Crazy proposal from the Swedish Transport Administration

- No major infrastructure investments in West Sweden

Last week, the government received the Swedish Transport Administration’s proposal on a national plan for the transport system for the period 2018-2029.
The plan contains proposals for actions in the public infrastructure on roads, railways, sea and aviation.
In total, more than SEK 700 billion is to be invested.

The plan includes a lot of good things, but it is remarkable that West Sweden has been disregarded, more or less.

• No upgrading of the railroad between Gothenburg and Oslo.
• No upgrading of the railroad between Göteborg and Borås, and thus no railroad to Landvetter Airport within 20 years.
• No deepening of the fairway in Gothenburg harbor, which would result in higher capacity and the ability to receive the largest container vessels.

This is insane. This will hamper business development, which in the long run also causes fewer job opportunities.

I have mentioned in several previous blog posts how important it is to fix the railroad between Gothenburg and Oslo; some parts are so old, they can hardly be used. This means that almost all goods to our largest exporting country are transported by truck. Currently, there are 2 700 long-haulers passing here per day. I do not dare to think about what this figure will look like in ten years if a railway renovation will not occur.

I have also highlighted the importance of a proper railroad between West Sweden's two largest cities; Gothenburg and Borås. Road 40 is already quite busy. An example of this is the Swedish Chamber of Commerce's figures, which show that 1 400 buses are already passing by Kallebäcksbacken every day. A lack of railway development will mean a disaster for Gothenburg.

The largest container port in the Nordic region is located in Gothenburg. It is five times as big as the one in Helsingborg, which is Sweden's second largest. A significant part of all goods imported into the whole country comes here. Hence, the port of Gothenburg is a national issue.
It has long been said that the fairway in Gothenburg's port needs to be deepened by dredging in order to cope with the largest container vessels. As it is now, these ships are unloading the Swedish goods in other European ports, such as Rotterdam. The goods are then loaded on smaller ships that can handle the depths in Gothenburg. It costs both time and money.

We cannot wait for a deepening of the fairway until the next plan is going to be published – this would mean that it would be implemented in 2029, at earliest.

Fortunately, this is just a proposal from Swedish Transport Administration’s to the government. Shortly, the proposal will go on a referral round, and then it should be finalized in the spring of 2018.

Consequently, there is still hope that the proposal may change.
This is why it is important for West Sweden politicians and business representatives to really explain the grave importance of these actions being included in the plan.
I for sure will do it.