THE first eight broad-gauge Siemens Vectron locomotives for Finnish operator VR Group have been authorised for operation in Finland by the Finnish Transport Safety Agency, Trafi.

RB Rail, the company set up to oversee the Rail Baltica high-speed rail project to link the three Baltic states to Poland, has appointed its management team and published the results of a cost-benefit analysis.

HELSINKI City Transport (HKL) announced on April 24 that three consortia have prequalified for a tender to design and build the Raide-Jokeri light rail line between Helsinki and the neighbouring city of Espoo.

FINLAND’s VR Group is planning to invest more than €100m in the modernisation of its ageing fleet of diesel locomotives.

DESPITE reporting a 6.7% increase in passenger traffic to 117.9 million trips in 2016, turnover at Finland’s VR Group decreased by 3.6% year-on-year to €1.187bn, according to the company’s annual results announced on March 6. This resulted in an operating profit of €45.3m, down from €65.4m in 2015.

Helsinki City Transport (HKL) has exercised two options with Škoda Transportation’s Finnish subsidiary Transtech for a total of 49 additional Artic low-floor LRVs.

COUNCILLORS in the Finnish city of Tampere voted by a majority of 41-25 on November 7 to approve construction of the city’s first light rail line.

THE executive board of Helsinki City Transport (HKL) decided at a meeting on November 1 to exercise an option with Škoda Transportation’s Finnish subsidiary Transtech for 29 Artic low-floor LRVs for the Raide-Jokeri light rail line between Helsinki and the neighbouring city of Espoo.

HELSINKI City Transport (HKL) confirmed on October 18 that it has signed a €60m loan agreement with the Nordic Investment Bank to finance an order for Artic low-floor LRVs from Škoda Transportation subsidiary Transtech.