Response to interpellation 2022/23:155 on the Norrbotniabanan
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD argues that the government safeguards the business sector's sustainable transition and that the Norrbotniabanan is part of the national transport plan 1. KD emphasizes that the three parts of the plan are fixed and that intensified planning still applies 2. S argues that Norrbotniabanan is urgent due to the green industrial transition and that a clear yes or no is needed on whether the entire railway should be built 3 4. S considers that the railway is needed for capacity, redundancy, and to move freight from road to rail 5. SD considers that the railway should be built to secure the industry and requests dialogue on strengthening the Inlandsbanan 6. SD perceives that the government has given clear signals that Norrbotniabanan will be built 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! Åsa Karlsson has asked me if I intend to work for the entire Norrbotniabanan to be built from Umeå to Luleå and that the construction should also be intensified as it stands in the current infrastructure plan.
I would like to state initially that the government safeguards, and sees the potential in, the business sector's sustainable transition with green investments that are taking place in Norrbotten and Västerbotten. This development benefits not only northern Sweden but the entire country and, in the long run, the entire EU.
The Government wants to facilitate commuting and freight traffic to strengthen jobs and growth throughout the country. On 7 June 2022, the Government adopted the national transport infrastructure plan for the period 2022-2033. On the Norrbotniabanan, the Umeå-Dåva section is already underway. The Dåva-Skellefteå section is planned to start construction 2025-2027, and the Skellefteå-Luleå section is planned to start construction 2028-2033. Trafikverket shall carry out the measures resulting from the Government's decision.
The Government intends to return to issues regarding long-term infrastructure planning during the mandate period.
Åsa Karlsson (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister very much for the answer, even though it leaves some room for interpretation. It makes me feel some concern, not least if we look back for a moment.
When the Alliance government took office in 2006, one of the first decisions made by the new government was to cancel the plans for the construction of the extension of the Botniabanan from Umeå to Luleå, that is, the Norrbotniabanan. The design work that had been carried out and all the work that had been invested was quickly thrown in the wastebasket.
The subsequent S-led government, which took office in 2014, raised Norrbotniabanan in the national transport plan again as soon as it was possible. This happened in 2018; before that, it was not possible. The delay for which the Alliance government is responsible is catastrophic given the green industrial transition that is currently taking place in northern Sweden. It implies an enormous increase in the need for passenger transport to meet the competence supply in Norrbotten and Västerbotten, as well as a sharply increased need for freight transport. The completion of Norrbotniabanan is urgent.
The coastal stretch between Umeå and Luleå is as densely populated as Västra Götaland County. It actually ranks in third place after Stockholm and Skåne counties. In Norrbotten and Västerbotten, investments of over 700 billion kronor are planned and being implemented, which are figures that clearly demonstrate the region's growth power. The investments are also primarily concentrated on just the coastal stretch between Umeå and Luleå, which makes the need for a rapid completion of the Norrbotniabanan even more acute.
Sweden has the ambition to be a fossil-free country as early as 2045, and the Norrbotniabanan will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 80,000 tons per year. But Norrbotniabanan also has great importance for the basic industries to be able to continue their work for an even more sustainable production. The basic industries are a central actor in the work to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Just as important as the base industry and the climate is, however, the human being, and with the Norrbotniabanan, completely new opportunities are opened within the tourism and visitor industry for people who want to travel north or south quickly and smoothly without affecting the climate. It is important that the government is clear that it has the intention to complete the Norrbotniabanan in its entirety and provide the resources that Trafikverket needs to enable the construction.
Madam Speaker! My question is therefore: Will the Minister work to ensure that the entire Norrbotniabanan is built, from Umeå to Luleå, and that the construction is also intensified – as it stands in the current infrastructure plan?
Linus Sköld (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for the opportunity to debate an important issue with the Minister.
