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55-608: Completed in August 2010, the Bothnia Line adds 190 kilometres (118 mi) of high-speed railway to the Swedish railway network . At up to 250 km/h (155 mph) this is also the highest-speed track in the country. The route branches off from the Ådalen Line at Höga Kusten Airport just north of Kramfors and goes via Örnsköldsvik to Umeå where it connects to the Umeå-Vännäs line and

110-698: A government agency . 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),

165-591: A bridge that crosses over environmentally sensitive areas at the Ume River . These areas are protected as a nature reserve and the process to approve its location was opposed by environmentalists and neighbours concerned about their properties. Other alternatives to the present location were deemed unacceptably close to the Umeå Airport for safety reasons, and a tunnel under the airport and river would have been much too expensive. A more southerly route would have lengthened

220-412: A frequency of up to two trains (mostly one train) in each direction an hour. The line is single track (with grading and other provisions for a second track), and has 22 passing loops . The maximum axle weight is 25 tonnes at 120 km/h (75 mph) (freight trains) and 250 km/h (155 mph) permitted for passenger trains. Curves have a radius of 3,200 m (10,499 ft) or more, except for

275-535: 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. Sweden and Norway have the same Automatic Train Control (ATC) system and the same voltage, meaning that trains can generally cross the border without being specially modified. Sweden and Denmark have different ATC systems and different voltage, so only specially modified trains can cross

330-405: A maximum speed of 150 km/h (95 mph). The improvements included new rails, new catenary, a new signalling system (ERTMS) and better and fewer road crossings. A few parts of it north of Härnösand (totalling 30 km (19 mi)) were replaced with a new route, built to the same standard as the Bothnia Line, with a maximum speed of 200 km/h (125 mph). The reason for keeping most of

385-431: 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

440-482: A top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph). So far the suppliers cannot guarantee winter characteristics above 200 km/h (125 mph), since there is no experience operating at such speeds in the northern Swedish climate. Still 2023, no trains run here above 200 km/h (125 mph) since operator hasn't bought faster trains considering it's the only railway in Sweden allowing it above 200 km/h (125 mph), and

495-559: 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

550-536: Is a newer train introduced in 2012. The interior is mainly modern style, and the train has a top speed of 200 km/h and serves Stockholm-Östersund-(Duved) (Mittbanan-Norra Stambanan)-Stockholm-Uddevalla (Västra Stambanan and Bohusbanan) to advance to Gothenburg for night parking-Stockholm-Sundsvall-Umeå (Ostkustbanan, Botniabanan), Gothenburg-Malmö (Västkustbanan), Stockholm-Oslo or Stockholm-Karlstad (Västra Stambanan and Värmlandsbanan/Kongsvingerbanen) and Stockholm-Falun/Mora (Dalabanan). Some of these lines are run under

605-533: Is a planned extension of the Bothnia Line north of Umeå to Luleå . The distance is about 270 km (168 mi), longer than the Bothnia Line. The preliminary decision to build the line as far as Skellefteå has been made. Construction began in 2020 on the first section of the line from Västerslätt in Umeå to Sävar . Both the North Bothnia Line and the Bothnia Line will have the advantage of immediately reducing

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660-408: 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

715-623: 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'. Rail traffic is supervised by the Swedish Transport Administration ( Trafikverket ),

770-407: Is possible to drive both left- and right-sided at the traffic controller's discretion. There used to be six main lines ( stambanor ), all nationally owned: Some lines were upgraded to main lines but have since been downgraded: The naming rationale was that lines built by the state were main lines, but others, such as by private companies, were not. Mainly 1940–1952, most lines were purchased by

825-400: 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. Unlike the roads, railways in Sweden use left-handed traffic for trains (the same as

880-479: The Main Line Through Upper Norrland . The railway line has 140 bridges and 25 km (16 mi) of tunnels. Construction was carried out by Botniabanan AB, a company owned 91% by the Swedish government and 9% by the municipalities of Kramfors , Örnsköldsvik , Nordmaling and Umeå . Work began on the line in 1999, and reached the halfway point at the end of 2005. After its completion in 2010,

