Important step for the Norrbothnia Line – but lack of investment in double track is worrying

The Umeå–Luleå Norrbothnia Line will connect a region with large exporting companies, two universities and over 330,000 inhabitants. The inclusion of the Norrbothnia Line in the national plan is an important step towards completion, even if it is not fully funded. 

– We are particularly pleased that the Swedish Transport Administration has accepted the proposal that the Skellefteå–Luleå section can be designed and built by another actor. Our company Norrbotniabanan AB has repeatedly raised this with both the Swedish Transport Administration and the government. With an alternative solution, the line can be put in place more quickly. Now we want to quickly establish a project company and move forward, says Janus Brandin, Regional Development Director in Region Norrbotten. 

“Sweden's Suez Canal”

The Norrbothnia Line will benefit skills supply, competitiveness, exports, attractiveness and create necessary redundancy in the transport network. But this also applies to a large extent to the entire Luleå–Narvik railway section. The plan includes some previously identified capacity-increasing measures on the Malmbanan, but no new ones. And the long-awaited double track on the “Swedish Suez Canal”, Luleå–Boden, is missing from the plan. Since the proposal presented by the Swedish Transport Administration today extends until 2037, there is a risk that necessary measures will be postponed very far into the future. 

Anders Öberg (S), fears that the insufficient investments will have a negative impact on the county's development.

– The Swedish Transport Administration has already investigated the double track Luleå-Boden, received the government's assignment to accelerate the work and funds to work on railway plans. Now it has been decided against it. I see a risk that capacity-increasing measures will come too late to meet the needs of the industry, says Anders Öberg (S), chairman of the regional board in Region Norrbotten. 

“Can only be solved with double tracks”

The Malmbanan railway is also in great need of double tracks. It is not only important for Sweden, but also for our neighboring countries, the EU and NATO's ability to defend the Arctic. 

– The existing capacity is not sufficient for the EU's needs for metals and minerals. Kiruna has been identified as a strategic location for raw materials under the Critical Raw Materials Act. NATO needs to be able to rely on the Ore Line for troop movements and deliveries. Luleå-Narvik needs both increased capacity and robustness, which can only be fully solved with double tracks the entire way. The government needs to see these needs before a decision is made, says Anders Öberg.