Go-Ahead and ComfortDelGro joint venture to operate Stockholm Metro network

Credit: Kasper Dudzik/ The Go-Ahead Group

Connecting Stockholm – a joint venture between The Go-Ahead Group and ComfortDelGro – has been awarded a contract by the Traffic Committee in Region Stockholm to operate and maintain the Stockholm Metro network, known as the Tunnelbana.  

The contract will be for a term of 11 years, starting from May 2025. Connecting Stockholm will operate and maintain metro services across three lines comprising 100 stations, six depots and 106km of track.  

A locally managed joint venture, Connecting Stockholm is 55% owned by Go-Ahead and 45% owned by ComfortDelGro. The combination brings together the two companies’ complementary strengths in rail, urban transport and infrastructure.  

Go-Ahead is the majority owner of Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), the UK’s largest and most complex rail network that accounts for one in five UK passenger journeys by train. Go-Ahead is also the biggest bus operator in London. The group already has a presence in Scandinavia through its Go-Ahead Nordic rail network in Norway, and through Flexbuss, a bus operator in southern Sweden.  

Meanwhile, ComfortDelGro’s Singapore-listed subsidiary, SBS Transit, runs the Downtown and North East Lines in Singapore – one of the world’s most reliable and punctual metro rail operations. ComfortDelGro also runs Auckland One Rail in New Zealand.  

Under the terms of the contract, Connecting Stockholm will be responsible for customer service, the planning and delivery of rail services, fleet and stations maintenance, as well as depot facilities.  

Over the course of the contract, Stockholm’s subway will undergo several major changes – including extensions of the city’s blue line to the municipality of Nacka, east of Stockholm, and of the green line to Arenastaden, north of Stockholm.  

Patrick Verwer, Rail CEO at The Go-Ahead Group, said: “We’re delighted to be offered the opportunity to serve the people of Stockholm. This has been a well-run tender process by the Traffic Committee in Region Stockholm and, together with ComfortDelGro, we look forward to working in partnership with them to deliver our plans over the next 11 years.  

“Go-Ahead is a successful British company with huge experience in operating busy, complex urban transport networks. This is an exciting contract, and it underlines our ambition to expand in rail operation.”

ComfortDelGro‘s Managing Director & Group CEO, Cheng Siak Kian, said: “With our proven record in providing operational excellence and customer centric innovation, ComfortDelGro is delighted to be partnering with Go-Ahead to operate and maintain the world-class Stockholm Metro system. Together, we can look forward to providing a safe, reliable and positive commuter experience to the people of Stockholm.”

Matt Kinane, Chief Executive Officer of Connecting Stockholm, said: “We are really looking forward to starting and developing our business here in Stockholm and, above all, meeting all of the dedicated and competent employees who currently work in the metro and welcoming them to Connecting Stockholm in the near future.”