Response to interpellation 2023/24:146 on state credit for the Inlandsbanan
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 KD argues that investments in industrial establishments are positive and that the transport infrastructure in northern Sweden needs to be strengthened for the green transition 1. 2 KD argues that the previous government did not prioritize the Inlandsbanan sufficiently and that the current government has clearer priorities for freight traffic and total defense 2. 3 S considers it important to highlight the work with barriers and wildlife bridges to avoid legal proceedings 3. 4 S emphasizes the importance of using state facilities and increasing the export of timber, steel, and energy 4. 5 S argues that the Inlandsbanan can be operated with environmentally friendly hydrogen 5. 6 KD argues that resources should be managed well and that investments should primarily facilitate freight traffic and work commuting 6. 7 S wants to see a clear decision that the Inlandsbanan shall be an important transport hub 7. 8 KD emphasizes that the needs of the total defense must be taken into account in the national plan 8.
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! Isak From has asked the Minister for Finance if she is considering any state loans or guarantees to ensure a sustainable upgrade of the Inlandsbanan so that climate-smart hydrogen-powered trains can begin to operate on it.
The work within the government is distributed in such a way that it is I who shall answer the interpellation.
Let me first state that it is positive that investments are being made in industrial establishments around the country. There is a great need for reinforcements of the transport infrastructure, not least strategic and socio-economically profitable measures that promote the industrial green transition in northern Sweden.
In connection with the government's 2022 adoption of the national transport infrastructure plan for the period 2022-2033, Trafikverket was tasked with investigating and examining the conditions for partial electrification, i.e., electrification with, for example, hydrogen trains on parts of non-electrified lines such as Inlandsbanan and Stångådalsbanan. The investigation work should aim for this to be sufficiently investigated so that it can be considered in the next planning round and plan revision.
I would like to inform for the sake of clarification that Inlandsbanan AB receives a state operating and maintenance grant. In the national transport infrastructure plan across all modes of transport for the period 2022-2033, an increased investment of an additional 75 million kronor per year 2023-2026 was made in state operating and maintenance grants to the company, so the grant totals approximately 225 million kronor per year excluding indexation.
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.
I submitted an interpellation to the Minister for Finance regarding state credits to the municipalities in northern Sweden. It was designed almost exactly like this one, and it was answered by Niklas Wykman because, according to the Government Offices, he was the one who owned the issue of state credits and guarantees. Therefore, I was a bit surprised that after I submitted this interpellation to the Minister for Finance—with the same questions regarding state credits and guarantees—it is Andreas Carlson who is taking the debate. But now we have the debate based on those premises.
Let us first state that the Minister has a lot to do. The Malmbanan is at a standstill, which costs billions, and in the entire railway transition, switches are not being replaced despite being confirmed to be exhausted.
To relate to the previous debate, it is also almost a bit ironic that the Swedish National Audit Office is now criticizing the previous government, particularly for its prioritization of and investments in the Malmbanan, which is a socio-economic loss for the state. The previous government is also criticized for the management of the Norrbotniabanan, which it is argued is not socio-economically profitable.
This makes me wonder what has happened with the Swedish National Audit Office - have they shifted from actually auditing to making political statements? I hope that the government reads the report with a clear eye regarding what actually needs to be done.
I have sat in the Riksdag for a few years, and in 2011 I had an interpellation debate with the then responsible minister Catharina Elmsäter Svärd - with whom I, moreover, had many good interpellation debates in this chamber. At that time, she promised me that she would travel on the Inlandsbanan.
She also made a big deal out of the journey and all the stops along the Inlandsbanan, which I believe was the basis for the importance of the Inlandsbanan from a tourism perspective being highlighted. The current government has unfortunately deprioritized the tourism industry in favor of other important initiatives, as they say. That is exactly what the Inlandsbanan is, that is to say, an important part of the tourism industry.
Inlandsbanan is also a freight transport route, and that is why the government at the time tasked Trafikverket with specifically analyzing Inlandsbanan's potential to be a transport hub. The report was presented on February 25, 2022, I believe it was, and formed the basis for the government's continued work. It showed a very great need to, above all, increase the load-bearing capacity and capacity, especially in the northern parts, so that Inlandsbanan can be a complement and an important transport hub.
One reason why I wanted to take the debate with the Moderaterna is that the Moderaterna were very clear during the election campaign – they went out and promised state guarantees to Inlandsbanan AB. They answered various surveys and guaranteed that if they came to power, they would ensure that Inlandsbanan was refurbished and that Inlandsbanan AB received the loans the company requests. We have seen none of that, but Andreas Carlson might be able to clarify those issues.
