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VR Group

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This article is about the Finnish company. For the New Zealand-based hotel chain of the same name, see Hanmer Springs § Other tourism.
"Finland's railways" redirects here. For the railway network in Finland, see Rail transport in Finland.

VR Group
Native name
VR-Yhtymä Oyj/VR-Group Abp
FormerlySuomen Valtion Rautatiet
Valtionrautatiet
Company typepublic (julkinen osakeyhtiö)
Industryrail transport Edit this on Wikidata
Founded1862
Headquarters
Helsinki
,
Finland
Area served
Finland
Sweden
Key people
Elisa Markula (CEO)
ProductsRail transport
Infrastructure
€152 million
OwnerGovernment of Finland
Number of employees
7,500 (2016)
Websitevr.fi
The Finnish railway network in 2010.[1]
An Sm3 class Pendolino train.
Overview
LocaleFinland
Technical
Track gauge1,524 mm (5 ft) Broad gauge

VR-Group Plc (Finnish: VR-Yhtymä Oyj, Swedish: VR-Group Abp),[2] commonly known as VR, is a government-owned railway company in Finland. VR's most important function is the operation of Finland's passenger rail services with 250 long-distance and 800 commuter rail services every day.[3] With 7,500 employees and net sales of €1,251 million in 2017, VR is one of the most significant operators in the Finnish public transport market area.[4]

VR was created in 1995 after being known as Swedish: Finska Statsjärnvägarna, Finnish: Suomen Valtion Rautatiet (Finnish State Railways) from 1862 to 1922, and Valtionrautatiet ('State Railways', Swedish: Statsjärnvägarna) from 1922 to 1995.

As part of the concern, Avecra is a subsidiary for onboard catering service, Pohjolan Liikenne for bus traffic, VR Track for developing and maintaining of infrastructure and VR Transpoint for freight. Since 2017, its headquarters is located at the Iso Paja [fi] building, previously occupied by the state-owned broadcasting company Yle, in northern-central Helsinki.

History

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Main article: History of rail transport in Finland

Rail transport started in Finland in 1862 between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, and multiple main lines and smaller private railways were built in the following decades. VR mainly operated on the high-demand main lines. During the twentieth century, most private railway companies were shut down and VR assumed a monopoly in rail transport. In 1995 the company went through a process of corporatization to become the VR Group.

Since 2010, the maintenance and the construction of the railway network have been the responsibility of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency (Finnish: Väylävirasto). The operation and network were originally carried out by the parent company Valtionrautatiet until 1995, when it was split into VR and the rail administration entity Ratahallintokeskus.

Organization

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Companies in the group provide road freight and bus services, catering and real estate management, and provide data, technological, and telecommunications services for the transport and logistics sectors. The group owns a bus company, Pohjolan Liikenne, and a road freight haulage company VR Transpoint.

Altogether the group includes 21 companies employing a total of about 14,400 people.

Services

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Main article: Rail transport in Finland

Because in most parts of Finland the density of population is low, Finland is not optimally suited for railways. Commuter services are nowadays rare outside the Helsinki area, but express trains interconnect most cities. As in France, the majority of passenger services are connections to the capital, Helsinki. In the 2010s, VR has made connections faster by reducing stops at minor stations and increasing running speeds with new locomotives and renovated high-speed trains.

For motorail services, passengers drive their cars on board the car transport wagons themselves, and then leave the aforementioned wagon on foot to board a passenger wagon.
People waiting to unload their cars off the train at Kolari railway station.

VR provides motorail services. Cars can be loaded onto and unloaded from trains at seven stations: Helsinki, Turku and Tampere in the south, Oulu further north, and Rovaniemi, Kemijärvi and Kolari in Lapland. Car transport trains stop at other stations along the way for normal passenger transport and is available as daily service to Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi and several times a week to Kolari. Finland is the only Nordic country to offer car transport on trains; however, car transport on trains is available in many European countries outside the Nordic countries.[5] In August 2021 VR began operating the Tampere light rail.[6]

In March 2022, VR acquired the Swedish bus and rail company Arriva Sverige, which operates urban transport in Stockholm and regional transport in southern and southeastern Sweden. Arriva Sverige was part of Arriva and owned by Deutsche Bahn. Following the acquisition, it was announced that Arriva Sverige would become an independent company within the VR Group.[7]

Commuter rail

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Main article: Helsinki commuter rail

VR operates the commuter traffic in the Helsinki area on behalf of HSL and its own commuter rail services in southern Finland.