935-945: The Trøndelag Commuter Rail , as well as the Meråker , Røros , Rauma , Nordland , the Saltpendel Line and the Dovre Regional Line under a 10-year contract with the Norwegian Railway Directorate . SJ is also set to start up services on the Stockholm - Trondheim stretch as soon as the Norwegian part of the railway is electrified. SJ will operate trains owned by Norske Tog (Norwegian Trains) and these are: The rail routes SJ Norge operate are: The rail routes SJ Norge are set to operate are: From September 2009, SJ requires an identity document from passengers with

990-496: The railway started to be used by freight trains on 16 October 2008, but with manual train protection control. No Alstom train was delivered for the traffic opening in August 2010, since the delivery time is at least two years. One train of the type Regina was rented from southern Sweden for the Umeå-Örnsköldsvik traffic, with a top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph). Traffic to and from Sundsvall started autumn 2012. SJ ran

1045-411: The 2011 monopoly. The subsidised trains are awarded through competitive bids. However, some trains fall in between these categories, since public transit agencies can pay SJ to allow transit pass holders access to SJ's trains. SJ received a government bailout a few years after its creation, but has since had profit margins of up to ten percent. All train operators in Sweden pay low track access charges to

1100-549: The Mälartåg franchise states that the operator may use their own fleet [of X12, X40 and X50 stock] until the delivery of ER1 Stadler Dosto 200 EMUs is completed. The Upptåget franchise will be merged into Mälartåg onwards from the 2022 timetable, meaning that services from Gävle gain additional stations inherited from the termination of the Upptåget franchise. SJ higher speed trains (Swedish: SJ Snabbtåg ) are X2 or X55 trains operating on

1155-841: The SJ InterCity-brand despite no difference in product with other lines run by the X55 train. SJ has ordered 25 Bombardier Zefiro high speed trains for 250 km/h to be delivered in 2026. InterCity trains are Rc-hauled trains, often with many 2nd class cars, X55 trains or X40 trains. InterCity trains also have a bistro car, with the exception of the X40 that has no form of catering. SJ Regional services include double-deckers (X40), pull trains, X50 and X52 cars. The trains do not serve meals or drinks. The trains do not usually travel distances over 4 hours, except Coast to Coast (Gothenburg-Kalmar) and Stockholm-Gothenburg via Västerås. Most trains have first class, except

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1210-468: The SJ Regional network was concentrated in the area around lake Mälaren . Operated with either Rc-hauled trainsets, X12/X14 or X40 EMUs. These trains have no catering on board. The X40 is equipped with free 4G WiFi. Both first and second-class are usually offered. Most of this network has been incorporated into the new Mälartåg franchise, although some services remain outside of it. Routes listed below are

1265-633: The Stockholm-Malmö route have a bistro wagon. As of 2022 SJ has in collaboration with DSB and RDC begun to operate night train services between Sweden and Germany through Denmark. Three different locomotives are used due to compatibility issues with the electrification and signaling systems between the three countries. Within Sweden are SJ Rc locomotives used, and in Denmark are DSB EA used, and in Germany are DB 101 used. The night-trains are operated on

1320-625: The Stockholm-Narvik and Göteborg-Luleå night trains over Långsele-Mellansel-Örnsköldsvik-Umeå from August 2010, and from 2012 the shorter way Sundsvall-Kramfors-Umeå. The trains stop at: On the Ådalen Line: On the Bothnia Line: Some trains stop at the larger stations only. The most used station is forecast to be Umeå East, since it is within walking distance of Umeå University and the University Hospital . Umeå Central Station

1375-547: The X50 and X52 trains. All push and pull regional services have since 2020 been replaced with new ER1 trains. A normal order in a pull train was AB7 -BF7-B7 or B7-BF7-B7 or AB7-B7-BF7-B7. These trains were not usually longer than 4 cars, except Uppsalapendeln (Stockholm-Uppsala) which often has 8 cars and is a push and pull. The SJ overnight train services (Swedish: SJ Nattåg ) are Rc locomotive -hauled trains with both sleeper wagons as well as standard wagons. All services except for

