Sweden
|
---|
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Sk%C3%A5netrafiken_X61_065%2C_SJ_X55_3347%2C_Malm%C3%B6_C%2C_2019_%2802%29.jpg/220px-Sk%C3%A5netrafiken_X61_065%2C_SJ_X55_3347%2C_Malm%C3%B6_C%2C_2019_%2802%29.jpg) |
|
National railway
| SJ
|
---|
Infrastructure company
| Swedish Transport Administration
|
---|
Major operators
| Arlanda Express
,
FlixTrain
,
Inlandsbanan
,
Krosatagen
,
MTR
,
Malartag
,
Norrtag
,
Storstockholms lokaltrafik (SL)
,
SJ
,
Snalltaget
,
Tagab
,
Vy Tag
,
Pagatagen
,
Varmlandstrafik
,
Vy
,
Vasttrafik
,
X-trafik
,
Øresundstag
,
Ostgotapendeln
[1]
|
---|
|
Ridership
| 264.6 million
[2]
|
---|
|
Total
| 10,912 kilometres (6,780 mi)
[3]
|
---|
Double track
| 2,058 kilometres (1,279 mi)
[3]
|
---|
Electrified
| 8,186 kilometres (5,087 mi)
[3]
|
---|
|
Main
| 1,435 mm
(
4 ft
8
+
1
⁄
2
in
)
standard gauge
|
---|
1,435 mm
(
4 ft
8
+
1
⁄
2
in
)
| 10,846 kilometres (6,739 mi)
[3]
|
---|
891 mm
(
2 ft
11
+
3
⁄
32
in
)
| 66 kilometres (41 mi)
[3]
|
---|
|
Main
| 15 kV ?16.7 Hz AC
|
---|
|
Longest tunnel
| Hallandsas Tunnel
(8.7 km)
|
---|
Longest bridge
| Oresundsbron
(7.8 km)
|
---|
Highest elevation
| 601 m a.s.l.
|
---|
at
| Storlien
|
---|
Lowest elevation
| 30 m b.s.l.
|
---|
at
| Stockholm City Station
|
---|
Map
|
---|
System map
|
|
Rail transport in Sweden
uses a network of 10,912 kilometres (6,780 mi), the
24th largest in the world
.
[3]
Construction of the first railway line in
Sweden
began in 1855. The major operator of passenger trains has traditionally been the state-owned
SJ
, though today around 70% of all rail traffic consists of subsidised local and regional trains for which the
regional
public transport authorities bear responsibility.
[4]
Passenger traffic has increased significantly since the turn of the millennium,
[5]
and in 2019 Sweden
ranked number five in the world
(as measured in passenger kilometres per capita) and number three in the European union,
[5]
as well as number six in the world when measured by passenger share.
In 1988, driven by significant deficits at
Swedish State Railways
, the Swedish parliament pursued a separation strategy that involved partitioning the ownership of rail infrastructure from train operations. This move, which made Sweden the first European country to undertake such a separation, also involved opening the railway system to private train operators, including
open-access operators
, and introducing competitive bidding for regional service contracts.
[6]
[7]
Sweden is a member of the
International Union of Railways
(UIC). The
UIC Country Code
for Sweden is 74.
Operators
[
edit
]
Passenger traffic on Swedish railways consists of commercial long-distance lines as well as regional and local trains, which are always subsidised by the regional public transport authorities.
[4]
As measured by train kilometres, the commercial lines correspond to 28% of the traffic (in 2016), the rest being subsidised local and regional rail traffic.
[4]
The major national commercial passenger train operator is state-owned
SJ
, which has a comprehensive network of commercially operated routes between the major cities with few, if any, stops in smaller towns. Between the major cities in southern Sweden, SJ operates the high-speed train
X 2000
(200 km/h) on an hourly basis.
[8]
MTRX
operates high-speed trains (200 km/h) between Stockholm and Gothenburg, around every second hour.
[9]
FlixTrain
operates the same route with around three trains a day.
[10]
Snalltaget
operates the route
Stockholm
-
Malmo
-
Copenhagen
(
Høje Taastrup
)-
Hamburg
-
Berlin
.
[11]
Tagab
operates services
Gothenburg
-
Skovde
-
Karlstad
,
Gothenburg
-
Trollhattan
-
Karlstad
-
Stockholm
,
Gothenburg
-
Falun
and
Karlstad
-
Alvesta
.
[12]
Fares in the commercial traffic can be complex and usually vary depending on demand.
[1]
The subsidised traffic covering most Swedish railway routes are handled and marketed by the different regional transport authorities, such as
Skanetrafiken
,
Vasttrafik
and
Storstockholms lokaltrafik
.
