Škoda Transportation's Finnish subsidiary Transtech is set to deliver 20 new double-decker coaches to railway company VR Group, as part of a contract valued at more than €50m.

The new passenger cars can operate at a maximum speed of 200km/h and feature thermal insulation and pressure-tight aisles to make them suitable for the extreme cold weather of the Nordic region.

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The cars have been designed to comply with the latest safety standards, and also feature an aluminium structure that can absorb the shock of an accident in order to minimise the effect on passenger compartments.

Škoda Transportation vice-president Zdenek Majer said: “We are very pleased that the option has been used, and 20 state-of the-art double-coaches are going to be soon in use for the passengers in Finland.

“The first passenger car was deployed on the Finnish railways in June 1998, and today more than 270 of these vehicles are carrying passengers on all the main lines.”

The contract will see VR receive 20 Ed models that each comprise 113 passenger seats on both floors and in the end section, which ensures convenient boarding for passengers with reduced mobility.

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Transtech CEO Lasse Orre said: “The production of the new cars will begin next year, and we plan to deliver them in 2019.

"We are very pleased that the option has been used, and 20 state-of the-art double-coaches are going to be soon in use for the passengers in Finland."

“This project creates approximately 150 man-year workload for Transtech. Additionally, the contract leads to remarkable employment effects to Finnish suppliers due to over 80% degree of domestic origin.”

This model carries an additional section for the conductor and a dining room with a cooling device.

Transtech also provides two other types of passenger cars and multiple types of double-decker wagons.

The company was originally founded in 1985 and primarily manufacturers rolling stock in Scandinavia.

Image: Škoda Transportation Group to deliver 20 new wagons to Finnish carrier VR. Photo: courtesy of Škoda Transportation a.s.

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