SWEDEN: Stockholm-Mälaren region transport authority Mälardalstrafik has selected the VR Sverige subsidiary of Finland’s national train operator VR as preferred bidder for a contract to operate Mälartåg passenger services for eight years from December 2026, with an option to extend.
Mälardalstrafik is jointly owned by the regions of Stockholm, Sörmland, Uppsala, Västmanland, Örebro and Östergötland. The Mälartåg contract covers five routes to the west and northwest of Stockholm which carry 15 million passengers/year:
- Örebro – Eskilstuna – Stockholm – Uppsala;
- Norrköping – Nyköping – Stockholm;
- Hallsberg – Katrineholm – Stockholm;
- Uppsala – Sala – Västerås – Eskilstuna – Katrineholm – Linköping;
- Uppsala – Gävle.
Mälardalstrafik has a fleet of nine Bombardier Regina EMUs and 53 Stadler ER1 double-deck units, with 13 more Stadler units on order for entry into service in 2028–29.
Next operating contract
Mälartåg services were operated by MTR Corp until June 2024, when it handed back the contract citing ‘challenges’ to achieving a financially sustainable business. Transdev was awarded an interim contract while the latest procurement process was undertaken.
Mälardalstrafik said its priorities for the new contract include customer satisfaction, an attractive service, fare collection, sustainable asset management and skills development.
‘Three tenders were received from well-established transport companies’, said Mälardalstrafik’s Head of Strategy & Development Charlotte Harald when the selection of VR was announced on October 9. ‘This is a good rating and shows that the contract is attractive.’
Signing of the contract is subject to the regulatory standstill period.
VR aims to grow and learn
VR said the latest contract win supports its strategy of seeking profitable growth and experience in a competitive environment ahead of tendering in the Finnish domestic market. It entered the Swedish market in 2022, and by the end of 2025 it will be Sweden’s second largest train operator after state incumbent SJ.
‘The Swedish market is an important place for us to grow and learn’, said VR CEO Elisa Markula. ‘We have actively participated in regional tendering processes and built profitable business.’ Winning the Mälartåg contract ‘is a testament to our confidence in our high quality and to the fact that the Finnish VR is a strong player in Sweden’.
