Arriva enters into Swedish railway market

Arriva has won its first major rail contract in Sweden for the operation of the Pågatåg regional train service in the Skåne region of southern Sweden during 9 years and 2 more optional years. Arriva already operates rail services in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, and is currently operating bus service in Sweden. The contract has been granted following a competition with several bidders including DSB and SJ, the Danish and Swedish state-owned railways.

Starting on 17 June 2007, Arriva will operate 26 Litra X11 trains on a network serving 47 stations in southern Sweden. Besides the provision of rail services, the contract will also contain provisions related to new trains purchasing, network size increasing, maintenance and cleaning of the trains, timetable improvements and comprehensive training for new drivers and conductors.