As Arbetsvärlden previously reported, MTR’s operation of Mälartåg has been under evaluation. Now comes the message. Within 4 months, the company will hand over the business to contractor Transdev after less than three years. The change took place prematurely, just like on Stockholm’s commuter train.
– We have had a long dialogue together with the client Mälardalstrafik about how we can develop traffic for travelers together. We have concluded that it is not possible within the current agreement to obtain a sustainable financial situation for us and to be able to deliver the traffic that the agreement requires, says Niklas Ekström, communications manager for MTR Mälartåg.
According to SVT Sörmland who was the first to report the news, the decision must have been joint between regionally owned Mälardalstrafik and MTR. The decision comes after a long period of problems with canceled departures and delays.
Kristoffer Tamsons (M) tells SVT Sörmland that there will now be a difference.
– Gradually, travelers will also notice how the regional train traffic with this agreement becomes more reliable and better meets their high expectations of Mälartåg. However, it will not happen overnight, which is why we now have to be patient, he tells the channel.
All staff will be offered continued work with Transdev, which will take over the traffic on June 16.
On your way out of Sweden?
When MTR leaves Mälartåg, it also means that the group is now without track operations in Sweden after the contract for the operation of the Stockholm subway expires in May 2025. This after MTR also withdrew from the long-distance train MTR Express, as reported by Arbetsvärlden.
According to the main owner MTR Corporations Limited in Hong Kong’s first half-year report 2023, which Arbetsvärlden had previously taken note of, MTR’s operations in Sweden have had a considerable negative impact on the entire international group’s results.
But Niklas Ekström says that the termination of the last track contract should not be interpreted as a definitive exit from Sweden.
– MTR’s future in Sweden depends on what business opportunities exist in this market and we cannot say about that now. We continue to evaluate the opportunities in the Nordic market and if a situation arises where we can go in and submit a tender, we will consider it, he says.
