SJ’s future platform could create friction for operators & travellers
16/04/2021
Written by Yvonne Dahlberg
In 2009, the decision was made to deregulate Swedish railways and it is now considered one of the world’s most deregulated railway markets.
SilverRail has a long history of working with SJ and other Swedish transport organisations to enable travellers to both buy tickets and travel seamlessly across over 40 different operators and several modes of transport. The ResPlus product, provided by Samtrafiken, is a perfect example of collaboration between all providers, combining national carriers and municipal rail and bus networks.
SilverRail’s technology for the railway industry aggregates the full market content and makes it available to all transport operators to sell themselves and to travel agencies.
In 2019 SJ initiated a procurement process for a backend sales and inventory solution. The ability to combine travel from different transport providers was part of their original tender request.
SilverRail Technologies AB was not selected, and it is our understanding that the new technology provider did not offer the ability to provide functionality for combined travelling in their bid. The scope of SJ’s future retail offering may therefore be restricted to the distribution of SJ’s products only, thereby limiting traveller choice. SilverRail AB appealed the decision but was unsuccessful.
Whilst SilverRail accepts the court’s decision that the procurement was carried out correctly, we are concerned this will leave the Swedish transport market fragmented and less accessible for the travelling public.
Currently, 25% of public transport journeys are sold in combination, meaning two or more operators are involved in taking the traveler from A to B. Given SJ is the national rail carrier, its website (sj.se) is the main entry point for travelers wanting to plan and book journeys in Sweden.
In the spirit of market openness and traveller choice, we believe that smaller operators should be given every opportunity in the Swedish market to offer their journeys in combination with other operators.
SilverRail looks forward to working together with the entire industry to ensure the Swedish transportation market remains open and accessible for all operators and all travellers.
Contacts
Monica Öberg, MD SilverRail Technologies AB
monica.oberg@silverrailtech.com
+46 72 0711 858
Yvonne Dahlberg, Press officer SilverRail Technologies AB
yvonne.dahlberg@silverrailtech.com
+46 76 8991 684
