Response to interpellation 2022/23:140 on an improved railway connection between Stockholm and Oslo

Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Gunilla Svantorp has asked me a number of questions regarding an improved railway connection between Stockholm and Oslo.

Transport across borders is of great importance for jobs and growth in the Nordic countries. Sweden and Norway are in dialogue about the need to develop the infrastructure for cross-border transport. This needs to take place in dialogue between the departments in both countries as well as between the authorities responsible for the transport system in the respective country.

Trafikverket has, together with Jernbanedirektoratet, been tasked with investigating the conditions for measures on the railway on the Stockholm-Oslo corridor. That investigation was presented on October 1 last year and is now being prepared within the Government Offices.

The Government has acted to ensure that Stockholm-Oslo is included in the Scandinavia-Mediterranean core network corridor in TEN-T. In the general guideline adopted at the TCE Council on 5 December 2022, Stockholm-Oslo had been added to the corridor.

I look forward to working together with all my Nordic colleagues and continuing the dialogue to develop our cross-border transport. The Government intends to return to issues regarding long-term infrastructure planning during the mandate period.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Gunilla Svantorp (S)

Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.

A train journey between Oslo and Stockholm takes five hours today - at best. Most often it takes even longer. A feasibility study showed in 2017 that the goal of a three-hour travel time can be reached through expansion of existing infrastructure plus a couple of new links along that stretch. There is also a cost-benefit analysis which shows that the entire stretch is socio-economically profitable to build and rebuild.

Several investigations carried out after the action choice study have also shown the importance of double tracks, particularly on the Värmlandsbanan. It has been identified in national documents as a deficiency.

The capitals Oslo and Stockholm are a little over 40 miles apart. 3.5 million people live along the way, and one passes very many municipalities - I believe it is 54. It is a very important link, which not only connects two capitals but also the surrounding areas along the entire stretch.

Before the pandemic, 1.4 million flights were undertaken between capital cities. Forecasts show that 1 million of them would be replaced by train journeys if the travel time becomes three hours. We will therefore see a benefit for both cities and surrounding areas as well as the climate. We will also get stronger labor market regions and increased housing construction.

I asked the minister questions that I do not think I have received answers to. I asked if there is any ongoing dialogue with the Norwegian government, and I have not received an answer to that. Therefore, I repeat that question.

I also asked a question about whether the Minister will include the assignment that both the authorities in Sweden and Norway requested in the feasibility study they presented. I was told that the preparation is ongoing, but it has been ongoing for a very long time. There has been investigation after investigation. I really think it is high time that the Minister speaks about whether they intend to do anything, not least considering that both countries' authorities have now actually investigated this feasibility study.

In the feasibility study, the market potential and capacity, which is increasing, have been mapped out. Costs and social benefits have been mapped out, and the increasing travel that could be the result of reduced travel time between the cities has been examined. I ask the Minister to answer my questions, as I have not received an answer.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Daniel Helldén (MP)

Madam Speaker! We must absolutely ensure that the Stockholm-Oslo project is implemented so that we can get a good connection between our two capitals and that we think a bit more outside our own borders. We know that the Stockholm-Oslo route is incredibly busy, if I may put it that way. If we got the railway in order so that it functions in a good way, people would move over to the train instead. That would be very good for the climate and also for all those who are along the railway. I am thinking of the opportunities for them in Västerås, Örebro, Karlstad and so on. It would be good.

It is good that Stockholm-Oslo is partially included in the EU's TEN-T material. It has been added, which means we can get funds for up to 160 kilometers per hour. The railway has sections that in some parts have museum railway speeds. For that, we can get money and can then get that section in order. This is absolutely excellent.

But I actually wonder what the Minister and the department have done when they have been in Brussels and talked about these matters. For the Scandinavia-Mediterranean corridor, which this is part of, a map applies that shows a certain stretch. If one looks at the passenger route and what we promise regarding the regular railways, it is a different stretch. This does not really add up.

What is in this material is not the Stockholm-Oslo distance in the sense that we usually speak of, but it is Stockholm via Hallsberg and further to Oslo. It is not the high-capacity, sensible system that makes it so that we get many travelers, that it goes fast and that we can relieve that part of the main line that passes by Hallsberg.

This is a bit strange. But it is good that it is included here, unlike everything else that has obviously been done in Brussels. They have, among other things, removed our opportunities to get money. Here, however, we can get money. But one should ensure that the material being discussed in Brussels is correct.