[1]
Usually, tickets to these trains are sold by the regional public transport authority also holding full responsibility for the trains despite contracting
SJ
or a private operator, sometimes from another country, to actually run the trains. Many regional train systems, such as
Øresundstag
,
Krosatagen
,
Vasttagen
,
Norrtag
and
Malartag
are joint ventures where different regional public authorities are involved.
[1]
Tram
systems are used in
Gothenburg
,
Norrkoping
,
Stockholm
and, since 2020,
Lund
. There is a
metro
system in Stockholm, the
Stockholm Metro
.
While most current railway lines of Sweden were determined and built by the state, and receive their technical upkeep from the public as well, SJ no longer holds a monopoly on operating and owning passenger trains where such can be run profitably on a commercial basis. Large parts of the rail network serve parts of the country which don't generate enough passenger or cargo traffic to make a profit, and on some of these stretches SJ has held a
de facto
monopoly until recently (2010, see below in this section). Average speed is an important factor regarding profitability (more distance per hour means more income per hour). All subsidised and commercial traffic is operated on state-owned tracks, except
Inlandsbanan
,
Roslagsbanan
and
Saltsjobanan
which are locally or regionally owned and
Arlandabanan
which is owned by private interests.
A decision was made in March 2009 to cancel the monopoly for SJ. By autumn 2009, free competition was allowed on Saturdays and Sundays when there is more room on the tracks, and competition was allowed to a full extent by autumn of 2010. In 2019, the Swedish railways were called 'the most deregulated railways in the world'.
[13]
Rail traffic is supervised by the
Swedish Transport Administration
(
Trafikverket
), a
government agency
.
History
[
edit
]
The first Swedish railroad for public transport using horse-drawn carriages, the Frykstads railroad in
Varmland
opened in 1849.
In 1853 the
Riksdag of the Estates
(a parliament chamber) decided that the State would build
main line railways
, but that other lines would be built by private enterprises (often with cities as main owners), and in 1856 the first stretch, between
Orebro
and
Nora
(a private railroad), was opened for traffic.
The main line railways were of major importance for the development of the Swedish industry. The first two main line railways were the Southern, stretching from Stockholm to Malmo in the south, and the Western, to Gothenburg in the west. These line railways were finished between 1860 and 1864. The Northern railway runs parallel to the Baltic coast (but not along it) up to
Boden
in northern Sweden, and was finished in 1894. The
Inland Railway
runs from
Gallivare
in the north to
Kristinehamn
in the center of the country, through the central parts of northern Sweden, and was built between 1908 and 1937. It was a part of the 1853 decision that the railways should avoid coasts, and not make detours to pass medium size cities along the route. The reason for avoiding coasts (most evident for the railway to northern Sweden) was to protect it from military attacks, and because steam boats were already established along the coasts as a much faster transport method than before. Railways built by private companies, e.g.
Vastkustbanan
(1888), were however sometimes built very close to the coast.
The construction of the early main lines provided a fast and safe connection from the mines in the north to the rest of Sweden. It also facilitated business (and private) travel, which had earlier required horse-drawn carriages.
Roslagsbanan
is the oldest electrified railway line for personnel transportation in northern Europe.
Malmbanan
, the railway line between
Lulea
, Sweden, and
Narvik
, Norway was inaugurated on July 14, 1903. The stretch between Kiruna and Riksgransen was the first major railway line in Sweden to be electrified in 1915.
Main Line railways built in Sweden between 1860 and 1930.
Network
[
edit
]
Unlike the roads, railways in Sweden use left-handed traffic for trains (the same as the metro) because Sweden drove on the left until 1967. Railways did not switch because the engines of the time had the driver's seat on the left side and the signals are normally located to the left and hence are easier to see. Only railways in Malmo and further south have planned right-hand traffic due to their connection with Denmark. However, as signals are placed in both directions on all tracks, it is possible to drive both left- and right-sided at the traffic controller's discretion.
Lines
[
edit
]
Main lines
[
edit
]
There used to be six main lines (
stambanor
), all nationally owned:
- Vastra stambanan
(Western main line), 453 km,
Stockholm
-
Gothenburg
through
Katrineholm
-
Hallsberg
-
Laxa
-
Falkoping
- Sodra stambanan
(Southern main line), 381 km,
Malmo
-Falkoping through
Nassjo
-
Jonkoping
- Ostra stambanan
(Eastern main line), 216 km, Nassjo-Katrineholm through
Mjolby
-
Linkoping
-
Norrkoping
)
- Norra stambanan
(Northern main line), 484 km, Stockholm-
Ange
through
Uppsala
-
Avesta
Krylbo
- Stambanan genom ovre Norrland
(Main line through upper Norrland), 629 km,
Bracke
-
Boden
through
Langsele
-
Vannas
- Nordvastra stambanan
(Northwestern main line), 209 km, Laxa-
Norwegian border
through
Karlstad
-
Kil
-
Charlottenberg
Some lines were upgraded to main lines but have since been downgraded:
- Mittbanan
(Norrland cross line), about 500 km,
Sundsvall
-Norwegian border through Ange-Ostersund
- Inlandsbanan
, about 1300 km, Kristinehamn-Gallivare through Mora-Ostersund
The naming rationale was that lines built by the state were main lines, but others, such as by private companies, were not. Mainly 1940?1952, most lines were purchased by the state, making the term
main line
less well-defined.
