Response to interpellation 2023/24:612 on the social utility of 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 all stages of the Norrbotniabanan are included in the current national infrastructure plan and that the government has not taken measures to remove the project 1 2 3. KD emphasizes that the infrastructure is crucial to facilitate commuting and freight traffic to strengthen growth in northern Sweden 1 4. KD points out that aspects such as preparedness and redundancy must be weighed in, which is not always socio-economically profitable 2 4. KD believes that responsibility has been taken for priorities to catch up on neglected maintenance and make new investments 3. KD argues that the decision to cancel main lines for high-speed trains was important as it reduced indebtedness 3.
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 whether I think it was wrong that the Norrbotniabanan was included in the national infrastructure plan or if I consider that Norrbotniabanan contributes to the public good and, based on that, intend to take some initiatives, as well as whether I and the government intend to work towards Norrbotniabanan being built in its entirety from Umeå to Luleå.
Regarding the first question, I can state that all stages of the Norrbotniabanan are included in the current national infrastructure plan. The Government has not taken any action aimed at removing Norrbotniabanan from the national infrastructure plan.
Regarding the second question, I would like to remind that the government wants to facilitate commuting and freight traffic to strengthen jobs and growth throughout the country. In Norrbotten and Västerbotten counties, an extensive new industrialization linked to fossil-free production and electrification is underway. The government sees great opportunities for northern Sweden to lead the new industrial revolution and become an engine for green innovations. The infrastructure in northern Sweden, of which the Norrbotniabanan is an important part, has great significance for both commuting and freight traffic in the region.
The Government has begun the work towards a new national plan for the planning period 2026-2037 by, in a first step, commissioning Trafikverket to submit a directional basis for a new planning period. This assignment was presented on 15 January and is now being prepared within the Government Offices. The basis will form the foundation for an infrastructure bill with new economic frameworks and direction for a new plan.
After the Riksdag has decided on the bill, including how large the twelve-year economic planning framework shall be, the government will instruct Trafikverket to prepare a proposal for a new national plan for the period 2026-2037. It is only in this part of the process that concrete projects and measures are investigated and analyzed.
Åsa Karlsson (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank Minister Carlson for the answer.
In December 2023, the Swedish National Audit Office report "National Plan for Transport Infrastructure - promises more than it can deliver" was released, which we will address here in the chamber once the government has provided its response. In the report, larger investments have been reviewed, and the Norrbotniabanan is identified as likely to be socio-economically unprofitable. With support from and inspiration from this report, the right-wing parties took a high horse in the railway debate a couple of months ago. A Moderate representative said in the railway debate here in the Riksdag on January 31, based on the National Audit Office's report: "It is remarkable that they dare to throw Norrbotniabanan into the plans without having proper underlying data."
Regarding the Riksrevisionen's report concerning the socio-economic model and the social benefit of a new railway in northern Sweden, I believe that we need to review the model for assessing social benefit, as it does not work for the development occurring in northern Sweden today. Just as I said in the debate on 31 January, the population statistics lag behind. One does not see what is happening in northern Sweden, where the need for expanded infrastructure is enormously large. We need the Norrbotniabanan, a reinforcement of the Malmbanan, and so on. We need to have a functioning and robust infrastructure in the northern parts of Sweden now.
Madam Speaker! My questions in the interpellation were: Does the Minister think it was wrong that the Norrbotniabanan was included in the national infrastructure plan? How does the Minister view that the Norrbotniabanan can contribute to social utility? Does the Minister and the government now intend to work towards the Norrbotniabanan being built in its entirety from Umeå to Luleå? The Minister mentions in his answer the government's ambition to facilitate commuting and freight transport to strengthen jobs and growth throughout the country. Do we receive a promise here today from Minister Andreas Carlson that the Norrbotniabanan will be built in its entirety?
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I stated in my response to the interpellation that all stages of the Norrbotniabanan are included in the currently applicable national infrastructure plan. I also stated that the government has not taken any action aimed at removing the Norrbotniabanan from the national infrastructure plan. Rather, it is that the government is accelerating measures to enable new industrialization in northern Sweden. There, work commuting and freight traffic are important keywords for the government's priorities and work.