I expect the Minister, as chairman in the upcoming negotiations, to ensure that it is correct. I also expect the Minister to ensure that also the other parts of our main railway network that are connected to TEN-T come back into the plans.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Let me first address Gunilla Svantorp's questions. The Member perceived that she did not receive answers to them.

The first question was: Does the government have an ongoing dialogue with the Norwegian government regarding the work to improve the railway connection between Oslo and Stockholm and, if that is not the case, does the Minister intend to initiate such a dialogue?

Sweden and Norway are in dialogue regarding the need to develop the infrastructure for cross-border transport. The answer to the question is therefore yes. I have also had a dialogue with my Norwegian colleague at an informal Nordic Council of Ministers meeting in Norway. This also needs to take place in a dialogue between the departments in both countries as well as between the authorities responsible for the transport system in the respective countries.

The second question was: Does the Minister intend to put forward the assignment that the authorities requested in the feasibility study that Trafikverket and Jernbanedirektoratet presented to the governments on 1 October 2022, and if so, when?

Here is the answer that the results and conclusions of the joint investigation in Mulighetsstudie Oslo - Stockholm are now being analyzed so that we can consider how to proceed.

The Government has not taken a position on how it shall work with the long-term infrastructure plan during this mandate period. We have not begun the plan revision. The current national plan was recently adopted in the Swedish Riksdag. The Government has therefore not taken a position on any new or other initiatives. It is important that this is done in an orderly process with a sufficient basis. The Government intends to return to these issues.

This is the answer to the second question. However, I have full respect for the fact that it may not live up to expectations in all parts, but Gunilla Svantorp knows very well how the planning of infrastructure proceeds. Furthermore, the assignment was presented as late as October 1, 2022, and needs to be analyzed more closely.

Regarding the map image in Brussels concerning the Scand-Med corridor, which is what this is about, a general guideline was adopted in the Council in December. This is now to be negotiated with the European Parliament. I have to double-check the information regarding the maps. Perhaps some parts are not updated given that the decision on the general guideline was taken recently.

Formally, there is not such a large difference between this and the fact that Stockholm-Oslo was now included in the TEN-T corridor Skand-Med. E18, Värmlandsbanan and the Laxå-Norwegian border have previously been part of the core network, and the requirements for expanded financing opportunities are the same as before.

The fact that the stretch is now included in the proposal for the corridor will be able to provide an increased focus. The corridor has a coordinator appointed by the commission. Applications for funding will potentially, presumably, be able to be prioritized higher than before. But for regions and other stakeholders along the stretch, there is also an opportunity to be involved in the corridor forums arranged by the coordinator. There they can present their own arguments. It is of course important that the underlying materials are correct.

This will be an important priority for me as Minister for Infrastructure and Chair of the transport council in Brussels, the TTE Council, which will also negotiate the entire TEN-T package with the European Parliament during the spring. We are now awaiting the European Parliament's position.

I will personally go to Brussels next week for a hearing and dialogue with the colleagues in the European Parliament and the committee that has the questions on the table. I look forward to it and hope that we will reach an agreement with the European Parliament, the Commission, and the Council so that we can move forward with the TEN-T planning.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Gunilla Svantorp (S)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the answer. It is very good that a dialogue is ongoing. However, I hope that the informal dialogue at Nordic ministerial meetings becomes formal so that everyone can take part in what is said and done.

I would like to highlight the whole thing through an example from another stretch. When X2000 was put in between Stockholm and Gothenburg and it became possible to travel the distance in three hours, there was a huge shift from flight to train. Suddenly, a full 70 percent of those who flew realized that it was smarter to take the train.

I believe that one could find several such examples showing that this is very important, not least considering that we are to reduce emissions within the transport sector by 70 percent by 2030. We need to try to take the measures that can contribute to the emissions being lowered.

Norway is one of Sweden's most important trading countries. For export companies in particular, it is extremely important that there is good railway and that one can move both goods and people.

Now it is a bit uncertain what applies and what does not apply for the national plan, but in it it still clearly states that we shall develop the infrastructure for cross-border transport. We also have the Nordic countries' vision that we shall become the world's most sustainable and integrated region by 2030. I think that it is writings and decisions that obligate. That means the government must be able to say something about its thoughts on how we actually become the world's most sustainable and integrated region and where the infrastructure is a huge part of the work.

