Oulu's new depot will be introduced at the turn of the year

VR's new Oulu depot will operate as a support base for rail services in Northern Finland. The modern depot will improve the quality and speed of maintenance services and the punctuality of trains in the region.

During the winter, snow and ice can be cleaned from rolling stock at the depot. The maintenance and repairs of Pendolino and InterCity trains will also be carried out at Oulu. In addition, the maintenance of the blue passenger rolling stock will be transferred from Turku to Oulu.

"The need for maintenance in Northern Finland will continue to grow. Rail traffic will increase in Oulu once the basic renovation of the Pohjanmaa line is completed. The Pendolino fleet will operate as the main connecting service between Helsinki and Oulu," says VR Group President and CEO Mikael Aro.

The staff will be able to work in modern production facilities and provide operational maintenance, which includes train cleaning, filling the water tanks, emptying sewage tanks and providing some fresh catering supplies.

Investment in punctuality and customer satisfaction

Construction of the new depot was started in Oulu in June 2012. The complex includes train, service and maintenance halls, covering an area of about 17 500 square meters. The new premises have been designed for a total of 300 employees.

"The construction costs were approximately EUR 50 million. The large scale investment and financing for the Oulu depot project is possible as a result of VR's reforms and improved profitability," observes Mikael Arto.

The depot project has also taken into account a comprehensive set of environmental concerns. LED lighting is being used throughout the premises. In addition, there is significant use of water recycling for melting snow and ice from the trains and the use of geothermal energy to generate heat.