A tip from the readership: "The tunnel in Hallandsåsen took just as long to build as Göta Kanal"

After last week's blog post about the much-awaited inauguration of Hallandsåsen (on the 8th of December), I received a number of comments.
One of them was especially notable.
It came from Tommy Landin in Helsingborg, who made an exiting comparison between the tunnel through Hallandsåsen and Göta Kanal!

I thank you for the tip, which meant I got to read about one of Sweden's absolutely vastest construction projects ever.

When it comes to the construction period, the two infrastructure projects are actually quite similar. It took 23 years to complete Hallandsåsen and 22 years to build Göta Kanal. The difference being that the canal was built in the 19th century!
More exactly between 1810 and 1832. Worth considering in this context is that at this time there was only dynamite and shovels to use as tools.

Undisputedly, the project in Hallandsåsen has been about getting through a mountain, but given the resources available today it is remarkable that it would take this long.
I find that this even more underlines my thesis that an extensive and fundamental background work was not conducted before the project started. Ultimately, a lot was taken for granted before the first drill in the mountain.

Therefore, I really want to give prominence to Baltzar von Platen and his crew, who created the communication links between the Baltic Sea and Kattegatt. An amusing fact is that the actual reason behind the project was that the Swedes grew tired of paying expensive customs duties to the Danish when passing the current Swedish south.

The canal is 118 miles long. Of these, nearly 56 miles are blasted and dug out canal. Along with Göta Älv and Trollhättekanal, it forms a 242 miles long waterway across Sweden. Here are also 58 floodgates. It has to be said – it was an unprecedented project.

I also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Örgryte IS for qualifying to Superettan after winning against Mjällby AIF.

Furthermore, I enjoy following the rampage of Frölunda Indians in SHL. Me, and many with me, however, are waiting for the day and the game when we will get to see all of the players in top form at the same time.
One can only hope that this will occur during the playoffs, which I'm looking forward to with confidence. 

Pictured: the steamboat Venus at Billströmmen, Göta Kanal 1898. Photo from the Swedish Tourist Association, photographer: Axel Sjöberg