Gunilla Svantorp (S)
Madam Speaker! I also intended to dwell a little bit on the Moderates' election promises.
Maria Stockhaus, who was – and still is – their transport policy spokesperson, was visiting the Inlandsbanan office in Östersund. Inlandsbanan AB had asked the state to contribute 2 billion, but the Moderaterna struck with 9 billion and promised that they would invest in Inlandsbanan. Given that the government's new motto is "Repair first – build later!", I am wondering a bit about what is happening, because this is truly in line with repairing first and building later.
One question, then, is how one reasons regarding the election promises that were nevertheless given. Is this another election promise that will not be fulfilled?
Since the Inlandsbanan constitutes 11 percent of the railway network where the state owns the facility. What does the state actually want with its facility? The Inlandsbanan has a fairly heavy load capacity, 22 ½ tons, except for the last small bit. It is quite worn rail and worn sleepers, I have understood – but the subgrade is good. There is, therefore, something to build on. It concerns 105 miles of railway and 19 partial owners all the way down to Värmland, where I live.
Just as Isak From just said, the report that was released during the election year showed that it could be possible to create a green freight corridor through the entire Sweden, and what I understand is that this is also an important issue today for the defense. The Minister might be able to say something about the discussions being held there, because what I have understood is that this is the main track for the Armed Forces. It would be interesting to hear how one thinks regarding the Inlandsbanan.
Lena Bäckelin (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank Isak From for submitting this important interpellation.
As we have just heard – but it bears repeating – it was stated by the government base during the election campaign that 9 billion would come for the upgrading of the Inlandsbanan. What has happened? None of this have we seen yet. According to the SD-government's representative at the time, who was Moderate, this was to happen expeditiously.
Madam Speaker! The Inlandsbanan is of great importance for the companies in the interior, especially for the forest and wood industry but also for another primary industry: tourism. The railway could be likened to Sweden's Trans-Siberian Railway. It is at least just as interesting and beautiful when one looks out through the train windows. I can testify to that because for a few years when I studied, I was a guide on the Inlandsbanan and saw how struck the tourists were by traveling through Sweden's beautiful interior northward.
Already today, this railway, as mentioned, has a great attraction and generates significant revenues for the tourism industry, among other things in my home county - Jämtlands län. These are important revenues for the inland.
Inlandsbanan is a pulse artery - I would even say an aorta - of 130 miles that runs through the interior. This pulse artery could be like that of an elite athlete and win many victories for our country, if we had the resources required to refurbish the parts that today do not meet the requirements, including when it comes to load-bearing capacity, as member Svantorp mentioned. If a substantial investment came, an investment for green transition, jobs, business, and population, the victories would be many for the whole country.
Madam Speaker! It was also mentioned earlier that one should not underestimate the importance of the banana from a defense perspective, especially with today's global situation.
A lot of positive things are happening today regarding the Inlandsbanan. In my home municipality, lovely Härjedalen, a timber terminal has been inaugurated in Hogdalsbygden in recent days. It is an important milestone for sustainable timber transport. The goal is 200 trains per year on the Inlandsbanan, which saves 1 million liters of diesel annually. This is an example of how important the railway is from a climate perspective.
Another thing is hydrogen production, which Isak From raises in his interpellation. In Härjedalen, we have now moved forward with a preliminary study regarding hydrogen production and also a project linked to this to look at circular economy in that context. This is underway now, thanks to the conditions we have along the Inlandsbanan. We are close to the rails in our municipalities and are also very well positioned in terms of energy supply.
In order for the Inlandsbanan to live up to its full potential and become a reality, we must help each other, the state and the inland municipalities. This cannot only rest on the rural municipalities in the interior. The state can, if the will exists, step forward and provide state loans or guarantees.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I thank the members for their commitment.
I think it is striking that perhaps one does not have as much self-reflection as one could have had. It is one and a half years since the previous government presented the national plan. There were all the opportunities for the party represented by three members here in the chamber to show that one prioritized this. Instead, a mandate was given to investigate and examine the conditions for partial electrification, that is, electrification with, for example, hydrogen trains on parts of the non-electrified tracks, of which the Inlandsbanan is an example.
The investigation work that I reported on earlier should have as its objective that this shall be investigated to such an extent that it can be considered in the next planning round and plan revision. Trafikverket has not yet reported back on that assignment to the government. I am, of course, awaiting that assignment.
I can also inform the members that the priorities the government has pointed out in Trafikverket's assignment to produce a directional basis emphasize freight traffic and the consideration of the total defense's needs much more clearly than the previous government did in the initial work with the national plan.
