SWEDISH state-owned operator SJ has been awarded an 11-year contract to operate regional services in the Swedish city of Gothenburg. The value of the contract, which includes Alstom as a maintenance partner, is around SKr 12bn ($US 1.32bn).
SJ's Götalandståg subsidiary has operated the Västtågen network, one of the largest regional operating contracts in Sweden, since 2012 when it took over from Danish State Railways (DSB).
The contract was awarded by Västtrafik, the public transport authority in the southwestern Swedish region of Västra Göteland, together with its counterparts in the counties of Halland and Jönköping. The previous contract, valued at around SKr 5bn, was awarded in 2014, for a period of nine years, plus an option for a further three years, which was exercised.
In 2016, SJ also won an eight-year contract to run the Kinnekulle network, with an option for a further three years, which was also exercised. In practice both networks have been run as a single business through SJ Götalandståg and the new contract, effective from December 12 2027, formally merges them into one agreement.
"Through the new agreement, we will have the opportunity to continue to develop customer experience and traffic as well as daily cooperation with our regional partners," says Helena Isaksson, CEO of SJ Götalandståg.
