manager
Oskar is a transportation professional and a steam locomotive enthusiast since childhood. Oskar handles the job like a job on land, at sea and on rails

Päivi Koskela

Program manager
Our skilled storyteller, long-time tourism operator Päivi is responsible for the train's unique atmosphere for all the senses.

Irina Louste

Travel sales guru
Already 20 years ago, Irina Louste has brought international tourists to the region from all over the world and has taken the people of Sea Lapland to the world. Irina if anyone knows travel trends.

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