Arriva has operated the services since 2007 and secured a two-year extension on its franchise through to 2018, before securing a new eight-year contract from regional public transport authority Skånetrafiken in June 2017 following a competitive tender.
A €135m eight-year contract awarded to Alstom in August 2017 by Skånetrafiken to maintain its fleet of Alstom Coradia Nordic X61 EMUs, which Arriva operates on the network, also came into effect on December 9.
Under the new contract, the fleet will be increased from 66 to 99 trains. Arriva will operate 12,500 services a month in 2019.
“This new contract means we can continue to deliver a programme of service improvements for our passengers,” says Arriva Sweden managing director, Mr Johan Åhlander. “As part of this new contract we’ve been given additional responsibility for fleet maintenance and station management, as well as managing rail replacement transport services. What this will mean for passengers is even better connectivity to places, friends and family.”
