Allegro trains to be deployed in VR's domestic long-distance traffic from 2025
14. December 2023 Press releases
Russian Railways (RZD) has failed to meet its financial obligations regarding the joint venture Oy Karelian Trains Ltd's loan liabilities and taxes. Negotiations between the parties lasting over one and a half year did not yield results, and in June 2023, the joint venture could no longer pay its loans to financiers. Karelian Trains faced the threat of bankruptcy. To avoid the bankruptcy of the joint venture, VR has redeemed the loans of Karelian Trains and obtained the right of pledge as security for the loans from Finnish financiers who funded the trains.
Today, on December 14th, VR has exercised its right of pledge, resulting in the transfer of four Sm6 trains into the company's ownership. VR intends to deploy the trains to meet the growing demand in long-distance traffic in Finland starting from 2025.
"The number of passengers on our long-distance routes is increasing, and new rolling stock is needed. The Sm6 trains are high-quality, modern trains that will support the growth of domestic traffic. We will carefully assess on which routes the trains will best serve our passengers," says VR's CEO Elisa Markula.
Plans for the Sm6 trains will be further detailed later, including their name, service concepts, and routes.
The commissioning of the trains requires technical inspections and maintenance work
The Sm6 trains have been unused for over one and a half years at VR's depot since the cessation of traffic to Russia, and their commissioning requires technical inspections and maintenance work.
"Getting the trains ready for service is estimated to take about a year, as they have not received necessary maintenance or spare parts has not been ordered due to the unclear situation of the joint venture. The popularity of domestic long-distance traffic and the number of passengers is increasing, which will require future investments in rolling stock to ensure our competitiveness. The Sm6 trains provide one solution to this," says Markula.
Information about Sm6 Trains and Karelian Trains
- Oy Karelian Trains Ltd is a Finnish company owned equally by VR and RZD.
- The company was established in 2006, and traffic between Helsinki and St. Petersburg began in
- In 2019, Allegro trains made over 550,000 trips.
- The Sm6 is a tilting high-speed train with a top speed of 220 kilometers per hour.
- There are four train units, each consisting of seven carriages – each train has 342 passenger seats.
- The trains are manufactured by Alstom in Italy.
