All Finland articles – Page 2
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News
Timber wagon shunter delivered
FINLAND: Forestry company Metsä Group has taken delivery of the first of two Windhoff Bahn & Anlagentechnik TeleTrac RW100EM-DT shunting machines for moving timber wagons at its Kemi pulp and paper mill. The fully electric shunters have two cable-connected 50 tonne sections ...
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News
Operail agrees sale of Finnish rail freight business
FINLAND: Nurminen Logistics has signed an agreement to purchase the Finnish activities of Operail, the Estonian state freight operator which is divesting its non-core activities. Subject to Finnish regulatory approval of €27·7m sale and purchase agreement announced on January 13, the entire share capital of Operail ...
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News
VR orders more night train rolling stock
FINLAND: National operator VR has selected Škoda Transtech to supply nine sleeping cars and eight car-carrying vans to enter service from the end of 2025.
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Metro Report International
Metro extension opens in Espoo
FINLAND: A 7 km extension of the Helsinki metro network west from Matinkylä to Kivenlahti within the neighbouring city of Espoo opened on December 3. Espoo Mayor Jukka Mäkelä and Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen arrived at the opening ceremony at Espoonlahti station via the new extension. ...
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Metro Report International
Speeding up tunnel cleaning on the Helsinki metro
FINLAND: A wall-washing wagon has been produced which can cover 2 km of Helsinki metro tunnel during a single night shift. The metro’s tunnels, including the walls, ceilings, rails, equipment housings, fire doors and escape routes, are washed once a year. The process usually takes around ...
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News
Commuter trains to combine Finnish design with Swiss engineering
FINLAND: National operator VR has awarded Stadler a €250m contract to supply 20 electric multiple-units for entry into service on commuter routes from spring 2026, with options for 50 more and full maintenance. VR’s three priorities when tendering the contract were energy efficiency, a proven track ...
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In depth
Light rail: Ridership bounces back as Nordic cities embrace the tram
The Covid-19 pandemic caused some cities across Scandinavia to question future investment in light rail, but a strong ridership recovery means the case for projects remains strong across much of the region.
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News
VR selects preferred bidder for EMU order
FINLAND: National operator VR has selected Stadler Bussnang as preferred bidder to supply 20 electric multiple-units. The contract worth around €250m would include the supply of spare parts, tools, training and documentation, along with options to purchase up to 50 additional EMUs and maintenance services. Stadler ...
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News
Fenniarail orders electric locomotive to support growth
FINLAND: Private freight operator Fenniarail has announced a firm order for Siemens Mobility to supply one Vectron electric locomotive by the end of October 2023, with an option for a further four. The operator is to invest in a maintenance depot in the Kouvola region, and ...
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News
Hiab launches rail crane range
FINLAND: Cargotec company Hiab has launched a series of rail-specific loader cranes with its SPACEevo control system, building on its products for the road market. The Hiab iX 122 RAIL is to be launched at the IAA show in Hannover on September 20-25. The range is ...
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News
Sawn timber wagon arrives in Finland
FINLAND: Fenninarail has taken delivery of the first of a batch of Habins wagons ordered for sawn timber traffic, following initial testing in Estonia. Managing Director of the open access freight operator Juha Hakavuori said there is currently great demand for the ...
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News
Finland responds to European Commission regauging proposal
FINLAND: Minister of Transport & Communications Timo Harakka has described as ‘unreasonable’ the European Commission’s proposal to require the use of 1 435 mm gauge throughout the TEN-T rail network, arguing that Finland should be regarded as a special case. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ...
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News
Estonian locomotive approved for operation in Finland
FINLAND: A C30-MF diesel locomotive produced at Operail’s Tapa workshop in Estonia has been approved for use on the Finnish network. It is to be used for shunting at the port of Kotka, instead of Operail’s Wabtec/Tülomsaş PowerHaul main line freight locomotives. Transport agency Traficom granted ...
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Metro Report International
Helsinki smart ticketing contract
FINLAND: Helsinki regional transport authority HSL has awarded Conduent Transportation a contract to supply fare collection equipment for buses, trams, trains, metros and ferries. There were 238 million passenger boardings on these services in 2021. The first phase of the project is scheduled to begin in ...
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News
Freight company Operail facing ‘complicated circumstances’
ESTONIA: National rail freight operator Operail says 2022 has brought ‘complicated circumstances’, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine impacting on its operations. The management board is taking steps to find replacements for sanctioned traffic and to direct its wagons on lease away from high-risk regions. ‘Despite ...
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News
Digital track monitoring on test in Finland
FINLAND: VR Group’s rolling stock maintenance company VR FleetCare is testing technology it has developed for the digital monitoring of the condition of track equipment including track circuits. A pilot project with national infrastructure manager Väylävirasto was launched last year and has recorded more than a ...
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News
Autonomous shunting locomotive on test
FINLAND: A shunting locomotive retrofitted for unattended operation to Grade of Automation 4 is being tested at the Voikkaa Business Area as part of a project to develop an autonomous shunter for use at freight terminals, industrial sites and ports. Steelwheel has modified the Otso 4 ...
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Metro Report International
Tampere orders more trams
FINLAND: Škoda Group has been awarded a contract to supply a further five ForCity Smart Artic X34 trams to Tampere. The €34m firm order announced on May 25 has been placed using an option on the original contract signed in 2017. This covered the supply of ...
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News
Finland’s VR begins terminating Russian rail freight contracts
EUROPE: Finland’s national train operator VR Group has begun the process of terminating its Russian cross-border freight contracts, with traffic expected to cease completely by the end of the year at the latest, and it is also looking to sell or liquidate its Russian freight joint ...
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News
‘Controlled’ end to Finland – Russia rail freight traffic
FINLAND: National operator VR Group is to discontinue rail freight traffic with Russia ‘in a controlled manner’, the railway’s board decided on April 6. VR said it aimed to run down traffic as quickly as possible, although it expected that the process would take several months. ...