Sweden cancels Stockholm–Narvik night train tender
SWEDEN: Trafikverket has cancelled its second tender for night train services to Upper Norrland after bids exceeded the financial framework, and will now assume responsibility for the risk associated with the ageing rolling stock.
Trafikverket (Sweden’s transport administration) announced a second attempt to tender the service in September 2025, publishing revised terms — including the two-corridor structure — in December 2025. The route — also known as the Arctic Circle Train — covers two corridors: Stockholm–Narvik and Stockholm–Umeå. The current operating agreement with SJ expires in December 2026.
Under the revised approach, Trafikverket will assume the asset risk associated with the existing fleet. The minimum service requirement remains one daily return working on each of the Stockholm–Narvik and Stockholm–Umeå corridors.
Direct award to replace open tender process
Operators priced the risk of the ageing rolling stock into their bids, pushing costs significantly above the administration’s financial framework. The existing fleet of coaches is owned by Trafikverket, but operators have been required to pay for access to the vehicles and bear the financial risk if they fail or require unplanned maintenance. It is that risk — not the ownership — that bidders priced into their offers, pushing costs above the administration’s financial framework.
Under the new model, Trafikverket will carry the fleet risk directly, allowing operators to submit bids without pricing in the uncertainty of a fleet up to 30 to 40 years old.
More competitive bids
In a statement, Trafikverket said the revised risk distribution would give operators the conditions to submit competitive bids.
Lennart Kalander, Deputy Head of Department at Trafikverket, told Järnvägar.nu that the bids received were significantly above the financial framework.
SJ’s business manager for the route, Jan Kyrk, also told the site that the operator had not yet received information beyond the press release and did not yet know how Trafikverket intended to resolve the situation.
A procurement process in difficulty since 2024
The Stockholm–Narvik night train has faced sustained procurement difficulties. Norwegian operator Vy Tåg ran the service from December 2020 until December 2024, when agreement on contract renewal was not reached. SJ took over under a direct award and has operated the route since.
The first attempt to tender the service attracted no bids at all. A separate procurement for new rolling stock — 91 coaches and 10 locomotives — was also cancelled in June 2025 after none of the bids received met Trafikverket’s requirements. A new rolling stock tender is under way, with bids received and an award decision expected imminently. New vehicles are expected to enter service from 2030.
New agreement required before December 2026
Trafikverket must have a new operating agreement in place before the current SJ contract expires in December 2026. The administration says the restructured model will give operators the conditions to submit competitive bids, with the option to run additional services during peak seasons such as winter.