The contracting authority is announcing the competition in accordance with Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council on public passenger transport services by rail and by road and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) Nos 1191/69 and 1107/70 (hereinafter referred to as the Public Transport Regulation). The competition is being conducted in accordance with Article 5(3) of the Public Transport Regulation, as well as overarching guidelines issued by the Ministry of Transport, which can be viewed at the following website: https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/jernbanedirektoratet-far-de-overordnede-rammene-for-fremtidige-trafikkavtaler-pa-jernbanen/id3172999/ The contracting authority will establish a qualification system for contracts concerning public passenger transport by rail. The qualification system will be announced separately in early 2027. Only suppliers admitted to the system will receive the tender documentation and be invited to submit tenders. The procurement concerns a traffic contract for publicly procured rail passenger transport for Traffic Package North (Trafikkpakke Nord). The contract covers passenger transport services on lines R60, R65, F6, R70, R75, F7 and R71. For more information about the lines and the services, please see: https://www.jernbanedirektoratet.no/avtalar/trafikkavtalar/gjeldende-trafikkavtalar/trafikkavtale-med-sj-norge-for-trafikkpakke-nord/ and https://www.jernbanedirektoratet.no/nyheter/fleire-avgangar-pa-tronderbanen-fra-desember-2029/ Brief information about the procurement: • Procedure: Competitive procedure with negotiation • Planned issuance of tender documents: Spring 2028 • Planned contract award: Spring 2029 • Planned service commencement: December 2030 • Planned contract duration: Eight (8) years with an option for extension by 1 year + 1 year For further information regarding the organization of the Norwegian railway sector, please see: https://www.jernbanedirektoratet.no/jernbanen-i-norge/ All communication, including questions regarding this notice, must take place digitally via the contracting authority's electronic tendering tool.