Skoda Transtech (part of the Skoda Transportation Group) has won a contract to deliver seven new restaurant cars for Finnish Railways.

The total value of the contract is about 600 million crowns(a little over 23 million euros), and the cars will go into service in 2021-2022.

They will be manufactured in Kajaani, Finland.

Petr Brzezina, chairman of Skoda Transportation Group (www.skoda.cz), said: “We have strengthened our position as a leading supplier of rolling stock in the Scandinavian market.

I’m happy that this order will allow us to continue our collaboration with VR Passenger Services; we have already built 290 cars for them.”

Skoda Transtech has previously produced 26 restaurant cars for Finnish Railways, and it has several types of double-decker carriage in its portfolio.

Zdeněk Majer, chairman of Skoda Trans-tech, said: “These restaurant cars offer a complete service for passengers.

“The restaurant section on the lower floor of the car has a kitchen, counter and dining room; at one end of the car is a café, while at the other end is a kiosk that also provides service for the upper floor, which can be used as a conference room for up to 41 people.”

All of the cars (and the transitions between them) are pressure-tight and designed to operate in the severe conditions of northern Finland, where temperatures can get as low as -35°C.

They have a maximum speed of 200kph and feature a rugged aluminium structure.