SWEDEN’s infrastructure manager Trafikverket submitted a draft national transport infrastructure plan for the period from 2026 to 2037 to the government on September 30. The proposals require total investment of SKr 1.2 trillion ($US 128.87bn), which Trafikverket says will result in improved commuter services, a more competitive business sector and strengthened national defence.
Approximately SKr 500bn is allocated in the plan to maintain and develop the national rail network. A historic backlog of rail maintenance is to be tackled as part of the plan, with the aim of clearing it completely by 2050. The proposed maintenance schedule takes into account that trains must continue to run while maintenance work is in progress.
The plan also includes accelerating the phased rollout of ERTMS, which is expected to cover all high-traffic lines by 2042, and for the first time will provide a limited amount of funding for the installation of onboard equipment.
In addition, a number of rail projects are put forward that would enhance capacity across the rail network. They include Stockholm - Linköping (Ostlänken), Lund - Hässleholm, Gothenburg - Borås, and the Norrbotten Line between Umeå and Luleå, plus improvements in Norrbotten through capacity enhancements on the Ore Line and at Luleå station.
"It is a significant investment that we are presenting in the proposed plan,” says Roberto Maiorana, director general of Trafikverket. “It gives us the opportunity to comprehensively invest in the railways."