1430-870: The border. The X31K Öresund trains and some of the SJ X2 (branded X2000) trains and some freight and night train locomotives can do that. Such vehicles are needed for border crossing traffic because the Øresund Bridge is not adopted for change between purely Swedish and purely Danish locomotive, or passengers changing between two such trains. 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: No passenger trains operate between Finland and Sweden, neither through Haparanda/Tornio nor train ferry to Turku. However trains at Haparanda are planned in 2025. Passenger trains are not allowed on

1485-410: The coast of northern Sweden has been considered beneficial for many years, with a lack of capacity and long travel times on the existing main line (further inland) because of lower speed limits, curves, and gradients. The Bothnia line also improves public mobility in the area, reducing the travel time between Umeå and Örnsköldsvik to 50 minutes via high-speed train. It is also served by regional trains, at

1540-408: 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

1595-459: The cost of the frequent and heavy freight traffic when finished. They will provide large travel time reductions for passengers compared to buses; for example, travel time between Umeå and Luleå may be reduced by at least 1.5 hours. Rail transport in Sweden Rail transport in Sweden uses a network of 10,912 kilometres (6,780 mi), the 24th largest in the world . Construction of

1650-470: The existing route is that the advantage of building a new railway is smaller when there already is a railway, but the costs for a new railway would be the same as if there was no railway, which is the case along the Bothnia Line. The total improvement cost for the Ådalen Line was 6 billion SEK . The Main Line Through Upper Norrland from Bräcke to Boden was built between 1880 and 1895. It

1705-418: The fact that air travel is much faster Stockholm-Umeå anyway. The Bothnia Line was also the first line in Sweden equipped with the signalling system ERTMS (Level 2) and has been tested at 289 km/h (180 mph) on the southern part of the Bothnia Line. Currently, Swedish signalling and its ATP safety system (ATC - Automatic Train Control ) is only validated up to 210 km/h (130 mph). Parts of

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1760-556: 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. Sweden is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Sweden is 74. Passenger traffic on Swedish railways consists of commercial long-distance lines as well as regional and local trains, which are always subsidised by

1815-470: 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 eleventh in

1870-514: The first several years, with a speed increase in the future. As of 2021, scheduled for around 2025, when SJ gets new Alstom Zefiro designed for 250 km/h (155 mph). The Transitio leasing company owned by the counties signed a contract in October 2008 to buy Alstom Coradia trains. These trains were delivered in 2011, and they have a top speed of 180 km/h (110 mph). For long-distance trains from Stockholm, SJ runs X55 trains, with

1925-475: The following lines: Åre, Undersåker, Järpen, Krokom, Östersund Central, Bräcke, Ånge, Sundsvall Central Umeå Östra, Nordmaling, Örnsköldsvik Central, Kramfors, Härnösand, Sundsvall C The InterCity services are Rc-hauled trains with standard-seating carriages in both first and second class. There is always a bistro car available in the trainset. Lines with InterCity service: Limited InterCity service Ljusdal - Linköping and Sundsvall-Linköping Most of

1980-493: The line and been more expensive. The crux of this debate was that the nature reserve was established some years after the railway line placement had been fixed. There was no passenger traffic before all of the railway was finished, because the largest city, Umeå, was not connected to this line before then, though some freight traffic used the finished sections. The railway line itself allows 250 km/h (155 mph). The trains will run at 180–200 km/h (110–125 mph) for

2035-562: The line uses the European Rail Traffic Management System signal system, which most of Sweden does not, relatively few freight train operators have invested in the ERTMS technology for their locomotives. Passenger traffic between Umeå and Örnsköldsvik began in August 2010. The delayed upgrade of the ERTMS signal system on the Ådalen Line meant that traffic south of Örnsköldsvik did not begin until 2012. A railway line along

2090-593: The line was leased to the Swedish Rail Administration . When Botniabanan AB has recovered its investment (estimated to be 2050), the ownership of the line will pass to the Rail Administration. The construction budget was SEK 15 billion. It is intended that the Bothnia Line will compete with road transport using the European route E4 , which is a main road carrying heavy freight traffic; however because

