Škoda Group secured orders worth approximately €1.8 billion in 2025, marking the highest annual growth in its history. The company’s EBITDA more than doubled year-on-year to €143 million, driven primarily by battery and hybrid trains. However, the Czech manufacturer faces significant challenges in Finland, where its subsidiary Škoda Transtech was excluded from a major tram tender and may have to cut up to 200 jobs.
The record order intake reflects a broad-based recovery across the group’s rail and urban transport divisions. Petr Novotný, chief executive of Škoda Group, said that improvements in production efficiency, a return to disciplined project management, and stronger customer trust were now fully reflected in the results. – We are very satisfied with these figures – he commented.
Battery trains emerged as the standout segment, with orders for more than 100 units already secured. The company signed a contract worth approximately €165 million to supply up to 16 battery trains to Latvia, and another deal valued at €330 million for up to 36 such vehicles for Slovakia. Škoda also won an order for electric trains capable of 200 km/h for Arriva, and a contract for suburban trains for Sweden’s Saltsjöbanan, covering up to 31 vehicles worth over €230 million.
Battery and hybrid trains drive expansion
According to Novotný, the growing interest in battery-powered trains is a clear market signal. – We see battery trains as a technology that allows a rapid increase in zero-emission transport even where infrastructure is not yet fully developed. We believe it has significant potential and its further development will be one of our key priorities – he stated.
The group’s tram business also strengthened considerably in 2025. Škoda delivered the first 20 trams to Prague just 24 months after signing the contract. The 52T tram for Prague received a Red Dot Design Award. In Germany, the group has sold 300 trams to 11 cities so far. – Trams are one of our growth pillars today. Thanks to a modular approach and proprietary technology, we can offer solutions that withstand the toughest European tenders – Novotný added.
Finnish setback and restructuring talks
But the Finnish market has proved problematic. Škoda Transtech, the group’s Finnish subsidiary, was excluded from a tender to supply up to 183 trams for Helsinki. The contract went to Stadler. Škoda appealed the decision to the Finnish Market Court and later to the Supreme Administrative Court, calling the exclusion unfair.
The dispute already has tangible business consequences. In May 2026, Škoda Transtech began restructuring talks at its Otanmäki plant. The company warned that losing the Helsinki project could lead to the reduction of up to 200 jobs, roughly one third of the factory’s workforce.
Trolleybuses and international ambitions
Beyond rail, Škoda Group is expanding its trolleybus sales, mainly for export. It will supply up to 61 trolleybuses to Esslingen in Germany, 70 to Tallinn, and up to 75 to Sofia. Additional contracts were won in Czech cities such as Teplice, Jihlava, Chomutov, and Ústí nad Labem. In total, export orders for trolleybuses in 2025 exceeded 200 vehicles.
Škoda Group also said it can increase production without major new investments after a recent wave of spending. – In recent years we have invested a total of €107 million in expanding production capacity. This enabled us to increase our annual production capacity by up to 100 railcars – Novotný explained.
Looking ahead, the company targets further growth in 2026, focusing on rail vehicles, especially electric, battery, and hybrid trains for regional and suburban transport. It plans to strengthen sales in Central Europe, particularly Germany and Poland, as well as Romania, Serbia, and France. Outside Europe, the group is concentrating on Central Asia, the United States, and India.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Materiały prasowe / Skoda Group
