VR FleetCare wins contract for the refurbishment of 81 Flirt electric train bogies in Finland

The Finnish rolling stock maintenance company VR FleetCare has won the tender organised by Helsinki Metropolitan Area Rolling Stock Ltd for the refurbishment of Flirt electric train bogies.

The contract concerns the periodic refurbishments of the bogies of 81 trains according to the kilometres travelled. The basic repairs are to be carried out between 2024 and 2030. The contract also includes a 4-year option. VR FleetCare is also responsible for the daily operational maintenance of the rolling stock. The Flirt trains operate as commuter trains in Helsinki.

“We are very happy to have been able to submit the best bid in this tough competition. The contract is strategically important to us, as we as a company seek growth in the future, especially in our component services. I also believe that we will be able to meet the rolling stock owner's goals, according to which maintaining the value and quality of the components together with optimising the life-cycle costs are the most important factors,” says Peter Guldbrand, Vice President, Commercial, VR FleetCare.

“Successful bogie refurbishments are very important to the goals of the rolling stock company, and we are pleased to have completed the bidding process successfully. As a rolling stock owner, high quality and delivery reliability of component services are of paramount importance to us. Now, the work together with VR FleetCare to start the maintenance operations with high quality and on schedule will begin,” says Veli-Pekka Hakatie, Managing Director of Metropolitan Area Rolling Stock Ltd.

Bogie maintenance will be carried out by VR FleetCare’s Pieksämäki unit, who are specialised in the maintenance of rolling stock bogies. The component workshop, opened in 2021, has new production lines and extensive knowledge of different types of bogies. They repair the bogies of electric and diesel locomotives, electric trains and passenger cars under one roof.

“The prospects of the international component refurbishment market are good, as responsibility and the circular economy are becoming popular also in the railway industry. At VR FleetCare, we have been looking for solutions that can help us extend the lifecycle of components for decades. We have cost-effective working methods and effective processes to provide high-quality and competitive maintenance services to rolling stock components. The Estonian operator Elron also relies on our services, as the bogies of the Flirt trains at their disposal have been refurbished by us for years,” says Anders Karlsson, Vice President, Component services, VR FleetCare.

Bogies are the most significant components of the rolling stock in terms of lifecycle costs and traffic safety. They account for approximately one fifth of the rolling stock’s lifecycle costs.

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