VR sells rolling stock to Suomen Ostoliikennekalusto Oy – passenger rail reform continues
VR sells rolling stock to Suomen Ostoliikennekalusto Oy – passenger rail reform continues
VR-Group Plc, Stock Exchange Release, 11 February 2026 at 1 p.m.
VR and Suomen Ostoliikennekalusto Oy have signed an agreement under which the rolling stock owned by VR and used in tendered rail traffic will be transferred to the ownership of the Finnish state-owned rolling stock company. The agreement was signed on February 11, 2026. The arrangement will be implemented as an asset sale.
The transaction will be carried out in phases. In the first phase, Suomen Ostoliikennekalusto Oy will purchase from VR the rolling stock currently used in tendered rail traffic ordered by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, containing regional trains, including the upcoming Sm7 trains, motor cars, and night train carriages. The first phase is expected to be completed on March 2, 2026. In the second phase, the company is expected to take over the upcoming new night train and car-carrier wagons. The second phase will be implemented later in 2026.
The total purchase price for the rolling stock sold in first and second phases is approximately EUR 250 million. From this amount VR will pay capital repayment to the state during 2026, so that the arrangement is financially neutral for VR. The transaction will not have a material impact on VR’s debt-servicing capacity or operating profit.
The transaction follows the decision of VR-Group Plc’s extraordinary general meeting on October 9, 2025, to transfer the entire shareholding of Suomen Ostoliikennekalusto Oy, with value of EUR 15.1 million on the balance sheet, from VR-Group Plc to direct state ownership. The ownership transfer took effect on November 1, 2025.
The establishment of the rolling stock company for tendered rail traffic is included in the Finnish Government Programme and is considered a key measure to promote competition in passenger rail transport. The aim is to ensure equal market access for all operators by providing rolling stock for competitively tendered services. The current tendered traffic contract between the Ministry of Transport and Communications and VR will end at the end of 2030.
VR-Group Plc
Contacts
- VR Mediadesk, [email protected]
- VR Mediadesk, +358 29 434 7123, [email protected]
About VR-Yhtymä Oyj
At VR, we promote the responsible transport of the future. We are a passenger, logistics and maintenance service company owned by the Finnish state, and we increase the popularity of low-emission rail and city traffic. We ensure smooth daily travel in Finland and Sweden and act as a pillar of support for industry in Finland’s logistics. In 2024, our customers made a total of 15.3 million journeys on long-distance trains with us in Finland, and we transported 23.2 million tonnes of goods by rail. Our net sales amounted to EUR 1,294.7 million and we employed approximately 8,400 top professionals. Further information: https://www.vrgroup.fi/en/