International services

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Railway bridge connecting the Finnish Tornio with Swedish Haparanda.

There are plans to open a new passenger rail service between Finland and Sweden in the end of 2024, between Haparanda in northern Sweden and Helsinki.[8] The cross-border railway will be electrified according to Finnish standards by then.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, VR operated jointly with Russian Railways a passenger rail service named Allegro between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg. However due to sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, all passenger rail traffic between Finland and Russia has been suspended in March 2022, and the rolling stock has since been parked. These trains were in late 2023 taken over by VR, and are planned to be used in domestic traffic in Finland beginning 2025.[9]

If and when the proposed Helsinki–Tallinn Tunnel is built, trains may be run by VR, Elron or a joint-venture similar to the former arrangement with Russia.

Freight

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Domestic and international freight services are provided by VR Transpoint, a part of VR. In 2009, both domestic and international freight traffic declined, which worsened VR's financial position.[10] International freight traffic was concentrated to the four railways across the Russian border but there is also a connection to the Swedish rail network through Tornio. Train ferry connections from Turku to Stockholm, Sweden, and to Travemünde, Germany have previously existed.

Rolling stock

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VR Class Sr2 electric locomotive at Turku Central Station.
Three VR Class Sr3 locomotives between Hämeenlinna and Parola stations.
A modernised and recoloured diesel locomotive pulls a regional train to Varkaus railway station in 2011.

Locomotives

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Main article: List of Finnish locomotives

VR operated steam locomotives until 1975. Although the regular use of steam traction for scheduled passenger services ended in 1970, occasional use continued until 1975. As of 2011, the company operates two classes of electric locomotives (Sr1 and Sr2) and three classes of diesel locomotives (Dv12, Dr14 and Dr16). The use of diesel locomotive hauled passenger trains has declined due to electrification of all main lines and the (re)introduction of railbuses (Dm12) on secondary routes.

In October 2010, VR announced plans to renew its locomotive fleet by ordering around 200 new locomotives, which are expected to enter service in 2015–25.[11]

On 20 December 2013, VR announced plans to purchase 80 new electric locomotives, with 97 options. The upcoming Sr3 will be based on the Vectron and will replace the aging Sr1. The locomotives will be fitted with helper diesel engines that can be used for shunting in partly unelectrified railyards. Deliveries will occur between 2017 and 2026.[12][13]

Locomotive classification system

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Preserved Vr2 class steam locomotive at Joensuu railway station.

At the beginning of traffic, locomotives were distinguished by their names, and by 1865 also by their numbers.[14] In 1887, the locomotives were given their original classification system. It was based on the wheel arrangement of the locomotives: each wheel arrangement was assigned a letter of the alphabet, which was followed by a serial number.[15] The assignment of letters to different wheel arrangements was made when the first locomotive using it was brought into service; the letter A signified a 4-4-0 wheelbase in the Whyte notation, B signified a 0-4-2ST locomotive, C a 0-6-0 locomotive, and so on.[16]

On 8 October 1942, the notation system was changed to two letters and a serial number. The first letter in the designation now signified the types of trains the locomotive was generally planned to haul:[17]

The second small letter indicated the weight of the locomotive:[17]

  • r (raskas) = heavy (axle load over 14.1 t)
  • v (väliraskas) = midweight (axle load 11.1–14.0 t)
  • k (kevyt) = light (axle load under 11.0 t)
  • m = mechanical transmission (in multiple units)
  • s (sähkö 'electric(ity)') = electrical transmission (in multiple units).

When diesel locomotives were taken into service in the 1950s, they were additionally differentiated by the steam locomotive classes by beginning their numbering from 11 instead of the next free number in running order. As a result, the last steam-powered heavy passenger locomotive class was designated Hr3, and its first diesel-powered counterpart Hr11.[16]

The current VR locomotive classification system was taken into use on 1 January 1976. The first (capital) letter was now used to differentiate between locomotive types: S (sähkö) for electric, D for diesel and T (työkone) for maintenance equipment. The serial numbers of diesel locomotive classes were not changed, the Hr11 class becoming Dr11. In addition to this the borderline between midweight and heavy locomotives was changed to 15.1 tons and the second letter in multiple units is always m (for moottorivaunu).[16]

