Go-Ahead on track in Sweden

GO-AHEAD GROUP, the bus and train operator, took its first step outside the United Kingdom yesterday when it won a pounds 220m contract to operate commuter trains in Sweden.

Go-Ahead, which operates London's Thameslink rail service, won the five- year contract from the Stockholm transit authority after submitting a joint bid with VIA-GTI, its French partner, and the Swedish private rail company BK Tag.

The deal signals Go-Ahead's determination to look for new expansion opportunities now that the UK bus and train franchises have largely been carved up.