Finnish railway company VR renews its brand and the trains get a new look. When creating the look, the views of both passengers and VR staff were listened to – the goal of the new look is to promote brand recognition and increase the popularity of train travel.
VR’s trains get a new look that fits the company’s renewed brand. “The facelift supports the company’s image of pioneering, cheerfulness and coziness. The aim of VR’s brand is to be like a friend to passengers – an approachable, relaxed and guiding travel companion whose trains make every passenger feel welcome as themselves”, the company says.
The green color of VR will be seen even more on the fronts and sides of trains in the future, combined with fast tracks. The look of the trains is more cheerful and dynamic than before.
“We wanted a look that is linked to VR’s recognizable brand elements, such as the green color scheme, but is bold and energetic at the same time,” says VR CEOElisa Markula.
The exterior of the trains is the most visible brand element of VR. Therefore, the look should form a good, unified whole with the digital service channels and the physical train environment, for example the interior of the trains.
“Recognizability and distinctiveness are even more important issues in the appearance of trains, because our operations are even more international and we are preparing for a situation in Finland where several different train companies operate in passenger traffic”, continues Markula.
VR: Trains have to look good
Trains have to look good when viewed from different distances: gliding in the distant landscape and up close on the station platform when a passenger boards. When designing the look, VR says, it was also important to take into account the different shapes of the train, make use of them and bring linearity to the bulky means of transport.
“Only one green color has been used in the look, but the change in the width of the horizontal stripes creates different shades of green, especially when viewed from a distance. At the same time, it creates a strong sense of movement,” says Sauli Suomela , Pentagon Design’s design director .
The look designed by Pentagon Design has also taken into account accessibility and the needs for guiding passengers.
In the design of the exterior, the expectations, wishes and images of both passengers and VR staff were listened to. During the spring of 2024, customer and staff workshops were organized, where the participants could evaluate alternative train designs and influence the development.
The search for a new look started in the fall of 2023, when VR and the design expert organization Ornamo organized an idea competition to find a new look for the trains. The winning work of the competition and the public’s favorite was realized in the early summer of 2024 in two InterCity train cars. The competition paved the way for the design of the final train look.
The new look will be implemented in stages
The current appearance of long-distance and local trains has been in use since 2010. The new look is also designed to stand the test of time and serve for several decades.
The new exterior will first be used in VR’s new train fleet: in the long-distance trains acquired through the acquisition in Sweden during the fall of 2024, in the new sleeping and car carriages that will come into use in 2025, in the SM6 trains, formerly known as Allegro, returning to service at the end of 2025, and in the new commuter trains, which will start passenger traffic in 2026.
The exterior of the current fleet will be changed gradually, simultaneously with the interior renovation of the trains. The introduction of a new look in the current train fleet takes several years, because as many changes as possible are made to one train car at once, and the change of look is carried out so that it does not affect the scope of train traffic.
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