I also reported on the work to develop the new national infrastructure plan. The direction document indicates that it is large costs that are at issue in the infrastructure moving forward. Just to address the maintenance debt and build the Norrbotniabanan and the sections Göteborg-Borås and Lund-Hässleholm, an additional 15 percent was needed, which means approximately 150 billion more, compared to the so-called zero alternative, which is the existing national plan. These are large costs associated with infrastructure in Sweden. When it comes to Norrbotniabanan, approximately 25 billion kronor is missing because it lies outside the current plan, that is, after the year 2033.
I cannot anticipate the process that is now underway. The decision on the frameworks is decided by the Riksdag, and the bill will be presented during the autumn. Therefore, I cannot, Madam Speaker, make any commitments regarding individual projects. I hope and believe that the member understands this.
My clear answer to the member's question is therefore that all stages of the Norrbotniabanan are included in the currently applicable national infrastructure plan and that the government has not taken any measures aimed at removing any part of the Norrbotniabanan from the national infrastructure plan. But the national infrastructure plan is largely unfinanced. The costs exceed the existing national plan, which means that a discussion will be held regarding how large the scope should be and what other measures and cost efficiencies can be made.
As I have pointed out in previous interpellation debates, Madam Speaker, the Swedish National Audit Office's report indicates that the decision to cancel the planning for new trunk lines for high-speed trains in the central parts between Borås, Linköping, and Hässleholm has reduced the commitment in the national plan by 163 billion SEK. It has, of course, resulted in that the over-committed part of the existing national plan has decreased, which enables other priorities that would not have been possible if we had had these 163 billion committed to those projects, Madam Speaker.
In other respects, we will, of course, in response to the National Audit Office's report, submit a communication that will be subject to debate here in the Swedish Riksdag. But the statement I have given in response to the questions, I hope, will be reassuring: The Government has not taken any action aimed at removing any part of the Norrbotniabanan, and all stages are included in the currently applicable infrastructure plan.
Åsa Karlsson (S)
Madam Speaker! I return to the National Audit Office's report. They state that the Norrbotniabanan should not have been included in the national infrastructure plan because it had not been sufficiently analyzed.
Norrbotniabanan is a well-investigated infrastructure project. Already in 2011, the railway investigation, that is, the corridor, was completed for the entire stretch Umeå-Luleå. One was then awaiting notification to be able to begin the railway plan, that is, exactly where the placement should be in the corridor. Norrbotniabanan would already have been in place if it had not been stopped in 2006.
It should have been in place, and it was truly needed already now. There is an acute need to have the Norrbotniabanan in place. The previous government took its responsibility and included Norrbotniabanan in the national plan.
Madam Speaker! We also have other infrastructure investments that at the planning stage did not appear to be socially and economically profitable, for example the Öresund Bridge and the Botniabanan. Those investments are today socially and economically profitable. Why could the Norrbotniabanan not become socially and economically profitable? Previous investments in infrastructure have proven to be.
When it comes to the Transportverket's orientation document which was reported on January 15, I was myself present in Linköping at Transportforum and had the orientation document presented to me on January 17. The document will, just as the Minister says, form the basis for a new infrastructure bill with new economic frameworks and for a new infrastructure plan.
The basis for the direction uses the national statistics from Trafikverket and Statistics Sweden which show the following:
Employment will decrease in Norrbotten and Västerbotten counties.
The population will decrease in Norrbotten and increase marginally in Västerbotten.
Transport of ore, wood, steel, mass, and paper will decrease compared to Trafikverket's latest forecast.
Public transport will remain unchanged or decrease in both counties.
If one has visited Norrbotten or Västerbotten in recent years, one knows that it is not true. It is very worrying.
We legislators must review the socio-economic model we have today, because it is misleading. SCB's population statistics lag behind. If one looks, for example, at the population development for my home municipality Skellefteå in the latest report that came in October 2023, it looks as if Skellefteå is to decrease by 2,500 people by 2040, when Skellefteå municipality in reality increased by 2,146 people during 2023 alone. The increase for the year before was 1,000 people. Fresh figures now show that the population in Skellefteå municipality has increased by 730 people during the first quarter of this year.
One can see in Statistics Sweden's population statistics over such a long period of time that the development that has occurred in Skellefteå and in northern Sweden in recent years is not included. It is not in the underlying data, and then it becomes an incorrect picture of what the development looks like in all of northern Sweden. How does the Minister view that?
