THE last regional operating contract held in Sweden by MTR Nordic, the subsidiary of Hong Kong-based MTR Corporation, will be terminated early, with Transdev taking over operations on June 16.
The Mälartågen contract covers the operation of regional passenger services in and around the Greater Stockholm area and the Lake Mälaren valley.
According to a joint statement issued by MTR and regional transport authority Mälardalstrafik, both parties have agreed to early termination due to the challenge of creating “a financially sustainable situation” under the current contract which was awarded in 2021.
Earlier this month MTR sold its MTR Express (MTRX) open-access business to VR Group of Finland for an undisclosed sum, the transaction due to complete in March subject to regulatory approval. This followed MTR losing out to Connecting Stockholm last month for the next Stockholm Metro operating contract which starts in May 2025.
And in May 2023, Greater Stockholm transport authority SL decided it could no longer tolerate chronic cancellation levels on the Pendeltåg commuter services, and declined to exercise the extension option in MTR Nordic’s operating contract.
With the early termination of the Mälartågen contract, MTR will have no rail operating contracts in Sweden.
“We have done our utmost to develop the Mälartåg service with a focus on the best interests of passengers,” says MTR Nordic CEO, Ms Caroline Åstrand.
“We have trained a large number of new train drivers who today drive for Mälartåg, which will be of great benefit to passengers for many years to come.
“Within the current agreement, however, it has not been possible to achieve a sustainable financial situation, or deliver the service that the agreement requires.”
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