VR Group

State-owned railway company in Finland

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January 2025 VR plans to begin using the former Allegro train rolling stock in domestic Finnish rail traffic.
January 2025 VR plans to begin using the previously Russian-operated trains in domestic traffic in Finland, after taking over the rolling stock in late 2023.
2024 VR Group acquires MTRX, a high-speed train operator on the Stockholm-Gothenburg route. MTRX is rebranded as VR Snabbtåg Sverige and integrated into VR Group's long-distance operations, including six Stadler Flirt X74 EMUs operating over 120 weekly services.
December 2024 Planned launch of a new cross-border passenger rail service between Haparanda, Sweden, and Helsinki, with the railway to be electrified according to Finnish standards.
December 2023 VR took over the rolling stock from the suspended Allegro rail service with Russian Railways.
2022 Withdrew Sm6 Allegro trains from service, with plans to re-introduce them into long-distance service in 2025.
July 1 2022 VR Group finalizes acquisition of Arriva Sverige AB from Deutsche Bahn, establishing operations in Sweden and gaining control of local and regional transportation services in Stockholm, Östergötland, and Skåne. The acquisition brings 2,300 employees and includes 740 buses, 180 trains, and 70 trams.
March 2022 Passenger rail traffic between Finland and Russia was suspended due to sanctions imposed following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Allegro service between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg was stopped, and the rolling stock was parked.
March 2022 VR acquired Arriva Sverige, a Swedish bus and rail company operating urban and regional transport in Stockholm and southeastern Sweden, with plans to make it an independent company within the VR Group.
August 2021 VR began operating the Tampere light rail, expanding its transportation services.
2017 Relocated headquarters to a building previously occupied by Yle (state-owned broadcasting company) in northern-central Helsinki, signifying an organizational move and potential modernization.
2016 Withdrew Sm1 multiple units from service after being in operation since 1968.
2016 New green-and-white coaches began replacing blue carriages on routes to Kolari.
December 31 2013 Electrification extension to Kemijärvi completed, ending the need for the diesel generator car arrangement.
December 20 2013 VR announced plans to purchase 80 new electric locomotives (Sr3) with 97 options, to replace the aging Sr1 locomotives. Deliveries planned between 2017 and 2026.
October 29 2013 Eight Class Edo control cars begin regular passenger traffic on InterCity connections, used with Sr2 and upcoming Sr3 locomotives.
2010 VR acquires Sm6 Allegro tilting high-speed Pendolino trains.
2010 VR began improving train connections by reducing stops at minor stations and increasing running speeds with new locomotives and renovated high-speed trains.
2010 Responsibility for railway network maintenance and construction is transferred to the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency, marking a significant change in railway infrastructure management.
October 2010 VR announced plans to renew its locomotive fleet by ordering around 200 new locomotives, expected to enter service between 2015 and 2025.

This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia article VR Group, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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