I live in a border municipality in Värmland. We could see what happened during the pandemic. In normal cases, we do not notice at all that we have a border between two countries. We move around, live in one country and work in the other, and so on. But all of a sudden, there was a border that was noticed. Many of us have said that after the pandemic, we really must ensure that we get joint projects to fulfill that vision. What could then be better than having a joint infrastructure project?

One of all the investigations that have been carried out by this stretch says that this reconstruction and new construction is profitable from a climate perspective already five years after the construction. It should also be something that weighs quite heavily when one considers which infrastructure investments one should make in our country.

Madam Speaker! I would like to ask the Minister: How do we in the Nordic countries become the world's most sustainable and integrated region by 2030, if we focus on the transport sector?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Gunilla Svantorp asked how we, with a focus on the transport sector, will become the most integrated region. I look forward to working on this together with all my Nordic colleagues and continuing the dialogue to develop our cross-border transport. It would not be appropriate or reasonable, I believe, if I were to precede the ordered process of plan revisions which has been a good order for long-term infrastructure planning. We probably want to start a plan revision earlier. We will return to that in the Riksdag.

This follows a pattern. The decision on the national plan came just at the final stage of the previous government's mandate period. It was also then that this announcement was made, presumably because they did not have much money. They still wanted to give an investigation assignment to move this work forward, and that can be seen as positive. Now we have the conclusions from this joint assignment. They arrived in October. It is reasonable to consider and analyze them and, in good dialogue with the Nordic colleagues, see which way forward is the best.

I am very well aware of the major problems that existed with obstacles during the pandemic. It was shown then, even to those who did not know it before, how important good and functioning infrastructure and good transport are, even for work commuting and freight traffic, not only for a country but also for our Nordic cooperation. This we need to strengthen. This has also been stated by my predecessor. He also had a good cooperation with the Nordic colleagues, which I have appreciated during my first 98 days in the assignment.

I will continue to work so that we can find common solutions and see how we can strengthen our common infrastructure. It is positive for jobs and growth in our country and for our neighboring countries' economies. The government's focus on facilitating commuting and freight traffic fits like a glove with this.

Today I have no new announcements to give. We are looking closely at the experiences that exist from before and at the assignment that was reported in October. I look forward to returning to the Riksdag to have a good dialogue and discussion about these issues and move them forward.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Gunilla Svantorp (S)

Madam Speaker! I would like to thank the Minister for these answers. Even though I have not received answers to my questions, it is an important topic to discuss at all. Cross-border infrastructure is important.

Sometimes one might think, if one lives somewhere other than in southern Sweden, that we talk too little about the cross-border infrastructure that exists in other places. We perhaps should also have slightly better statistics on freight flow and such, which sometimes get lost when it concerns Norway and Sweden. If I am to send a wish to the Minister, it is that the regions should not have to produce that statistics but that we produce it nationally. Such statistics can show us where in Sweden and Norway it is important that we invest our infrastructure money.

So there is more to be desired. I hope that this initiative on Oslo and Stockholm will come to fruition. It was needed already several years ago. I really hope that it is a priority issue for the minister.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the interpellation submitted by Gunilla Svantorp and for the discussion we have had. I can only agree that this is something that can be further illuminated.

Those I met when I was at the meeting in Norway pointed out that Gothenburg is their most important port, which is also important for seeing where one can strengthen cargo flows. They are therefore pointing to a different route than the one we have talked about here today. Much of the trade does not occur only regionally, nationally, or in a specific part of the world, but globally. In that case, our joint work for our common infrastructure and our cargo flows becomes even more important to strengthen our competitiveness and our companies' opportunity to establish themselves and grow. A third of Swedish foreign trade occurs in some way via the port of Gothenburg.

When it comes to freight, it is important to see the capacity in different parts. It is not just about trucks and railways but about the entire chain. That is the approach that I and the government have. We are not going to pit different modes of transport against each other but have a transport system and an infrastructure that holds together and rewards jobs and growth throughout the country, even in border regions, so that we can utilize our common resources in the very best way. I look forward to returning to this in the transport committee and in the chamber of the Swedish Riksdag. I thank you for the dialogue we have had today and look forward to the one that will come – perhaps not tomorrow but further ahead.

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)