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! SCB is the statistical authority that is available. Trafikverket must rely on the information contained in the underlying material that has been prepared. That said, it does not mean that it is the only parameter being looked at.
The orientation document is now out for consultation. There will be consultation conferences where I will meet representatives from regions and municipalities. There will be good opportunities to provide views on the orientation document.
I have already noted comments in the direction that Åsa Karlsson expresses in this debate. I have myself been to Skellefteå and met representatives for the municipality who describe it in exactly the same way as Åsa Karlsson does in the debate.
When it comes to the principles that shall apply to the infrastructure bill, it is something that is now part of the Tidö Agreement. There, we in the coalition parties will negotiate the overarching principles and direction for the infrastructure bill. Then there may be other aspects.
I have previously highlighted, for example, preparedness and redundancy as something that is not always, by definition, socio-economically profitable. It may not be profitable to build two bridges in order to, so to speak, have one in reserve. But it can be an aspect that needs to be weighed in.
What the National Audit Office highlights, and what we will return to in a letter to the Riksdag, is that there needs to be a transparency regarding the considerations being made. We will, of course, among the other parts of the National Audit Office's report, have this as a basis for the work of producing the new national plan.
Let me also say that the steps the government has taken between the plan revisions, for example the mandate to speed up for northern Sweden, provide a direction for what the government sees as the potential in northern Sweden.
It is obvious that the description the member makes for Skellefteå is not the only one. The Government sees great opportunities for northern Sweden to lead the new industrial revolution and become an engine for innovations, new jobs, growth, and also components that are crucial for us to succeed with the transition.
Then the infrastructure is either a bottleneck or an enabler for it. It will of course be an important part when we make the considerations that need to be made, given that the costs are large, the needs many, and the resources limited.
To return to the answer to the questions, all stages are included in the current national plan. The Government has not taken any measures to remove the Norrbotniabanan from the plan. I hope I will be able to provide answers to the questions that the member has asked, Madam Speaker.
Åsa Karlsson (S)
Madam Speaker and Minister! We also need to build the whole country together. New main lines are important to hold the country together and to connect Sweden with the continent and, for that part, also with Finland and Norway. The east-west connections are, in light of the new geopolitical situation we find ourselves in, as the Minister mentions, very important. Now we have an additional aspect that has arisen regarding the importance of infrastructure, and that is not least the redundancy.
We must have a cohesive country, and for that, we must refurbish the old railways and also build new tracks. Most infrastructure investments made in the past have, as I have said before, not been seen as socio-economically profitable. The Botniabanan and the Öresund Bridge are examples. The fact is that they have become socio-economically profitable once they are in place.
I really hope that all the stretches are still included in the new infrastructure plan that is coming. With that, I would like to thank the Minister for the debate.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I have now answered that a few times. The Government has not taken any measures aimed at removing the Norrbotniabanan from the plan.
Then there are, as the member is pointing out, very great needs. Maintenance is highlighted in the concluding remarks. Something that I was pointing out, in brief, is that it is extremely urgent to connect the country so that the whole country can function. One does not need to travel many miles on the roads to see that the needs are great. One sees it on the railway, which for large parts is over a hundred years old with great maintenance needs.
It is a matter of making all of this fit with the investment needs that exist and the readiness-enhancing measures that are needed, not least in the east-west direction. The Defence Preparedness Board has pointed out that it needs to be strengthened, and our NATO membership underscores it.
It was an important and urgent decision that the government made to cancel the plans for trunk lines for high-speed trains. It reduced the national debt by 163 billion. Had we not made that decision, this issue and many other issues could have been seen in a different light.
Now we have taken responsibility to be able to make the priorities that are needed to both reclaim neglected maintenance and make necessary new investments where it is needed, primarily to facilitate commuting and freight traffic.
I look forward to the continued dialogue. It is currently ongoing in the preparation of the orientation document where everyone will have a say. All regions, municipalities and, I imagine, many others will submit referral responses. There will also be opportunities for referral conferences.
It is a very urgent and important process where I encourage all regions and municipalities to try to look a bit further than their own border to see what the whole of Sweden benefits from in order to build the country together and facilitate so that we get a transport infrastructure that is both sustainable and robust and that makes it possible to rely on the infrastructure regardless of where one lives in the country.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.