PSO passenger rail services in Finland.

Description du marché

The subject of this notice concerns the planned procurement of public service obligation (PSO) passenger rail services in Finland. The purpose of the services is to ensure an adequate and regionally comprehensive supply of rail transport services where market-based services alone are insufficient to meet societal and regional development needs. The PSO services aim to safeguard mobility, promote regional accessibility, and support a sustainable transport system. The services will be publicly funded to the extent necessary to meet defined service level requirements. In Finland, the selected rail operator receives rolling stock from a publicly owned rolling stock company and is granted access to maintenance depots and other essential facilities. The procurement concerns passenger rail transport services on the Finnish rail network and part of the purchased traffic may extend into Swedish territory (Haparanda-Pohjoinen) on Finnish track gauge via the Tornio border station. This traffic complies with the instructions of the Finnish national railway infrastructure manager. The geographical scope and detailed service specifications will be defined in the procurement documents. The services may be structured as one or more contracts, with the final contract structure to be determined during the procurement procedure. Furthermore, the Contracting Authority may apply limitations on the number of lots that may be awarded to a single tenderer (lot limitation) in order to safeguard effective competition. The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom, acting as the Contracting Authority, is considering the possibility of conducting a joint procurement for parts of the services together with another contracting authority, Helsinki Region Transport (HSL). HSL will publish a separate prior information notice concerning the services falling under its responsibility. It is currently planned that at least part of the services may be tendered jointly as part of this cooperative arrangement. The procurement is expected to include the following service categories falling within the responsibility of Traficom: • Regional rail services and Night train services. The procurement is preliminarily planned as a gross-cost contract, under which the competent authority retains fare revenue risk and compensates the operator for the provision of the agreed services. The detailed contractual arrangements, including risk allocation and incentive mechanisms, will be specified in the procurement documents. The planned duration of the contract(s) is 7–10 years. The contract term is intended to support long-term service development, efficient use of investments, and continuous improvement in service quality. The contract duration may be shorter if suitable rolling stock is not available for the services. The services may be divided into one or more contracts, with the final contract structure to be determined during the procurement procedure. The contract(s) may include options or extension provisions, the use of which will be decided by the contract authority during the contract period. The detailed terms of such options will be defined in the procurement documents. The procurement procedure is expected to be launched in 2027. The commencement of operations under the contract(s) is currently envisaged for the end of 2030 or at a later date to be specified. The contract period is expected to commence in 2029, allowing sufficient time for mobilization prior to the start of operations. All dates are indicative and subject to change as preparation progresses. The estimated volume of the PSO passenger services under the responsibility of Traficom is approximately 13–21 million train-kilometers per year, with the wide range primarily reflecting potential variability arising from political decisions and policy choices that may affect the final scope of services. HSL will estimate the volume of the services under its responsibility in its own prior information notice. The estimated values are indicative only and are not binding on the competent authorities. This notice constitutes a prior information notice pursuant to Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 and does not constitute a call for competition or a procurement procedure. Its purpose is to inform market participants of the planned procurement and its preliminary scope. The information provided in this notice is indicative. The competent authority reserves the right to amend the scope, structure, timetable, or other elements of the procurement in accordance with applicable legislation. The Contract Authority intends to conduct a market consultation prior to the launch of the procurement procedure in order to assess market interest and gather input on the planned procurement. This consultation will be carried out in cooperation with Helsinki Region Transport (HSL). Interested parties may express their interest in participating in the consultation by submitting their contact details by email to rare@traficom.fi no later than 3 June 2026.

Pouvoir adjudicateur