VR to buy new commuter trains worth €250m

The national railway operator VR is going to buy new commuter rolling stock at a cost of 250 million euros, said VR in a press release on Tuesday.

The VR already floated a tender and six companies are submitting their bids in the competitive tender process.

The companies are: Bombardier Transportation Finland Oy, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A., Hitachi Rail ltd, Siemens Mobility GmbH, Škoda Transtech Oy and Stadler Rail AG.

The procurement of new commuter rolling stock applies preliminarily to 25 SmX trains, which are due to replace the old thirty-six Sm2 commuter trains and fourteen Eil and three Eilf commuter cars that have reached the end of their lifecycle.

The planned minimum speed of the new commuter rolling stock is 160 km/h. The procurement of new commuter trains is a necessary replacement investment that ensures the continuity and development of business.

The options of the contract include other pieces of rolling stock that are due to reach the end of their lifecycle in the 2030s.

In addition to the new trains, VR is investing in the continuation of the Sm2 stock’s lifecycle in 2020–2023. Sm2 commuter trains are currently in operation on lines D, G and M in the capital region and in Tampere.

The VR aims to conclude the procurement contract in summer 2022 and have the first new train unit in traffic by the end of 2025.

“Modern rolling stock has a significant impact on travel comfort. The procurement of commuter traffic rolling stock is a significant investment in the development of commuter traffic. The new accessible rolling stock allows for increasing commuter train traffic on new routes if the state or municipalities want to invest in new routes. VR’s aim is to provide a valid alternative for passenger cars and increase the modal share of passenger train traffic to 10% of all traffic in 2030,” said VR Group’s President and CEO Rolf Jansson.

VR has about 400 cars in long-distance traffic, including night train stock, and more than 60 two-car vehicle groups in commuter and regional transport. VR also has 17 Pendolino trains and 16 railcars. HSL has 81 Flirt trains owned by Metropolitan Area Rolling Stock Ltd.