That is how it works, Madam Speaker, with work regarding priorities in the infrastructure. One prepares a basis, and one makes assessments. The previous government did not include this in the national plan, and it is too early today to say how we will handle this moving forward.
With that said, Madam Speaker, goods and total defense are important priorities for the government. This is reflected in the assignment that Trafikverket is now working on. We must await the report on the assignment concerning non-electrified tracks and the possibility of hydrogen-powered trains.
Isak From also asked me to clarify some of the questions. There were quite a few questions that go quite far beyond what the interpellation is about, Madam Speaker. Let me, however, clarify a bit of what Isak From began with, namely the National Audit Office's review. The National Audit Office also reviewed that not as much had been spent on maintenance as Trafikverket had requested. They also reviewed the fact that the money for ERTMS, i.e., the digital signaling system, had been cut by 50 percent in one fell swoop, despite Trafikverket saying that it is directly system-threatening and that the implementation of this necessary digital signaling system is becoming more expensive and delayed, perhaps until 2070.
It is strong criticism, Madam Speaker. Isak From himself can certainly clarify a bit in the next contribution, as it was his government that was responsible for this, for which they have received a lot of criticism.
Another thing that the Swedish National Audit Office pointed out was that the plans promise more than they can deliver, that the debt is very large and that the interruption – to cancel the plans for new trunk lines for high-speed trains – did not reduce the debt, which is positive in that regard, which the Swedish National Audit Office also highlighted. This provides support for the decision that the new government, our government, made.
Madam Speaker! I shall clarify more of the various issues from the members, but sometimes one can perhaps urge the members to clarify a little bit of the issues that they themselves have created, and I hand that over with a warm hand to the next debater to do.
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! Minister Andreas Carlson is the Minister and is responsible now. It may be convenient in some situations to be able to point out that another government did not do things as well as it could have done.
I want to point out that Inlandsbanan AB has also previously managed the electrification. But the climate transition and the opportunities with hydrogen trains that have been tested on Inlandsbanan with good results are the prerequisites for something completely different. Several different stakeholders along the line, both in Storuman and down in Jämtland, are now planning for hydrogen production.
The previous government also gave the green light for the sometimes debated mine in Kallak in Jokkmokk Municipality. It is quite large quantities of iron ore that are to be transported from Jokkmokk to some other place - perhaps Gällivare or perhaps further to Boden and H2 Green Steel or somewhere else.
We have a government that must see all parts of this. It is about the development of the business sector, about where energy production is built and probably also hydrogen production and about new mines. The forestry company SCA has in several different contexts highlighted both the Inlandsbanan and the transverse lines as important nodes when it comes to transporting goods. It is clear that the goods are not in as much of a hurry as people. You can with good results transport goods along the Inlandsbanan at a lower speed than it is on the main line, which by the way is full.
When it comes to the Malmbanan and the National Audit Office's report, I believe there will be every reason to have more debates where one actually scrutinizes what they really mean by saying that socially important investments in northern Sweden are not profitable. It is, if nothing else, a very political statement, something that the National Audit Office should be far too good to make.
Something that is the Minister's responsibility concerns Trafikverket's view on and work with barriers. When it concerns Kallak mine, for example, we know that there are conflicting interests. This concerns, among other things, the reindeer husbandry. It is then perhaps not the mine itself but the transports that constitute the major obstacle. There, fauna bridges must be included in the planning. Regardless of whether we are talking about Inlandsbanan, the main line, Malmbanan, or Norrbotniabanan, that work actually needs to be elevated, because in the long run we risk new long legal processes that delay important social infrastructure, and I believe neither I nor Andreas Carlson want that. This is Minister Andreas Carlson's responsibility.
Gunilla Svantorp (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you very much, Minister, for the answer! I will only repeat what I said before. I think it is important that we consider how we use the facilities that the state owns anyway. I also think that, when we plan ahead, we need to consider where we have our industries somewhere and how they should be able to move their goods. Regardless of which color is in power in the country, one needs to consider that.
Right now, the Inlandsbanan does not go all the way down to Värmland, but it stops in Mora. But a few miles beyond Kristinehamn we have Karlskoga, which is an important part of the defense industry in our country. Then one can wonder how it might perhaps be profitable in a future for the Inlandsbanan to actually go all the way.
When we talk about the future and what is going to happen, I think that above all, there are three important export components in our country. They are the forest, the steel, and the energy. We need to consider how the Inlandsbanan can contribute to us increasing the exports in our country. We need to use all the parts that we actually have.
There is an ongoing project where diesel locomotives are being converted to hydrogen locomotives - I lost the name of the company. It is interesting to follow that work, so I really hope that the minister does so going forward.