2145-412: The main routes in Sweden. The trains are equipped with WiFi and have a bistro. and Umeå Central Stops at Arlanda and Uppsala are for boarding northbound or alighting southbound respectively, although passengers with railcards are exempted from this rule. Some services do also allow both boarding and alighting at Arlanda and Uppsala respectively. On 7 June 2020 SJ Norge commenced operating services on

2200-477: The major cities in southern Sweden, SJ operates the high-speed train X 2000 (200 km/h) on an hourly basis. VR Snabbtåg Sverige operates high-speed trains (200 km/h) between Stockholm and Gothenburg. 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

2255-454: The metro) because Sweden drove on the left until 1967. Railways did not switch because the engines of the time had the driver's seat on the left side and the signals are normally located to the left and hence are easier to see. Only railways in Malmö and further south have planned right-hand traffic due to their connection with Denmark. However, as signals are placed in both directions on all tracks, it

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2310-402: The passage of Örnsköldsvik (down to 600 m (1,969 ft) and a few between 2,000 and 2,500 m (6,562 and 8,202 ft). The maximum grade is 1%. The middle part of the railway was ready for traffic in 2008, and all of the railway except the northern part from October 2009. The northern part, near Umeå, did not see operation until August 2010, due to a court battle over the placement of

2365-420: 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

2420-460: The satellite routes which are not subject to franchising. and Gothenburg Central via Västerås Karlstad Central via Åmål Kalmar Central SJ operate a couple of regional rail franchises held by public transport authorities around the country. The most significant of these are Mälartåg and Västtågen serving the Mälaren valley and the region of West Götaland respectively. SJ AB also started operating

2475-458: The state, making the term main line less well-defined. 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)

2530-489: The track authority, Trafikverket . X2 serves for higher speed trains , with a top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph), and tilts during high speed turns. The trains currently serves Stockholm-Gothenburg (Västra Stambanan) and Stockholm-Malmö-Copenhagen (Södra Stambanan and Öresund Line), but have previously served the lines Stockholm-Sundsvall and, seasonally, Stockholm-Strömstad, Stockholm-Oslo and Stockholm-Östersund-(Duved) lines. There are about 40 X2 sets in service. X55

2585-592: The train ferries. Norrbotniabanan Västlänken Ostlänken Sydostlänken [REDACTED] Media related to Rail transport in Sweden at Wikimedia Commons SJ AB SJ AB is a state-owned passenger train operator in Sweden . SJ was created in 2001, out of the public transport division of Statens Järnvägar , when the former government agency was divided into six separate state-owned limited companies. In 2018, SJ carried 31.8 million passengers. SJ's operations fall broadly into subsidised and unsubsidised services. The unsubsidised services ran until

2640-451: 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

2695-460: 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

2750-505: The Öresundståg franchise for the 2020 timetable, taking over from Transdev. But due to serious inconsistencies between partners the contract will be terminated as of December 2022 where Transdev will take over again . MTR took over the Mälartåg contract in December 2021. The stretch Malmö Central to Copenhagen Central is operated 50/50 alongside Danish State Railways (DSB) and Copenhagen to Østerport/Nivå by DSB only. The initial contract for

2805-517: Was closed in 2010-2011 for rebuilding. The Bothnia Line ends near the Höga Kusten Airport at the existing Ådalen Line , which runs Långsele – Kramfors – Härnösand – Sundsvall . The distance from the connection to Sundsvall is 101 km (63 mi). This railway was built from 1890 to 1925, and is rather curvy and in poor condition. From 2003 to 2012, the Ådalen Line was improved along the existing route to allow higher speeds than before, with

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2860-526: Was deliberately built 30–100 km (19–62 mi) inland from the coast to protect it from military attacks. The Bothnia Line replaced all passenger traffic on the Main Line Through Upper Norrland between Bräcke and Vännäs , ending service to the stations at Långsele and Mellansel . The line remains in use by freight traffic and occasional diversions of passenger trains during engineering works. The North Bothnia Line ( Norrbotniabanan )

2915-428: 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)

2970-582: 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

3025-518: 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

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