Rail Transport in SwedenRail Transport in SwedenRail transport in Sweden uses a network of 10,912 kilometres (6,780 mi), the 24th largest in the world. 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. Passenger traffic has increased significantly since the turn of the millennium, and in 2019 Sweden ranked number five in the world (as measured in passenger kilometres per capita) and number three in the European union, 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.
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. 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. 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. MTRX operates high-speed trains (200 km/h) between Stockholm and Gothenburg, around every second hour. FlixTrain operates the same route with around three trains a day. Snälltåget operates the route Stockholm-Malmö-Copenhagen (Høje Taastrup)-Hamburg-Berlin. TÅGAB operates services Gothenburg-Skövde-Karlstad, Gothenburg-Trollhättan-Karlstad-Stockholm, Gothenburg-Falun and Karlstad-Alvesta. Fares in the commercial traffic can be complex and usually vary depending on demand. The subsidised traffic covering most Swedish railway routes are handled and marketed by the different regional transport authorities, such as Skånetrafiken, Västtrafik and Storstockholms Lokaltrafik. 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 Øresundståg, Krösatågen, Västtågen, Norrtåg and Mälartåg are joint ventures where different regional public authorities are involved. Tram systems are used in Gothenburg, Norrköping, 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 Saltsjöbanan 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'.
The first Swedish railroad for public transport using horse-drawn carriages, the Frykstads railroad in Värmland 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 Örebro 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 Malmö 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 Gällivare 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. Västkustbanan (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 Luleå, Sweden, and Narvik, Norway was inaugurated on July 14, 1903. The stretch between Kiruna and Riksgränsen was the first major railway line in Sweden to be electrified in 1915. Sweden Rail Traffic Network
Swedish Railway Lines Sweden Main Lines There used to be six main lines (stambanor), all nationally owned:
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 Värmlandsbanan. The southern main line between Nässjö and Falköping has also been downgraded since what was once part of the Eastern Main Line (Nässjö - 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 Swedish Train Lines
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
No passenger train use any train ferry (abandoned 2020). Sweden Major Expansion Projects Line Speed Length Construction began Expected start of revenue services
Rail Transport in Sweden National Railway: SJ Rail Transport in Sweden Infrastructure Company: Swedish Transport Administration Rail Transport in Sweden Major Operators: Arlanda Express, FlixTrain, Inlandsbanan, Krösatågen, MTR, Mälartåg , Norrtåg, Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), SJ, Snälltåget, TÅGAB, Vy Tåg, Pågatågen, Värmlandstrafik, Vy, Västtrafik, X-trafik, Øresundståg, Östgötapendeln Rail Transport in Sweden Ridership: 264.6 million Rail Transport in Sweden System Length: Total: 10,912 kilometres (6,780 mi) Double Track: 2,058 kilometres (1,279 mi) Electrified: 8,186 kilometres (5,087 mi) Rail Transport in Sweden Main Track Gauge: 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) 891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in) 66 kilometres (41 mi) Rail Transport in Sweden Electrification Main: 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC Rail Transport in Sweden Longest Tunnel: Hallandsås Tunnel (8.7 km) Rail Transport in Sweden Longest Bridge: Öresundsbron (7.8 km) Rail Transport in Sweden Highest Elevation: 601 m a.s.l. at Storlien Rail Transport in Sweden Lowest Elevation: 30 m b.s.l. at Stockholm City Station | |||||
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