A total of SEK 1,171 billion will be invested in maintenance and new investments in roads and railways until 2037. According to the government, it is "the largest investment in infrastructure in Sweden ever."
"You should be able to trust the infrastructure in Sweden," says Minister of Infrastructure Andreas Carlson (KD) at a press conference.
The financial framework for 2026–2037 was presented by the government a year and a half ago. Of the 1,171 billion SEK, 607 billion will be used for new investments in the transport system, approximately 210 billion for the operation and maintenance of railways and 354 billion for the operation and maintenance of roads.
Slower for the railway
The money for road maintenance will increase by 53 percent compared to the current infrastructure plan, according to Carlson. The goal is to have all neglected maintenance addressed by 2037.
"We cannot have a complete patchwork of maintenance debt in the Swedish road network and we will not have that. By 2037, the entire maintenance debt will be addressed," he says.
For the railways, the increase is smaller - only 18 percent compared to the previous plan.
According to the Swedish Transport Administration's assessment, this is as much as can be put into practice, Carlson says.
He expects that the maintenance debt can be resolved by 2050.
"I'm the first to welcome it if we can develop methods that allow us to maintain faster. If we were to invest more money now, that money would just go to waste," he says.
The Green Party is critical of the government's priorities.
"The government has stopped plans for new main lines, and now they are rolling back small and inadequate measures on a railway from the 19th century. This will leave people on the platform waiting for delayed trains," writes Linus Lakso, the Green Party's transport policy spokesperson and an MP, to TT.
Scrapped projects
In recent days, the government has outlined several initiatives that are part of the national plan.
This includes the West Link in Gothenburg, a cross-connection at Södertörn in Stockholm County, four train tracks to Uppsala and increased capacity on the Malmbanan and Ostkustbanan lines.
But the government is also scrapping some projects. This applies, for example, to the construction of a railway between Byarum and Tenhult outside Jönköping and the construction of a new station in Linköping. This means savings of several billion kronor.
