Analysis reveals SJ's hidden debt: Nearly 100 million SEK in unpaid compensation every year

A new review of SJ shows that the train company carries an extensive hidden debt towards its passengers, which is estimated to amount to almost 100 million SEK per year. The analysis, conducted by the startup company Klimra, believes that SJ's way of reporting its results hides the extent of the unrealized debt.

Record number of delays - but SJ hides the numbers

The year 2024 was marked by a record number of train delays. According to Traffic Analysis, punctuality was the lowest since measurements began, and only 59 percent of SJ's long-distance trains arrived on time. In their service quality report SJ chooses to highlight positive aspects: almost 300,000 compensation cases were handled during the year, with an average payment within five working days. At the same time, key figures are omitted, including the total amount paid out in compensation. According to Klimra's analysis, the silence is a deliberate way to hide the underlying debt.

Over a million passengers go without compensation

Using public statistics, Klimra estimates that just over 1.5 million delayed SJ journeys in 2024 would have been eligible for compensation. Despite this, only around 300,000 cases were handled, meaning that four out of five travelers never receive the compensation they are entitled to.

The hidden compensation liability, the amount that SJ would have to pay if everyone applied, is estimated at SEK 98.6 million. The analysis emphasizes that the results are based on estimates and assumptions about market shares and average ticket prices. Nevertheless, the calculations provide a clear indication that the company systematically benefits from passengers not seeking the compensation they are legally entitled to.

Other players, such as VR (formerly MTRX), have already introduced automatic compensation for affected passengers. SJ still requires that the passenger actively applies for compensation.

Startup wants to automate payments

The tech company behind the analysis, Klimra, founded by, among others, Theodor Lindfors and Anton Malmgren, has developed a service that automatically registers delayed train journeys and ensures that the passenger receives their compensation, even retroactively. The company is part of the startup incubator SSE Business Lab, where companies such as Klarna and Budbee have also emerged.

"When you buy a computer or a shirt, you expect to get what you pay for. The same goes for train tickets: they should get you from point A to B on time. When that doesn't happen, you have the right to compensation, and since train traffic is so important, it should happen automatically," says Anton Malmgren, CEO and co-founder of Klimra.

SJ, on the other hand, has previously reported that customers are satisfied with the current process and that it is easy to apply for compensation via the company's web form. But Theodor Lindfors, CMO at Klimra, questions that reasoning:

"The problem is not that the compensation process is difficult, but that most people don't apply at all. Many forget, others don't know that they are eligible for compensation. That's why nearly a hundred million SEK each year is never paid out," he says.

Clear demand for automatic compensation

Until SJ and other train companies introduce automatic compensation, Klimra's user base is growing rapidly. The company says that the number of users is increasing by 40-50 percent per month, and that demand is expected to rise further during the winter, a period often marked by delays and cancellations.