At the end of the previous century, the main railway line through upper Norrland was built. With security in mind, it was built three cannon lengths from the coast. At that time, this was the only way one could wage war - there was no question of any aerial bombing - so it was rational then. But it means that the main railway line now runs three cannon lengths from the entire population center of northern Sweden, which is less rational in the security policy situation we have now and with the technological advances that have occurred since the line was built.
The construction of the Norrbotniabanan would, of course, mean increased capacity, as the line that now runs three cannon lengths from the population centers is full of mainly freight transport but also passenger transport. Norrbotniabanan needs to be built for increased capacity but also for redundancy for transport to and from northern Sweden. The potential to move freight from road to rail is great, and commuting to work could be made possible between the population centers that the new section would pass through in a completely different way than what is the case today.
Industry in northern Sweden is flourishing. It is actually the case that the new industrialization of northern Sweden is currently the country's great growth hope. The last time we had a Christian Democrat in the Government Offices, the Prime Minister said that industry was "basically gone", and many laughed at the idea of re-industrializing Sweden. But I think the laughter has stuck in the throats of those who laughed at that strategy back then. Large amounts of goods and people will, however, need to travel to and from northern Sweden, where the new industrialization is taking place, and therefore the Norrbotniabanan is needed.
The last time a Christian Democrat sat in the Government Offices, the Norrbotniabanan was removed from the national plan. We Social Democrats reintroduced it during our time in power. Now that a Christian Democrat is once again sitting in the Government Offices, specifically as Minister for Infrastructure, the question that Åsa Karlsson poses is reasonable. There are many who wonder – myself as a resident of Älvsbyn in Norrbotten, my neighbors in neighboring municipalities and neighboring counties, the industry in all of northern Sweden. Many of us wonder whether there will be a Norrbotniabanan or not.
The Minister's answer to the question today, that is to say the interpellation answer we just heard, is that the government intends to return. I want to clarify for the listener that it means: "I don't know. We'll see." I think that the actors who are in northern Sweden, the people who are in northern Sweden and the entire industry that exists in northern Sweden deserve a better answer than "We'll see." Will there be a Norrbotniabana or not?
Jimmy Ståhl (SD)
Madam Speaker! The industrialization up in Norrland has taken off something terrible lately. Of course, railways should and must be built.
It was interesting to sit and listen to Linus Sköld's storytelling, because it is quite true that the Inlandsbanan is three cannon lengths in. Inlandsbanan is also a railway we need to strengthen to secure the industries in the north. We need to increase the load-bearing capacity of the sleepers and increase the axle weight. We also need to invest a little bit in the connecting lines to link Inlandsbanan, Norrbotniabanan, and Botniabanan.
That is why I wanted to ask Infrastructure Minister Andreas Carlson if the government has had any dialogue about strengthening the Inlandsbanan and creating a redundancy. The Norwegians also have a great interest in running domestic traffic via Sweden, that is, from Norway to Norway. From what I understand, the Norrbotniabanan is being built from north to south. Personally, I would have liked to see it built from south to north, but the main thing is that the investment will be completed. I do not doubt either that it will be built.
Madam Speaker! With that said, I want to ask Infrastructure Minister Andreas Carlson if it would have been possible or if it would have taken much longer to build the Norrbotniabanan if one had also had the high-speed railway as a bridge over the shoulders.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I believe the members know very well how it works when planning for large infrastructure projects within the framework of national planning. This is probably also one of the reasons why it took the previous government four years to bring back the Norrbotniabanan. It was pointed out here that it was 2018, so the question that was asked of me can be asked back: Why did it take four years to produce this?
It depends on the fact that it is about long-term investments. Solid foundations and extensive work are required. Therefore, the announcement today is clear: The three parts that are in the national plan remain there, and we expect Trafikverket to work at a high pace on these sections.
The wording that exists in the plan regarding intensified planning to build the Norrbotniabanan is still valid. There is no reason for concern. It was mentioned that this was one of the first decisions made last time, but those decisions have not been made. I think there is reason to contribute to calming down this discussion by stating what actually stands in the national plan and that it still applies.
