VR procures nine sleeper coaches and eight car-carrier coaches from Škoda Transtech Oy. The new rolling stock will be in use by the end of 2025. The value of the procurement is approximately EUR 50 million.
The new rolling stock will meet the growing demand for night train travel as well as passenger expectations. VR’s aim is to make night train travel even more popular.
“We are pleased to note that the popularity of night train travel has grown by 17 per cent, compared to 2018. With these new coaches, we want to meet the wishes of our customers and further develop the travel experience. For instance, working and having meals in your own cabin will be even more comfortable in the future,” says Elisa Markula, CEO of VR.
The new coaches will be in use by the end of 2025. They will be operated on overnight train routes, i.e., from Helsinki, Turku and Tampere to Oulu, Rovaniemi, Kemijärvi and Kolari, as part of the existing night train formations. VR's current night train fleet consists of 80 sleeper coaches and 33 car-carrier coaches.
Škoda Transtech won the tendering for VR’s new night train wagons. The sleeper coaches and car-carrier coaches will be produced at Škoda Transtech's factory in Otanmäki, Kajaani.
“Our night train coaches are a good example of modern rolling stock design, helping to develop rail traffic as an attractive alternative. This deal will strengthen the order book of our Otanmäki factory and maintain the region's vitality and competitiveness,” says Juha Vierros, CEO of Škoda Transtech.
The procurement also includes an option to purchase an additional 30 sleeper coaches and 30 car-carrier coaches. These would make it possible to increase the number of night train services or routes in the future and to replace the old blue sleeper coaches, which will reach the end of their useful lives in the early 2030s.
Night train traffic is part of the contract traffic between VR and the Ministry of Transport and Communications. VR finances the procurement with its own funds, and the Ministry of Transport and Communications compensates VR for part of the procurement costs, as defined in the contract traffic agreement.
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VR
VR Group is a responsible service company that focuses on travel, logistics and maintenance – we will transport you towards a prosperous and carbon neutral Finland. We keep society moving by providing smooth daily travel and transport, with experience gained over 160 years. By promoting electric track and city transport, we are reducing emissions throughout Finland.
In 2021, our net sales were EUR 838.3 million euros and we employed over 5,600 top professionals. On board our trains, 55 million journeys were made, and we transported 37.4 million metric tonnes of goods.
Our company is owned by the Finnish State and, in addition to Finland, we operate in the neighbouring markets of the Nordic countries. We are actively seeking growth and aim to be the best in our industry. The better we succeed, the more society around us benefits – we are getting there together for a better world. Further information: https://www.vrgroup.fi/en/vrgroup/
Škoda Group
Škoda Group's products include mainly low-floor trams, electric locomotives, suburban train units, metro sets, electric buses and trolleybuses, as well as control and drive systems for transport systems. Škoda Group has several production sites in the Czech Republic and one in Finland. The Group also has business units in Germany, Hungary, and other countries. Škoda Group employs over six and half thousand people in its companies. Thanks to high investments in research and development, Škoda Group can regularly bring to the table new and modern products that successfully find their place on foreign markets. It invested € 81.1 million in research and development in 2021.
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