Private company

Kalmar Verkstad

Swedish vehicle manufacturer

Kalmar Verkstad AB (KVAB) was a Swedish train and automobile manufacturer in Kalmar, Sweden, that made the Tjorven and Terminal. KVAB was founded in 1902 and acquired by ABB in 1990, with the train manufacturing eventually becoming owned by Bombardier, which closed the factory in Kalmar in 2005.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1902Founded1
  • Industryrail transport1
  • HeadquartersKalmar1
KVABflygplatsbil
Photo: Liftarn, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

Kalmar Verkstad AB (KVAB) was a Swedish train and automobile manufacturer in Kalmar, Sweden, that made the Tjorven and Terminal. KVAB was founded in 1902 and acquired by ABB in 1990, with the train manufacturing eventually becoming owned by Bombardier, which closed the factory in Kalmar in 2005.2

The story

KVAB's core business was trains, and they built all kinds of locomotives, trams, passenger cars, freight cars for both Swedish market and export.

In the mid-sixties, KVAB also produced small trucks, boats, parking decks and cars for road use.

Tjorven was a small delivery van based on the DAF 44, Postverket placed an initial order of 1000 vehicles.

Kalmar Terminal was a vehicle intended to be used for transporting goods in ports between ships and railway. One odd detail was that the door was located in the front. It had a V8 diesel engine, automatic gearbox, and semi-trailer coupling with built-in automatic air and electric connections. At forklift was mounted at the rear, so the truck driver could load and unload goods from the trailer.

From Wikipedia’s article on Kalmar Verkstad, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Products and brands

  • locomotive

Listed on Wikidata.1

Y1 (railcar)

BM2

Regina

Öresundståg

Read the full text

X2

SL C20

BM 73b

BM 73a

Flytoget

Tjorven, aka Kalmar KVD440/441 or DAF Kalmar

From Wikipedia’s article on Kalmar Verkstad, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 2005Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1902Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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