Locomotive types in use by the VR
Class No. in use Years of manufacture Max. speed Power type Notes
Sr1 109 1973–85 (1996) 140 km/h Electric Some originally had a maximum speed of 160 km/h
Sr2 46 1995–2003 210 km/h Electric
Sr3 42 2016– 200 km/h Electric
Dv12 180 1963–84 125 km/h Diesel-hydraulic Pre-1976 classes: Sv12 and Sr12
Dr14 24 1968–71 75 km/h Diesel-hydraulic Pre-1976 class: Vr12
Dr16 18 1985–92 140 km/h Diesel-electric 3-phase AC inverter drive
Dr19 60 (on order)[18] 2022–26
Notable locomotive types formerly used by VR
Class No. built Years in use Wheel arrangement Max. speed Power type Notes
Tv1 (K3) 148 1917–74 2-8-0 60 km/h Steam 142 locomotives were built for the VR and 6 for the Latvian Railways.
Tk3 (K5) 161 1927–75 2-8-0 60 km/h Steam Most numerous steam locomotive class in Finland.
Hr1 (P1) 22 1937–74 4-6-2 110 km/h Steam Last Pacific-type locomotives in everyday use in Europe outside the Eastern Bloc.[19]
Tr1 (R1) 67 1940–75 2-8-2 80 km/h Steam
Dr12 (Hr12) 42 1959–90 Co-Co 120 km/h Diesel
Dr13 (Hr13) 54 1963–2000 Co-Co 140 km/h Diesel

Carriages

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Class Edo control cars are used on select routes (here seen at Pasila railway station).
Interior view of the top deck of a VR InterCity2 double-deck carriage.

The wide Finnish loading gauge allows the passenger coaches to be considerably wider than most European passenger coaches. The aisle and seats are wider than in other European trains in the standard 2+2 configuration, and in commuter traffic 3+2 seat configuration is used to allow more seats for the same train length. The last wooden-bodied carriages were withdrawn by the mid-1980s. Prior to the 1970s these had been the mainstay of VR's passenger rolling stock.

VR has three types of locomotive hauled passenger coaches:

  • Double-deck InterCity carriages are the common coaches in the long-distance trains and the mainstay of VR's network. There are several variants, including coaches with first class service, family-friendly coaches and coaches with bike as baggage capability. The coaches are built in Finland by Transtech Oy and they VR's most modern carriages. More coaches has been ordered to replace the last blue carriages and to increase capacity on the most popular routes. Their top speed is 200 km/h.
  • Single-deck InterCity carriages are used to increase capacity whenever double-deck coaches are not available. Top speed is 200 km/h.
  • "Blue" carriages, as they are popularly known as such due to their blue and light gray liveries, are used on night express trains from Helsinki to Kolari and Kemijärvi. Top speed is 140 or 160 km/h.

In addition to these, VR has ordered 12+13 Class Edo control cars from Transtech, eight of which have been in regular passenger traffic since 29 October 2013.[20] The cars are used in InterCity connections with the Sr2 and the upcoming Sr3 locomotives pushing the train.

First class, or Extra as VR calls it, is marked with Extra signs outside of the coaches on InterCity trains. Even restaurant coaches are marked similarly.

On the "Blue" carriages, first class used to be distinguished by a yellow stripe above the windows and restaurant cars by a red stripe. Cars equipped with diesel generators, which are used to provide electricity to InterCity or sleeper wagons on non-electrified tracks, can be distinguished by a blue stripe above the windows.

Sleeper cars

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Sleeper trains between Helsinki and Lapland usually stop at Tampere for about half an hour around midnight, giving adventurous passengers time to briefly visit the city.

VR operates sleeper services between Helsinki/Turku and Lapland, which also include car-carrying (motorail) wagons. Double-deck sleeping carriages (including rooms with en suite showers and toilets) were introduced on the Helsinki–Rovaniemi service in the 2000s. These wagons are painted in a green-and-white livery similar to the InterCity coaches. Since 2016, the new coaches have begun to replace the blue carriages even on the way to Kolari.