Lena Bäckelin (S)
Madam Speaker! It is new industrialization in the north. Until 2040, the industry will invest 1,100 billion in the two northernmost counties. This is expected to lead to approximately 100,000 jobs within about 200 different occupations.
Production of hydrogen in Härjedalen, in my home municipality, will contribute hydrogen to transport and industry. It will contribute to a phasing out of fossil fuels and to a reduction of the region's carbon dioxide emissions.
When it comes to my home municipality in Härjedalen, green energy can benefit the development in the municipality. And the trains on the Inlandsbanan can be powered by environmentally friendly hydrogen, with the central town of Sveg as a hub for hydrogen refueling of the trains.
For hydrogen production, land, water, and electricity are required. And the proximity to the rail – in this case, the Inlandsbanan – is not so bad. On the contrary, it is extra interesting for the hydrogen production.
Now, at the end of my contribution, I want to know what measures the Government considers can be taken to ensure the positive development of the Inlandsbanan and thus the jobs in the interior.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I want to first state that there are several points in Gunilla Svantorp's motion. It is important to manage our resources in the best way, to safeguard what we have already built and to invest in new infrastructure where it is needed. The needs that the member points out, which the member also did in their first contribution, regarding goods and total defense are of course important for the government. It is therefore also expressed in the mandate that Trafikverket has.
The answer to Lena Bäckelin's concluding question is that we now need to await the assignment that the previous government gave to Trafikverket. In just a few weeks, we will also have the direction document on the table, and this will provide a good basis for continued dialogue and for the priorities that need to be made.
But let me state that the whole of Sweden must function. Jobs and growth in the entire country shall be protected. Investments in the railway shall therefore primarily facilitate freight traffic and for commuting to work in order to strengthen jobs and growth. It is important to create good conditions so that the whole country can grow, live, and develop.
A well-functioning infrastructure, Madam Speaker, is important to ensure a long-term sustainable transport supply for the citizens and not least for the business community in the whole country. A small and export-dependent country like Sweden naturally needs a robust infrastructure.
I hope that the members will be somewhat satisfied with this announcement, even though I, of course, cannot anticipate the Transport Authority's investigation or the orientation basis and the process that will follow. But the Inlandsbanan, which has been highlighted here, has potential. It is important. There is a mandate that the previous government gave regarding precisely partial electrification. We will await that, and it must be sufficiently mature so that the measures proposed can be considered in the next national plan. And the infrastructure bill that sets the framework will be presented to the Riksdag during the next year.
I look forward to continued dialogue on this and many other issues, Madam Speaker.
Isak From (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Gunilla Svantorp and Lena Bäckelin, for important contributions! This is quite a long stretch.
I want to return to the beginning. It did surprise us Social Democrats a bit that the Moderates were so clearly out there promising just government loans and guarantees, even more than what Inlandsbanan itself requested.
It is clear that we saw the opportunity with hydrogen trains and a partial electrification. That is the basis of the mission. But it is also important, not least for the often quite small municipalities along the line that are incredibly rich in raw materials but that often have a rather empty municipal treasury, that they receive a clear message and a direction from the government: Yes, we intend for the Inlandsbanan to continue to be an important and perhaps even more important transport hub.
It is clear that with a NATO accession and a greater focus on civil defense and all the parts that come with it, the defense [authority] has also highlighted that both the Inlandsbanan and its cross-tracks are and will be important. It is something that we need to take with us together.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I can only agree with Isak From here at the end: It is something that we will, of course, take with us, and that is why we have tasked Trafikverket to take the needs of the total defense into account. We are, of course, preparing as much as we can for the Swedish NATO membership and what it will entail in terms of new and perhaps also reinforced needs for the transport infrastructure.
We are working closely with the Ministry of Defence on this and, of course, also have access to the Armed Forces' various reports and needs analyses as a basis for the continued work. I want to be clear about that. We are working more closely with the Ministry of Defence than has been done previously, at least for a long time, when it comes to precisely the startup of the work with the national plan and the transport infrastructure.
It does not mean, however, that I can anticipate the process and express different intentions and priorities here. It will take place in a unified process. In that process, the needs of the total defense shall be considered, and the freight traffic weighs heavily given the government's direction.
I can therefore only agree with Isak From that it is, of course, something that we will necessarily have to take into consideration given the development of the security situation in our immediate vicinity and with the requirements that Nato will, of course, entail for us in the form of host nation support. Here, the Defence Preparation Board has also pointed out various needs that are not fully met today. This is also included in the work ahead.
I look forward to continued dialogue and would like to thank you for this 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.