Lifecycle services VR Group

Teleste has a long history of co-operation with Finnish Railways (VR Group). Nowadays, over 900 VR cars have Teleste’s Passenger Information System (PIS). The PIS system makes travelling pleasant and safe for passengers, while system users and maintenance personnel appreciate the easy system usability and maintenance. Teleste has always been dedicated to giving expert support for systems of earlier generations and delivering spare parts.

VR Group is a state-owned company. The Group’s parent company is VR Group Ltd. which includes a total of 23 companies. There are eight associated companies in the VR Group. The Prime Minister’s Office bears the overall ownership responsibility for the VR Group.

The Finnish rail network is owned and managed by the Finnish Transport Agency under the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Rail safety and rail system compatibility are, in turn, supervised and developed by the Transport Safety Agency, Trafi, which is also under the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The spare parts availability at our railway depot for both new and repaired spare parts is very important to us.

– Mr Arto Lötjönen, Project Purchaser, VR Group.

Solution to customer’s need

Teleste’s lifecycle service agreement can be tailored and agreed to be valid for one year or for a longer time period so as to ensure reliable system maintenance and spare parts availability. The basic lifecycle service agreement can include commonly agreed repair services procedures and spare parts prices and updates, but it can also be extended to cover customer training, specialist support, system audits, reporting and obsolescence management.

Benefits achieved

Today, the planning of lifecycle services is an important part of customer care. An annual lifecycle service agreement is a commitment to taking care of the systems today and also in the future. The agreement plays an important role in the continuous care of VR vehicles. Spare parts storages have been planned and built for maintenance in order to improve the spare parts availability for both scheduled and unexpected maintenance activities. The maintenance personnel appreciate the easy access to spare parts and maintenance instructions whenever needed.

Repeat orders from VR and continuous co-operation in order to improve repair and maintenance procedures have turned into a long term partnership between VR and Teleste. The PIS systems are compatible with previous generation systems and for this reason the installed system base has continuously increased. In addition, the PIS systems can easily be extended later. “The spare parts availability at our railway depot for both new and repaired spare parts is very important to us,” says Project Purchaser Arto Lötjönen from VR Group. The repair processes have been improved due to continuous co-operation, and the availability of spare parts and repaired parts has been improved by small, but consistent steps.

For train passengers, it is easy to find the right train and the right car immediately at the railway station, when Teleste’s new LED displays can be seen from a considerable distance. The information about departure stations and other relevant travel events in the PIS system ensure that the journey is convenient for passengers. In case of sudden events or emergency, the system enables the train personnel to react quickly and provide immediate instructions to passengers. The PIS system ensures passenger safety and makes the journey comfortable – at all times.