Škoda Group ended 2025 with a record order intake of approximately €1.8 billion, more than doubling its EBITDA year-on-year to €143 million. The main driver was the battery and hybrid train segment, with over 100 battery trains already ordered. However, the company is entangled in a bitter dispute in Finland, where exclusion from a Helsinki tram tender could cost 200 jobs.
The Czech rolling stock manufacturer says its long-term strategy of streamlining production, returning to disciplined project management and rebuilding customer trust has finally paid off. Petr Novotný, CEO of Škoda Group, expressed satisfaction with the results, stating that the measures taken in previous years have fully reflected in the 2025 figures.
Battery trains proved to be the star performer. At the end of 2025, Škoda Group secured a contract to supply up to 16 battery trains to Latvia worth around €165 million, and another contract for up to 36 such vehicles to Slovakia valued at €330 million. The company also won a deal for electric trains capable of 200 km/h for Arriva and a suburban train order for Sweden’s Saltsjöbanan covering up to 31 vehicles worth over €230 million.
Battery trains drive growth
– We see the interest in battery trains as a clear signal from the market. This technology allows for a rapid increase in zero-emission transport share even where infrastructure is not fully developed. We see significant potential in it, and its further development will be one of our key priorities – added Petr Novotný. The group now has orders for more than 100 battery trains, making it one of Europe’s leading players in this segment.
Tram business also strengthened considerably. Škoda Group delivered the first 20 trams to Prague just 24 months after signing the contract. The 52T tram for Prague even won a Red Dot Design Award. In Germany, the company has so far sold 300 trams to 11 cities. According to Novotný, trams are now one of the pillars of growth, thanks to a modular approach and proprietary technologies.
Finland setback threatens jobs
Despite the overall positive momentum, the Finnish subsidiary Škoda Transtech faces serious trouble. It was excluded from a tender to supply up to 183 trams for Helsinki, which instead went to Stadler. Škoda considered the decision unfair and appealed first to the Finnish Market Court, then to the Supreme Administrative Court of Finland.
The dispute has tangible consequences. In May 2026, Škoda Transtech began restructuring talks at its Otanmäki plant. The company signaled that losing the Helsinki project could mean cutting up to 200 jobs, roughly one-third of the factory’s workforce. This casts a shadow over an otherwise stellar year for the group.
Beyond rail, Škoda Group is expanding trolleybus sales, mainly for export. It will deliver up to 61 trolleybuses to Esslingen in Germany, 70 to Tallinn, and up to 75 to Sofia. The company also won contracts in Czech cities such as Teplice, Jihlava, Chomutov and Ústí nad Labem. In total, export orders covered over 200 trolleybuses in 2025.
Škoda Group declares that after the latest wave of investments worth €107 million, it can increase production without further large outlays. The group aims to continue growing in 2026, focusing on electric, battery and hybrid trains for regional and suburban transport, and expanding sales in Central Europe, especially Germany and Poland, as well as Romania, Serbia and France. Outside Europe, it targets Central Asia, the United States and India.
Source: WNP.PL, Photo: Materiały prasowe / Skoda Group