Electrification extends from Oulu northwards to Kemijärvi.[21] In 2006, direct sleeper services were discontinued beyond Rovaniemi (to Kemijärvi) because the new double-deck sleeping carriages were unable to operate with diesel haulage. The sleeper service to Kemijärvi was restarted in March 2008, by adding to the train in Rovaniemi a new diesel generator car supplying 1 500 V electricity for the sleeper cars between Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi; this setup was continued in use until the electrification extension to Kemijärvi was completed at the end of 2013. Sleeper services between Turku and Joensuu and Helsinki and Kajaani were withdrawn in 2006, but with the new direct line between Lahti and Kerava, the daytime services were made quicker.

On 12 January 2009, VR announced they had requested tenders for the purchase of 20 new sleeping cars, valued at €60–70 million. The two bidders interested were Alstom, which manufactures the Pendolino and some commuter trains for VR, and Finnish Transtech, which manufactured VR's new sleeping cars. The decision led to the resignation of the President and CEO of VR-Group, Henri Kuitunen, and the group's Chairman of the Board, Antti Lagerroos. Helsingin Sanomat reported they had wanted to defer the replacement of older sleeping car rolling stock until 2012 at the earliest. However, the decision went ahead because VR is a state owned business and there was pressure to seek orders from Finnish Transtech, which is currently struggling due to market downturns, in order to secure jobs.[22]

Freight wagons

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The Finnish loading gauge allows the operation of freight vehicles considerably larger than most other railways in the European Union. Road trailers (often of VR's subsidiary Transpoint) can be easily accommodated on ordinary flat wagons. Much of the freight on the VR network is carried from Russia in Russian wagons, including large capacity eight-axle oil tank wagons.

VR also has a one-third ownership of SeaRail, a specialist operator of freight wagons designed for through running (via ferry) to Sweden and elsewhere in Western Europe.

Multiple units

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VR class Sm4 EMU at Helsinki railway station.
JKOY class Sm5 local train at Riihimäki.
Finland's eighth president Urho Kekkonen's free VR ticket for the Finnish railway network from the 1980s

The Sm3 class Pendolino is the VR's "flagship", mainly connecting largest cities to the capital with top running speed up to 220 km/h. Other EMUs in use are the Sm2 and Sm4 on commuter rail services. In addition, VR operates Pääkaupunkiseudun Junakalusto Oy -owned Sm5 class EMUs in Helsinki local traffic.

VR currently operates one class of diesel-powered multiple units: the Czech-built single carriage Dm12, which is used mainly on secondary lines.

Multiple units in use by the VR
Class No. in use Years of manufacture Max. speed Notes
Sm2 50 1975–81 120 km/h EMU consists of an Sm2 car and an Eioc class car
Sm3 18 sets 1992–2006 220 km/h Tilting high-speed Pendolino train. Runs on domestic routes.
Sm4 60 (30 sets) 1998–2005 160 km/h EMU consists of two Sm4 units
Sm5 81 2008–2017 160 km/h EMU consists of one four-section Sm5 unit. Sm5 units are owned by Pääkaupunkiseudun Junakalusto Oy and are operated by VR on Helsinki Commuter Rail services.[23]
Dm12 16 2004–06 120 km/h Single carriage diesel units
Former multiple units used by the VR
Class Total count Years of manufacture Withdrawn from service Max. speed Notes
Sm1 50 1968–73 2016 120 km/h EMU consists of an Sm1 car and an Eio class car
Sm6 4 2010–11 2022 220 km/h Former Allegro train, a tilting high-speed Pendolino train. To be re-introduced into long-distance service in 2025.[24]
This table is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Multiple unit classification system

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The multiple unit classification system follows a similar logic as the locomotive classification system: the first letter signifies the power source (in addition to electric and diesel, gasoline (B, bensiini) and wood gas (P, puukaasu) have been used), followed by the letter m (moottorivaunu) signifyng a multiple unit, followed by a serial number.

