For travelers who commute between Uppsala and Stockholm, I think this is good news, that we can get started with an expansion of that route, says the Swedish Transport Administration's Director General Roberto Maiorana.
Ultimately, it is the government that will give the go-ahead, but the Swedish Transport Administration has now submitted its proposal for ten projects that are considered ready for construction to start in 2027-2029. For five of the ten, this is an earlier start than planned.
New ways of working
In recent years, we have focused a lot on introducing new ways of working and being able to take these projects through our processes much faster, says the Director General.
One new feature is that the Swedish Transport Administration is now not waiting for planning for the entire project to be completed, but in some cases is proposing a partial start of construction. Here, it sees great opportunities to save money.
The total cost will be lower, because we can complete the projects in a shorter time and it costs quite a lot of money to keep projects running. These are often large organizations.
The investment in four railway tracks from Stockholm to Uppsala is one such example. The Swedish Transport Administration believes that a partial phase of this should be started in the near future. Another example is a new lock in Lilla Edet, which is part of the upgrading of the Trollhätte Canal.
Does not affect others
The fact that the start of construction is being brought forward for certain projects does not mean that other projects that are part of the national transport infrastructure plan will have to be put on hold, emphasizes Roberto Maiorana. Nor does he see any risks with bringing it forward.
That doesn't mean we do things worse or faster at the risk of not doing it as thoroughly as we have done before.
Another project that the Swedish Transport Administration hopes will receive government approval to get underway is the extension of the Murjek meeting station on the Malmbanan Line. It is part of the upgrade of the line, which will last for many years.
Malmbanan: Extension of the junction station at Murjek
Luleå C: Reconstruction of passenger depot (Earlier construction proposed)
Sundsvall C-Dingersjö: Double track expansion, Kubikenborg-Dingersjö section (Earlier construction proposed)
E45: Vattnäs-Trunna
East Coast Line: Four-track (Uppsala-Uppsala/Stockholm county border), section Söder Bergsbrunna-Uppsala C (Partial construction start decision proposed)
Högsjö west: Bypass track
Route 50: Medevi-Brattebro
Vänersjöfarten: Trollhätte Canal/Göta River, Lilla Edet section (Partial construction start decision proposed)
E4: Ljungarum interchange, continuous lane
Värnamo-Jönköping/Nässjö: Electrification and increased speed, section Nässjö-Värnamo, electrification (Partial construction start decision proposed)
The government gives the green light for construction to begin. After that, procurement, design and construction can begin.
Source: Swedish Transport Administration
