VR-Group Ltd (implementing company VR Maintenance Ltd) has won the bidding process for the lifetime extension and overhaul of Helsinki City Transport's (HKL) metro trains M100 and M200. The decision on the winner was made by the Helsinki City Transport Board of Directors in its meeting on 18 April. The total value of the project for VR is approximately EUR 30 million.

The objective of VR Maintenance Oy is to expand the maintenance company into a competitive, multi-brand maintenance service for railroad vehicles and to extend its customer base from rolling stock to other railroad vehicles.

"Winning the call for tenders for the lifetime extension and overhaul of HKL's metro trains is strategically very important to us, as this is our first project of such a large scale in the public sector," says VR Maintenance Ltd's CEO Kimmo Soini. "We are also seeking strong growth with other railroad vehicles, and as a fairly new company, winning the bidding process gives us faith in having chosen the right path, and that VR Maintenance will do well in calls for tenders both in Finland and the neighboring countries in the future, too."

A total of 102 metro train cars to be modernised

The production phase for the lifetime extension and overhaul commences towards the end of 2019, and the last metro train to undergo modernisation and overhaul will be back in service in June 2023. The objective is to improve the drivers' work environment and to modernise the look and feel of the trains.

A total of 39 M100 metro trains manufactured by Valmet/Strömberg and 12 M200 trains manufactured by Bombardier are subject to the overhauls. Overall, the project covers 102 metro train cars.

The lifetime extension and modernisation include surface treatment the trains' bodyshells, updating the passenger information system and modernising the interior of the passenger compartments. Additionally, the drivers' cab in the M100 metro trains are fully modernised, including the driver desk.

- "We have decades of experience in similar overhauls and railroad vehicle alteration projects. The work will be performed in VR-Group's existing production facilities, which offer excellent conditions for such work," Soini says.

VR Group