VR Group to acquire Swedish bus and rail company Arriva Sverige

VR Group, a Finnish government-owned railway company, is acquiring Arriva Sverige, a Swedish bus and rail company, for an undisclosed price.

Arriva Sverige is an urban transport operator in Stockholm. It also operates in regional transport in Sweden’s southern and southeastern regions.

Through the acquisition, VR Group aims to expand and bolster its position as well as competitiveness as an urban transport operator and strengthen the electrification of the bus transport market in Sweden.

Lauri Sipponen — President and CEO of VR Group said: “As the Finnish market for public transport opens, the competition will increase and ensuring VR Group’s competitiveness will be crucial. To ensure VR Group’s competitiveness our strategy is now to grow in the opening urban transport market in the Nordics.”

Arriva Sverige is part of the Arriva Group, a pan-European passenger transport company that is owned by German national railway company Deutsche Bahn. Its 2021 revenues were over €300 million.

Following the acquisition, Arriva Sverige will be an independent company under VR Group.

The Swedish bus and rail company is said to have over 170 million passengers per year. It is claimed to be the third largest train operator in Sweden, and the fourth largest bus operator in the country.

The company has a workforce of around 3,800 people.

Johan Lindgren — CEO of Arriva Sverige said: “As a veteran in the transport business and a pioneer in climate-friendly commuting services VR Group can provide Arriva Sverige with great growth opportunities. We look forward to the opportunity to utilize VR Group’s expertise and to developing our electric bus traffic together with VR Group.”

The deal, which is subject to approvals from the German Ministry for Digital and Transport and the Deutsche Bahn Supervisory Board alongside other customary conditions, is likely to close in early July 2022.