FINLAND: National operator VR’s rolling stock maintenance business VR FleetCare has developed transfer bogies to enable the movement of foreign 1 435 mm gauge rolling stock to its workshops on Finland’s 1 524 mm broad gauge network.
Transfers of standard gauge rolling stock for modernisation in Finland have previously been undertaken by road because of the gauge difference.
‘The smooth transport of rolling stock from other Nordic countries to Finland strengthens our position in the train maintenance sector’, said Peter Guldbrand, Head of Sales and project management at VR FleetCare. ‘The transfer bogie project demonstrates that we manage demanding technical implementations and develop new concepts that advance rail transport.’
The first of 27 X40 double-deck electric multiple-units which are to be refurbished by VR FleetCare for Sweden’s SJ arrived in Oulu on January 9, having been delivered from Sweden via Haparanda and Tornio. The modernisation programme runs to 2028, and will extend the life of the trains by 15 to 20 years.
Jakob Wingren, head of the X40 project at SJ, said the bogies ‘will eliminate the need of oversized load lorry transport, coach by coach, on the Finnish side. Moreover, the trainset will no longer be disassembled and reassembled outside workshops, minimising the risk of connection problems in the future.’
