VR invests 10 million euros in Oulu depot: new paint shop and improvements to facilities

VR FleetCare, a rail fleet maintenance company and wagon manufacturer, has invested nearly 10 million euros in improvements to the Oulu depot and project centre and a new paint shop. Operations have started with a modernisation project for a Swedish customer’s rolling stock and a facelift for VR’s Sm6 fleet. The paint shop’s surface treatment line will bring new expertise and jobs to Oulu.

The new paint shop responds to the growing need for surface treatment of rolling stock, which has increased with VR FleetCare’s international projects. The paint shop is mainly used for the surface treatment of rolling stock, but the modern facilities and technology can also be used for other large and demanding components.

The most modern rolling stock surface treatment line in Finland will be able to serve both rolling stock projects and subcontract painting

“With international rolling stock projects and new wagon production, we need more capacity alongside the Pieksämäki machine workshop. The project centre in Oulu is logistically well located, and the most modern rolling stock surface treatment line in Finland, now in operation, will be able to serve customers for both rolling stock projects and subcontract painting. We have also introduced new technology in the paint shop, such as intelligent temperature, humidity and air exchange control to ensure internationally high-quality standards in surface treatment. The new line will also bring new expertise and jobs to Oulu,” says Otso Ikonen, Senior Vice President of Maintenance, VR.

Oulu is home to VR FleetCare’s newest and most modern depot and project centre. The hall is used flexibly for international fleet projects and maintenance work. The two painting chambers have a combined length of 64 metres, a width of 7 metres and a height of almost 8 metres. It is one of the largest industrial painting chambers in Finland.

The construction of the paint shop took about a year and involved many local contractors. The Oulu depot was completed in 2014, and its washing hall was commissioned in 2016.

Investments create excellent conditions for carrying out fleet projects in a cost-effective and high-quality manner

“The recent investments in the Oulu depot create excellent conditions for carrying out fleet projects in a cost-effective and high-quality manner. Painting activities have started at a fast pace in Oulu – we are currently painting the Sm6 train known as Allegro,” says Ikonen.

Sm6 trains are being updated in Oulu to reflect VR’s new appearance. VR will take the trains into service in Finland during 2025. More detailed information, for example, on the routes to be operated, will be published later.