SWEDEN’s transport administration Trafikverket has awarded Talgo a contract to supply 91 coaches for use on overnight services. Siemens Mobility is set to supply 10 Vectron locomotives to haul the new trains, acting as a subcontractor to Talgo.
The new fleet will replace Sweden’s existing night train fleet, which is nearly 40 years old and is used to operate Stockholm - Umeå and Stockholm - Kiruna - Narvik services. The first new trains are expected to be introduced in 2030, with full deployment planned for 2031. A depot at Hagalund will be reconfigured for maintenance of the new fleet while a new cleaning and maintenance facility will be built in Luleå.
Trafikverket officials confirmed the order to local media on April 1, stating that the contract will be signed following a 10-day standstill period, providing no appeals are made. The contract is estimated to be worth around SKr 5.5bn ($US 580m). The tender was reissued in autumn 2025 after none of the bids from an earlier procurement exercise met Trafikverket’s requirements.
The fleet will consist of coaches, sleeping cars and bistro cars, able to withstand temperatures of -40°C. According to Swedish media reports, the new trains will be built to the continental European loading gauge, rather than the more generous gauge available in Sweden.
The beds will also be slightly shorter at 1950-2000mm compared with 2000mm in the existing fleet, according to Rikard Granlund, head of performance for vehicle resources at Trafikverket. Service levels will also be updated, including ending the use of three and six-berth compartments.
“They were made a long time ago to transport conscripts,” Granlund says. “With this, we will be able to offer four-bed compartments and premium compartments with two beds and a single-bed compartment.” Both the twin-berth and private compartments will have an ensuite toilet and shower.
Night train operator
Trafikverket will lease the new fleet to the future operator overnight services, under a new contract that will follow the expiry of the existing agreement with state operator SJ in December.
Trafikverket cancelled a tender last month citing the need to restructure the financing element by allocating more risk to the state, including for the legacy fleet, which it believes will encourage bidders to come forward.
Under the contract, the winning bidder will be expected to operate a daily overnight service in each direction on the Stockholm - Umeå and Stockholm – Narvik routes. They will also have the flexibility to operate more services at peak periods.
“When commercial traffic is not sufficient on a certain route, the Swedish Transport Administration is responsible for state-procured traffic as a complement to create the greatest possible benefit within the given financial framework,” Trafikverket says. “The night trains between Stockholm and upper Norrland are one such example.”
