This is the crown jewel of train traffic, says SJ’s business manager Jan Kyrk.
But it is a jewel that needs polishing. Travelers are promised better punctuality, cleaner trains and refurbished carriages.
To begin with, the trains must be thoroughly cleaned.
It will take some time. We will manage maybe five to six wagons a week and that’s 75 wagons, says Jan Kyrk.
Even the daily cleaning of the trains will be more thorough, he promises.
Longer break
Punctuality must be increased by changing the timetable, so that the margin is greater for travelers who arrive on connecting trains.
This means longer layovers, for example for travelers from Malmö or Gothenburg who want to jump on the night train north to Stockholm.
In addition, the really long trains when many people want to travel, for example around Christmas and New Year or during the sports holidays, will run with two locomotives.
With two locomotives pulling the train, we partly get less damage to the locomotives, they don’t wear as much, and partly we get better punctuality because you simply get better acceleration.
The carriages, which are owned by the Swedish Transport Administration, are old and worn. New ones will be bought in, but it is expected to take several years before they are in place. SJ has proposed that the old carriages be renovated while waiting for the new ones, including toilets and ventilation.
“Developing great”
We have received a response to that. We feel pretty sure that the Swedish Transport Administration will think this is good and that it will be implemented, says Jan Kyrk.
Since 2020, the night traffic on the route has been operated by Norwegian-owned Vy, but the company decided last spring to withdraw from the agreement and then SJ was asked.
We think this is fantastic traffic and night train journeys are developing very well, says Jan Kyrk.