Double track required for green transition
The railway section between Luleå and Boden needs to be expanded to double track. This is the opinion of Region Norrbotten, Luleå Municipality, Boden Municipality and Norrbotten municipalities in a petition to the government.
– If Norrbotten is to succeed in capitalizing fully on the green industrial transition, the infrastructure needs to be expanded quickly. The government has a golden opportunity to take the lead in this. I hope that the government heeds this request and shows through action that they are prepared to do the work required, says Anders Öberg, chairman of the regional board.
The green transition has already begun and the current single-track transport system, with meeting points, risks becoming a bottleneck. Therefore, Region Norrbotten, Luleå Municipality, Boden Municipality and Norrbotten Municipalities propose that the government bring forward capacity-increasing measures on the Malmbanan Railway and immediately instruct the Swedish Transport Administration to develop railway plans for double tracks on the Luleå-Boden route.
“A must”
– In order for us in the north to be able to deliver even more growth to Sweden, double tracks on the Malmbanan railway between Luleå and Boden and reinforcements along the entire line are a must. Development in our region is going at a furious pace and this investment needs to be implemented as soon as possible, says Claes Nordmark, chairman of the municipal board in Boden and chairman of Norrbotten's Municipalities.
Today there is a capacity shortage on the Luleå-Boden route. Passenger traffic has been limited in order for freight traffic to function. Additional capacity on the railway is required as early as 2025 and by 2030 the forecast is that the handling of goods in the port of Luleå will quadruple.
– The track between Luleå and Boden is already heavily loaded, so we are in great need of increasing railway capacity on that stretch. Luleå Port is growing and will become Sweden's second largest port, which will lead to a large increase in the need for rail transport. Planning for double tracks needs to start as soon as possible, says Carina Sammeli, Chairwoman of the Luleå Municipal Executive Board.