Finland’s Trains Get a Fresh Look

The objective of the new design is to encourage more Finns to utilize the service by making the trains “more cheerful and dynamic.”

The design process commenced in autumn 2023 when the Finnish art and design community, Ornamo, launched a competition to discover a new design. Successful designs were selected through a public vote and subsequently evaluated by customer and staff focus groups to determine the final winner.

“We aimed for a look that connects to VR’s recognizable brand elements, such as the green color scheme, while also being bold and energetic,” stated VR CEO Elisa Markula.

Although the new design maintains the familiar shade of green, its layout creates a sense of movement, according to VR’s design director. “Only one shade of green has been employed, but the variation in the width of the horizontal stripes produces different shades of green, particularly when viewed from a distance. This also creates a strong sense of motion,” said Sauli Suomela, the design director at Pentagon Design.

The design brief required that various rolling stock and locomotives used by VR be visually appealing from any distance.

“Trains must look good when viewed from various distances: gliding by in the distant landscape and up close on the station platform as passengers board. When designing the appearance, it was also essential to consider the different shapes of the trains, utilize them, and introduce linearity to these bulky modes of transport,” the company stated.

The new exterior designs will first be implemented in VR’s new train fleet: long-distance trains acquired from Sweden and commuter trains coming to Finland, which will begin trial runs in 2025 and passenger operations in 2026, as well as sleeper carriages set to be used in 2025 and those returning to service at the end of 2025, previously known as SM6 trains or Allegro.

The exterior of the current fleet will be gradually updated alongside the renovation of the trains’ interiors. The company noted that the introduction of a new appearance in the existing train fleet will take several years, as multiple changes will be made to a single train car at once, ensuring that the updates do not disrupt train operations.