When it comes to other investments that are required, it is the case that one needs to prioritize freight traffic and work commuting; this is what will be the prioritized starting point when the government begins the work with the revision of the national plan. It is also then that we will return with how we shall continue to work with the intensified planning that is already pointed out in the current national plan.
One also needs to have financing. One needs to have funds for this. Jimmy Ståhl was on to that. It is important that different projects are assessed together. This was one of the reasons why we interrupted the planning for trunk lines for high-speed trains in the southern parts of the country in order to have additional funds for other infrastructure measures, investments, and maintenance that were needed. We will also return to this.
It is inherent in the nature of the matter that this must take place within the framework of the planning revisions that will occur during the mandate period, and that is also why I answer as I do. It is not, as Linus Sköld says, that I do not know and that there is no answer. The answer is clear: The sections that I mentioned in my initial response are fixed. The wording regarding intensified planning is also not changed and therefore still applies.
Åsa Karlsson (S)
Madam Speaker! What does the government's response mean? It is clear that plans take a long time to develop, but long-term plans can also be discarded quickly. It is quick to throw them in the wastebasket, but to then pick them up from the wastebasket and get started with the long-term planning takes time. That is why I feel concern about what is to come and about whether this track will become a reality during the planned period.
Madam Speaker! For the sake of clarification, I can say that the Norrbotniabanan is actually being built from south to north. The section from Umeå to Skellefteå is being built right now, and then will come the section from Skellefteå to Luleå. A wish would be that it were built from both sides, so that one would arrive even faster.
The Umeå-Skellefteå section is scheduled to be completed in 2030. The Skellefteå-Luleå section is scheduled to be completed in 2034. But right now, 28 miles of railway are missing to connect the Norrland Coast. These 28 miles of railway would also connect the railway from Finland via Sweden and further via Denmark to the European continent. This is a section that the EU has identified as particularly important.
Norrbotniabanan must not be delayed any further. In northern Västerbotten, as has been said earlier during the debate, we have the greatest growth in Sweden. In Skellefteå alone, the city I come from, investments of nearly 150 billion kronor are currently underway over a ten-year period, and a labor market is emerging at an avalanche pace. All of this is happening now and in the near future. An enormous number of people will be needed in the northern parts of Sweden, and then there needs to be functioning infrastructure in place.
Madam Speaker! A simple yes or no to my question would suffice as an answer from the Minister. A clear statement would be appreciated and would reassure both the municipalities, the regions, and the business community in the northern parts of Sweden. Can the Minister give me and everyone waiting for an answer a simple yes or no as an answer to my question? Will the Norrbotniabanan be built in its entirety?
Linus Sköld (S)
Madam Speaker! Politics is about will, as someone said, and it is actually that – the Minister's will – that the Minister here has the opportunity to express. I demand a position – not a passive "It is already in the plans," "Let it go" or "Let it be." I want to hear the Minister's opinion. Should the Norrbotniabanan be built? It would make many people feel secure if the Minister could say that he is of the opinion that the Norrbotniabanan should be completed in its entirety.
If the wording about the construction being intensified is to remain, and if the Minister also supports that, he may have to answer a follow-up question on how he will follow up on this intensification.
As recently as January 2023, SVT Nyheter in Västerbotten reported on delays. It concerns appeal processes that are dragging on, cost increases linked to the galloping inflation, and competence supply issues that prevent the shovel from hitting the ground. If the construction is to be intensified, these problems need to be overcome. How does the Minister intend to follow up that the construction is actually intensified rather than delayed?
It would be good to get answers to these two questions. Does the Minister believe that the Norrbotniabanan should be built, and how does he intend to follow up on the intensification of the construction?
Jimmy Ståhl (SD)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Andreas Carlson, for the answers to the questions!
I feel very secure with the clear messages that I perceive Andreas Carlson has given us in the chamber that the Norrbotniabanan will be built. I perceive no doubts about this.
In other respects, I would like to thank you for a good interpellation debate.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.