The Swedish government has launched one of the most significant railway investment programmes in Europe, allocating one hundred billion euros for twelve projects to be implemented between 2025 and 2027. Trafikverket, the national transport authority, has been given the green light to begin the first phase of works under the national transport infrastructure plan for 2022–2033. The twelve projects scheduled for execution between 2025 and 2027 mark a major push to modernise and expand the country’s railway network.
Among the most prominent developments is the construction of a 120-kilometre section between Dåva and Skellefteå, forming part of a new 270-kilometre railway line connecting Umeå and Luleå. Known as the Norrbothnia line, the route runs along the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia, the northernmost part of the Baltic Sea. Construction is expected to begin by the summer of 2025, taking advantage of more favourable weather conditions in this heavily forested and marshy region. Preparatory work, including the awarding of construction contracts, is already under way. The project is valued at just under four billion euros.
Also included in the initial 2025–2027 priority investment package is the upgrade and modernisation of the line connecting Luleå in Sweden with the port of Narvik in Norway. This port, thanks to favourable ocean currents, remains ice-free throughout the year, underscoring the strategic significance of ensuring access to alternative maritime routes not dependent on Russian infrastructure. The project also involves upgrading the key railway junction at Sikträsk, along with several other nodes along the route.
Other projects are scheduled to start in the second phase between 2028 and 2030, including further enhancements to the line towards Narvik. On the opposite side of the country, work will commence on the 70-kilometre route from Hässleholm to Helsingborg, a city on the strait facing the narrowest point of the Öresund, from where ferries cross to Helsingør in Denmark. Along this route, improvements will focus on infrastructure and passing loops to boost the line's overall capacity.
The challenge now lies in launching the entire suite of projects while keeping costs in check and staying within the budget estimates set back in 2022, despite rising prices for raw materials and energy. One of the projects already partly under way is known as Ostlänken, or the Eastern Link, a new double-track railway stretching approximately 160 kilometres between Järna, some 40 kilometres south of Stockholm, and Linköping, a major railway hub in central southern Sweden. This route, which features numerous engineering works including bridges and tunnels, is expected to be completed by 2035 at a cost exceeding eight billion euros.
Piermario Curti Sacchi
