News and press releases

Laura Ansaharju (44), M.Sc., has been appointed VR Group's Senior Vice President, HR, and a member of the Group’s management team. She will take up her new role no later than 1 April 2022. Ansaharju joins us from Finnair, where she has worked in various personnel management and development positions since 2011.

3. January 2022 Press releases News and current issues

VR FleetCare to sign a 20-year maintenance agreement for Allegro trains operating between Russia and Finland

Russian Railways (RZD), Karelian Trains and the Finnish rail traffic maintenance company VR FleetCare have signed a 20-year agreement on the maintenance and lifecycle services concerning the high-speed trains operating between Helsinki and St. Petersburg starting from 2022. The rolling stock consists of a total of four electric trains with seven wagons manufactured by Alstom. With this agreement, the Allegro trains will continue to be maintained at the Helsinki depot in Finland.

10. December 2021 Press releases News and current issues

Train traffic between Finland and Russia will start on 12 December 2021

Train traffic between Finland and Russia will start again after the break which started in spring 2020. Russia signed the decree on the opening of passenger train traffic on 2 December 2021. The Vainikkala border crossing station opened for passenger traffic by decision of the border control on 18 October 2021. For other modes of transport, such as air and bus transport, the border has been open for a longer period of time. Allegro train tickets became available on Friday 3 December 2021. Travelling is only possible with health certificates.

7. December 2021 Press releases News and current issues

VR FleetCare chosen to maintain VR Group’s newest diesel locomotive

VR FleetCare, a Finnish rolling stock maintenance company, has signed an agreement with VR Group on the maintenance of the new Stadler diesel locomotive’s stock. The agreement period is 10 years, and the agreement enters into force in 2023 when the locomotives enter into commercial traffic.  The locomotives represent the latest diesel locomotive technology and are significantly more environmentally friendly than older diesel locomotives. The agreement covers the 60 ordered locomotives and the maintenance of possible option locomotives between 2023 and 2033. With the decision, VR Group's tractive stock will be fully maintained by VR FleetCare.

2. December 2021 Press releases

VR Group business review for July–September 2021 – positive quarterly result in Passenger Services for the first time during the epidemic

VR Group’s net sales developed favourably in the third quarter. VR Passenger Services achieved a positive result, driven by leisure travel. The demand for VR Transpoint’s transport services remained at a good level.

27. October 2021 News and current issues

The procurement of VR Group’s new night train rolling stock advances

At the beginning of July 2021, VR Group launched the procurement of new night train rolling stock. The procurement includes nine sleeper cars and eight car-carrier wagons. It is a public procurement, and the aim is to complete it so that the supplier is selected no later than by summer 2022. The value of the transaction is approximately EUR 35-40 million.

8. July 2021 Press releases

Machine intelligence increases energy efficiency, punctuality and travel comfort for train traffic

During the spring, VR introduced a DAS system that assists the train driver in both passenger and freight trains. DAS helps to optimise driving the train to increase energy efficiency, improve punctuality and at the same time increase travel comfort. The system has been developed together with Fintraffic, which is responsible for rail traffic control in Finland.  

5. July 2021 Press releases

VR Group’s Russian subsidiary Finnlog is expanding its rapidly growing operations. The company’s 35 new wagons will allow for importing wood chips from Russia to Finland.

8. June 2021 Press releases

Automated detection of train malfunctions with Train Scanner

Currently, a large part of rolling stock maintenance is manual inspection performed by human eyes. The objective has therefore been to proceed towards automated and systematic processes. In June, the rolling stock maintenance company VR FleetCare will deploy Train Scanner, a device designed to automatically inspect the external condition of trains and use the device for the maintenance of Helsinki Region Transport’s rolling stock. The objective is to be able to reliably identify any malfunctions and stains on the exterior of trains.

20. May 2021 Press releases