Operation of the Class Dm12 railcars at VR

Less in the spotlight are VR‘s Class Dm12 diesel railcars that were delivered between 2004 and 2006 by the then ČKD Vagonka. The history of their creation was a bit more complicated. After VR had withdrawn the last of the earlier classes of railcars from service on non-electrified regional lines with low passenger frequency in the late 1980s, they first ordered 16 new railcars from the Spanish branch of GEC-Alsthom in 1995, with an option for 16 more.

The first of the cars, designated Class Dm11, arrived in Finland in February 1997 and its tests began a month later. By the end of 1997, six cars were already in Finland. However, VR cancelled the order at the end of the same year because the vehicles exceeded the contractually stipulated weight, which did not suit the intention of using them on lines with lower axle-load. The interior noise level was also measured to be higher than required. The Dm11s, which earned the nickname "mandolino", a parody of the Pendolino name, eventually left Finland in 1999, and at least some of them ended up in Cuba.

After another, unsuccessful tender in 1997 - 98, VR launched a new tender at the end of 1999, which resulted in the ordering of 16 railcars from the Ostrava-based ČKD Vagonka in 2001, with an option for another twenty. The cars were given the Class Dm12 and the first one arrived in Finland in December 2004, after which it began operating on the Joensuu - Pieksämäki line in May 2005. The second Dm12 was delivered in August 2005 and also deployed on the same line. By the end of the year, 11 cars were present in Finland, of which nine were in operation. Deliveries ended in 2006, and the then director of VR stated that it was the first project to be completed on time in 2005.

During the warranty period, the vehicle's properties in harsh climatic conditions were tested, primarily with regard to reliability, operability and maintenance costs, and all contractual parameters were met. The vehicles have inventory numbers 4401 - 4416 and have earned the nicknames "Škoda" (according to the manufacturer), "Demari" (according to the designation Dm12), "Viidakkopendolino" or "Peräkylän Pendolino" ("Jungle Pendolino" or "Backwoods‘ Pendolino", using the name of the Peräkylä village).

The Class Dm12 with a maximum speed of 120 km/h is currently the only type of diesel railcar in regular passenger service in Finland, it is used in regional transport on the services of the Joensuu, Tampere and Pieksämäki depots in the southern part of the country. At the end of May 2025, two cars were out of service. We asked VR how they assess these vehicles, whether they plan any modernization after 20 years of operation, or what future do they have.

The operator replied: „The Dm12 railcars are reliable and well-suited. Safety is always our top priority, and the units have continued to operate safely and smoothly. We are always evaluating opportunities to enhance our fleet and services as part of our long-term development strategy. Although we can't go into specific plans, sustainability is a key theme in our ongoing work. The Dm12 railcars are expected to remain in service at least until the end of the current agreement period, which runs through 31 December 2030.“

We can add that VR started to consider the idea of installing a more environmentally friendly drive a few years ago, but this, however, encounters several obstacles. First of all, the Class Dm12s have a hydraulic power transmission, which is incompatible with the use of a battery or similar emission-free type of propulsion and would mean a radical conversion associated with the installation of an electric power transmission. In addition, these cars are now about halfway through their service life, so such a large investment would have to be economically justified.

In addition, Finland has more demanding climatic conditions than non-Nordic countries, which means higher requirements for propulsion. And given the large distances in Finland, emission-free trains would have to have a significant working range, which would technically prefer hydrogen vehicles, which would still have to correspond in terms of transport capacity to the current four-axle railcars with 63 seats (which would currently be best suited parametrically to the RS ZERO hydrogen cars developed by Stadler).

And the latest addition to this list is Finland's current intention to change the railway gauge from 1,524 mm to 1,435 mm, which means purchasing completely new fleets of vehicles for the future and at the same time calls into question the investment in the existing older broad-gauge fleets. All that remains is to wait and see what fate awaits these Czech-built railcars from 2031.