Connecting Sweden’s capital city Stockholm and fourth-largest city Uppsala, the Ostkustbanan is at its capacity limits. The route, otherwise known as East Coast Railway, is important for both freight and passenger traffic. Sweden is now going to upgrade it.
Currently, there are only two tracks that run between Stockholm and Uppsala, which is too little for the rapidly growing region. Sweden is now starting expansion of the railway, under the banner of “four tracks to Uppsala”. It will be building the extra double track until 2035.
Sweco will now be assisting the Swedish transport administration in planning the construction of the railway, according to a press release by the company. It will be receiving an expected 400 million Swedish crowns (35 million euros) for its efforts.
“We are looking forward to continued trust from the Swedish transport administration and to being an advisor in this large and complicated infrastructure project, which is so important for both travellers and businesses in the fast-growing regions around Uppsala and Stockholm. More goods will be able to be transported in a climate-smart manner, and for travellers the expansion means more punctual trains, more departures and smoother sustainable journeys”, Sweco’s CEO Ann-Louise Lökholm Klasson stated.
Ostkustbanan vital for freight
Most of the East Coast Railway is a single-track line. It runs, as the name suggests, along Sweden’s east coast and is important for both freight and passenger traffic. It is among the busiest single-track railways in Sweden, according to the Swedish parliament, and “is in dire need of expansion”.
The parliament estimates that a double-track along the eastern East Coast Railway will lead to economic benefits of approximately 4 billion euros at the very least. In terms of freight, most of the benefit will come from connecting Sweden’s economically crucial northern provinces with the rest of Sweden and Europe. Notably, they host some of Europe’s largest mines, which are dependent on the railways for transportation.