Sweden Gives Green Light to Several Railway Projects in the North

On Tuesday, the Swedish Government presented several decisions linked to infrastructure projects in Northern Sweden.

This includes the go-ahead to start construction on a new stretch on the North Bothnia Line.

The North Bothnia Line is a planned railway line on the northern Swedish coast, from Umeå to Luleå, in Västerbotten and Norrbotten counties.

The stretch now given the green light goes from Dåva in Umeå to Skellefteå. Thus, the last remaining stretch is from Skellefteå to Luleå, which is further along in the planning process, informs the Government.

Developing opportunities in the North

The background of the construction project includes developing the possibilities for commuting and transport in Sweden's northern regions.

A significant societal shift is currently taking place in Northern Sweden regarding industry investment, which also requires increased labor.

Helene Hellmark Knuttson, the Västerbotten county governor, says the news has been long-awaited.

"We can finally continue connecting the cities in Northern Sweden and create larger labor market regions. It is good for the competence supply and the continued investments in the green shift," she says in a press release.

"The infrastructure is either a bottleneck or a facilitator of growth and work commuting," says Andreas Carlson (Christian Democrats), Sweden's Minister for Infrastructure and Housing.

In a social media post, he underlines that today's decision regarding the North Bothnia Line will improve transport opportunities in the North.

"Both for work commuting and freight transport in the region, which are structural parts of the shift that is taking place. The message is an important step in increasing capacity, as well as achieving a more efficient and faster transport," he writes on social media.

"With this, it will also be possible to take the train to Skellefteå, the largest city in Sweden that currently lacks a railway connection.

Skellefteå is, among other things, the location for Northvolt Ett, one of the facilities of the much-talked-about battery company Northvolt.

Iron Ore Line measures

The Swedish Government also presented several other measures, which have now been approved. These projects aim to increase capacity on the Iron Ore Line, which runs from Luleå to Narvik in Northern Norway.

The Iron Ore Line measures include expanding three junction stations and one railway area. Construction will start between 2025 and 2027.

Carlson says that the government's infrastructure measures could increase capacity between Gällivare and Boden in Northern Sweden by 30 percent. The measures could be in place three to four years ahead of schedule.

"Concurrently, work is underway to increase capacity regarding axle loads on the Ore Line/the Ofoten Line together with Norway. In addition, the Swedish Transport Administration has already begun planning work on double tracks between Luleå and Boden."

The Labor Party supports the Northern Norway Line

The Norwegian Labor Party is simultaneously shedding new light on the Northern Norway Line.

The Labour Party's final draft of a new party program, presented at its national conference in Bergen on Monday, states that it aims to "develop the railway in the north and build the Northern Norway Railway."

"Where to start construction and which concept to choose must be considered in light of the new geopolitical situation and build on the work of uniting the Nordic countries in NATO," the new draft states.

In the draft party program, the Labor Party writes that they want to better connect the Arctic and secure the infrastructure against climate change, landslides, and avalanches.

"Residential and labor market regions in the north must come closer to each other, and connections between the north and the rest of the world must be improved."

The national conference will consider the final draft and adopt the final party program on which the Labor Party will run for election in April 2025.