SJ will tender for train routes in Norway and Denmark.
If the train company is to withstand competition in Sweden, it must have a larger market to operate in, according to the CEO.
In Sweden, the train market has been deregulated for many years. Now the rest of Europe is following suit. SJ will submit a first tender in the spring to manage train traffic in southern Norway. More tenders will follow.
SJ's CEO Crister Fritzson says that it is necessary for the company to grow outside Sweden's borders.
”If all our competitors work in a European, or even global market, we need to have a larger market to work in. Otherwise we will become too small an operator.”
SJ will invest billions in new and rebuilt vehicles and IT in the coming years.
”We need to have a larger market to launch our investments into, otherwise the costs will be too high,” says Crister Fritzson.
A record number of passengers travelled with SJ last year. According to the company, 30 million SJ tickets were sold, two million more than the previous year and also the highest number to date. But profits fell by 20 percent as a result of the state-owned company getting rid of commuter train services in Stockholm.
Operating profit for the full year 2017 came in at SEK 666 million. The margin was also pushed down slightly, according to the CEO, due to higher investment costs.
According to management, SJ's punctuality improved last year. For long- and medium-distance trains, it went from 88 to 90 percent.
”"We can see that our impact on punctuality is only 8 percent. The rest is the impact from other operators or infrastructure. Over time, as there is less track work and the infrastructure becomes more robust, punctuality will increase," says Fritzson.
During the year, SJ will decide which train supplier will build the company's 30 new trains for long-distance traffic, which will have a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour. Quotations will be accepted in the spring.
”We have reached our capacity ceiling. We have no more trains to put into service and there is a huge demand for travel.”
In parallel, the first rebuilt X2000 train will be put into service this autumn, then one train per month will roll out according to plan. The first renovated night carriages should be ready around the turn of the year.
Crister Fritzson thinks it is clear that the train is becoming increasingly attractive.
”Every second traveler says that the main reason for choosing the train is sustainability,” he says, referring to the air debate that has gained momentum recently.
Source: TT