Operations in Sweden

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In July 2022, VR Group established operations in Sweden by acquiring Arriva Sverige AB from the German state-owned company Deutsche Bahn. As part of this acquisition, which was finalised on 1st July 2022, VR Group gained control over extensive local and regional public transportation operations, including bus, tram and train services in Stockholm, Östergötland, and Skåne, including Skånetrafiken's Pågatåg. This acquisition brought approximately 2,300[25] employees into the VR Group. The acquired operations include 740 buses, 180 trains, and 70 trams, facilitating around 58 million bus journeys and 54 million train journeys annually.[26]

Following the acquisition, Arriva Sverige was rebranded as VR Sverige and operates under the VR Group brand. Since 2022, VR has grown in Sweden with contracts that include train services in regions like Bergslagen and Gävleborg. VR Sverige also secured a 10-year contract to operate bus services for SL in Tyresö, Stockholm, beginning in July 2025. This contract is valued at approximately €215 million and involves around 190 employees.[27]

In addition to the purchase of Arriva Sweden, VR Group has also strengthened its presence in the Swedish rail market through the acquisition of MTRX, a high-speed train operator on the Stockholm-Gothenburg route. Acquired in 2024, MTRX was rebranded as VR Snabbtåg Sverige and became part of VR Group’s long-distance operations. The MTRX acquisition included six Stadler Flirt X74 EMUs, which operate over 120 weekly services on the route.[28]

Livery

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VR has used several liveries in the past. When InterCity traffic started during the 1980s, VR's colour scheme was changed to red and white. In 2009, VR changed its corporate colour to green[29] and all the coaches have been repainted in green and white.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Lines are marked in green for freight and passenger routes, brown for freight routes and grey for routes no longer in use.
  2. ^ "VR-Yhtymä Oyj". Business Information System. Helsinki: Finnish Patent and Registration Office, Finnish Tax Administration. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Passenger services". VR Group. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  4. ^ "VR Group as a company". VR Group. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  5. ^ SJ.se - ett Bra Miljöval - Bra att veta, Swedish Railways (SJ.se). Accessed 29 November 2012.
  6. ^ VR Group to operate Tampere tramway Metro Report International 29 April 2019
  7. ^ "VR Group acquires Arriva Sverige to expand operations to Sweden". RailAdvent. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  8. ^ Snart kan du ta tåget till Helsingfors
  9. ^ Allegrotågen tas i bruk för inrikestrafik år 2025 – har stått stilla en längre tid
  10. ^ "VR restructuring for growth". X-Rail.net. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  11. ^ "VR plans locomotive fleet renewal". Railway Gazette International. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
  12. ^ "VR Group tilaa uudet sähköveturit Siemensiltä" (in Finnish). VR Group. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  13. ^ Koponen, Jarmo (20 December 2013). "Sähkökatko ei pysäytä VR:n uusia sähkövetureita – apumoottoreina dieselkoneet". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  14. ^ Alameri 1979, p. 31.
  15. ^ Alameri 1979, pp. 31–32.
  16. ^ a b c "Rautatie-UKK" (in Finnish). Resiina. Section 2.1.23. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  17. ^ a b Alameri 1979, p. 32.
  18. ^ Jäärni, Clarissa (9 February 2022). "Täysin Suomen oloihin tehty dieselveturi saatiin testiin Tampereelle – tällainen on nappeja myöten kuljettajien kanssa suunniteltu investointi". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  19. ^ Salo, Kari (1987). "Hr1 - The Finnish Pacific". Resiina (2). Museorautatieyhdistys ry, Suomen Rautatiehistoriallinen Seura ry.
  20. ^ "Uudet ohjausvaunut aloittaneet matkustajaliikenteessä" (in Finnish). VR Group. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  21. ^ "Electrification of the railway between Rovaniemi and Kemijärvi". Finnish Transport Agency. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  22. ^ "Transtech and Alstom interested in construction of rail carriages for Finnish Railways". Helsingin Sanomat. 12 January 2009.
  23. ^ "Electric low-floor multiple unit FLIRT: Sm5 trains for Junakalusto Oy, Finland" (PDF). Stadler Rail. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
  24. ^ "Allegro trains to be deployed in VR's domestic long-distance traffic from 2025". VR Group. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Om VR Sverige". VR Sverige (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  26. ^ "VR Group to expand operations in Sweden with Arriva Sverige acquisition". Intelligent Transport. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  27. ^ "VR fortsätter expandera i Sverige – tar över busslinjer i Stockholm". Hufvudstadsbladet (in Swedish). 2 May 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  28. ^ "VR Group concludes its acquisition in Sweden – MTRX becomes VR". VR Group. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  29. ^ "VR switches to green corporate visual identity". VR group. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2011.

Literature

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  • Alameri, Mikko (1979). Suomen rautatiet (in Finnish and German). Verlag Josef Otto Slezak. ISBN 3-900134-52-9.
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