Today, changes have been made in the terminology reducing the number of main lines to four. The northwestern main line is not considered a main line anymore and has been renamed
Varmlandsbanan
. The southern main line between Nassjo and Falkoping has also been downgraded since what was once part of the Eastern main line (Nassjo - Katrineholm) is now considered a part of the southern one. The Norrland cross line is not a main line anymore, but a regional railway. The northern main line south of
Ockelbo
refers to a shorter way than the line through Avesta. The
East Coast Line
(Ostkustbanan) Stockholm-Sundsvall is now considered a main line, since it has the majority of the passenger traffic into Norrland. The
Inlandsbanan
was considered a main line for a few decades, but is now a tourist railway only. The main lines are still owned by the state, except
Inlandsbanan
, which is owned by the counties it runs through.
Other lines
[
edit
]
Railway links with adjacent countries
[
edit
]
- Denmark
: same gauge, voltage change
15 kV AC
/
25 kV AC
-
Øresund Bridge
and
train ferry
Goteborg - Frederikshavn.
- Finland
:
break-of-gauge
1,435 mm
(
4 ft
8
+
1
⁄
2
in
)/
1,524 mm
(
5 ft
) (short
dual gauge
track between the two stations closest to the border,
overhead lines
to be added in 2025.
[14]
- Germany
:
train ferry
, same gauge, no electric propulsion on board.
Train ferry
Malmo - Travemunde, Trelleborg - Sassnitz (Mukran) and Trelleborg - Rostock.
[15]
- Norway
: same gauge, same voltage (three electric lines and one non-electric)
- Poland
: same gauge,
train ferry
Ystad - ?winouj?cie, no electric propulsion on board.
Sweden and Norway have the same
Automatic Train Control
(ATC) system and the same voltage, meaning that trains can generally cross the border without being specially modified. Sweden and Denmark have different ATC systems and different voltage, so only specially modified trains can cross the border. The
X31K
Oresund trains
and some of the
SJ X2
(branded X2000) trains and some freight and night train locomotives can do that. Such vehicles are needed for border crossing traffic because the Øresund Bridge is not adopted for change between purely Swedish and purely Danish locomotive, or passengers changing between two such trains.
These train ferries never have electric overhead lines on board, so diesel must be used to get trains onboard/offboard. Generally locomotives are not transported on these ferries, only train cars.
International passenger trains today (2023) operate on these lines:
- Norway
- From Oslo to Gothenburg and to Stockholm
- From Narvik to Stockholm via Kiruna
- From Trondheim to Storlien
- Denmark
- From Copenhagen via Øresund bridge to Malmo, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Kalmar, and Karlskrona.
- Germany
- From Berlin and Hamburg via Denmark to Malmo and Stockholm
No passenger trains operate between Finland and Sweden, neither through Haparanda/Tornio nor train ferry to Turku. However trains at Haparanda are planned in 2025.
[14]
Passenger trains are not allowed on the train ferries.
Major expansion projects
[
edit
]
Line
|
Speed
|
Length
|
Construction began
|
Expected start of revenue services
|
The North Bothnia Line
Norrbotniabanan
|
250 km/h (155 mph)
|
270 km
|
August 2018 (Umea?Dava section)
|
2024 (the rest after 2030)
|
The West Link
Vastlanken
|
100 km/h (62 mph)
|
6 km
|
May 2018
|
2026
|
The East Link
Ostlanken
|
250 km/h (155 mph)
|
160 km
|
2023?2024 (estimated)
|
2033?2035
|
Southeast Link
Sydostlanken
|
160 km/h (100 mph)
|
60 km
|
2028?2033 (possible)
|
?
|
Gothenburg
?
Boras
Double Tracks
|
250 km/h (155 mph)?
|
60 km
|
Not yet been decided
|
|
Hassleholm
?
Lund
Four Tracks
|
250 km/h (155 mph)?
|
60 km
|
Not yet been decided
|
|
Gallery
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Rail transport in Sweden
at Wikimedia Commons
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Sovereign states
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States with limited
recognition
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Dependencies and
other entities
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Other entities
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