Finland’s VR Group acquires Arriva Sweden
Arriva Sweden is the third largest train operator in Sweden.
ARRIVA Group, a subsidiary of German Rail (DB), has agreed to sell its Swedish subsidiary to VR Group, Finland’s national railway operator, for an undisclosed amount.
Arriva Sweden had a turnover of over 300 million euros in 2021 and transports approximately 170 million passengers per year. The company is Sweden’s third largest train operator, and the fourth largest bus operator and employs approximately 3,800 people.
With the transaction, VR Group claims to be a significant transport operator in Sweden. “When the Finnish public transport market opens up, competition will increase and ensuring VR Group’s competitiveness will be crucial.,”Says Lauri Sipponen, President and CEO of VR Group. “To ensure VR Group’s competitiveness, our strategy is now to grow in the opening urban transport market in the Nordic region.”
VR Group’s monopoly on the Finnish market was abolished a year ago and it is said that it is now preparing for a situation where there are several operators in the market. “Arriva Sweden is the market leader in quality in the Swedish railway market and this will strengthen our competitiveness in future railway competition also in Finland,” says Topi Simola, director of VR Group’s passenger traffic.
The transaction is expected to be completed in July, subject to closing conditions. The deal requires the approval of the German Ministry of Digitization and Transport and the DB’s Board of Directors.