Delivery of the five-car Flirt electric trains will start in autumn 2014, and they will be introduced on the 455km Stockholm – Gothenburg route in competition with SJ. The trains will be operated by a new subsidiary called MTR Nordic which plans to run 110 trips per week offering a journey time of 3h 10min.
The trains will be fitted with high-quality interiors including comfortable seats and a special lighting system and each train will have a buffet car. Stadler will be responsible for maintaining the fleet.
"Our strategy is to bring a fast, new, premium-quality service to Swedish intercity
passengers," says MTR's CEO Mr Jay Walder. "We believe this will not only be attractive to existing rail passengers, but will also draw other business and leisure travellers to choose rail over other modes of transport to commute between Sweden's east and west coasts. Sweden is an important market for MTR and this new venture builds on the success we have achieved over the past four years in delivering enhanced services through our operation of the Stockholm metro."
