Response to interpellation 2024/25:214 on the lack of investments in the railway in Skåne
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 is investing maximally in railway maintenance in the long-term framework and is reversing a destructive trend by prioritizing more money and more maintenance for the money 1 2. KD considers that they have acted responsibly by using money for land connections to increase capacity on the Öresund Bridge 3. KD argues that they prioritize this over costly high-speed trains to use the money more effectively 4. KD considers that they are taking responsibility for cleaning up after previous decisions 3. S considers that the government's infrastructure proposition is a disappointment as the railway maintenance receives a low increase compared to roads 5. S argues that the government is allowing a market failure to continue 6.
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! Ola Möller has asked me if I consider that investments in the road network will solve the problems for Skåne's train passengers, and if not, if I intend to take any measures to improve the situation for train passengers in Skåne.
The government's starting point for infrastructure policy is that the whole of Sweden shall function. The conditions for living, residing and working in the whole country shall be strengthened. A well-functioning transport infrastructure strengthens both Sweden's overall competitiveness and regional development.
The maintenance of the infrastructure has for a long time been allocated too few resources, while cost control has been deficient. For several decades, the maintenance of both roads and railways has been deprioritized, and the maintenance debt has been allowed to grow. This has meant that, in the long term, the conditions have not existed for Trafikverket to carry out the maintenance required to maintain the functionality of the facilities.
Train passengers and freight carriers shall be able to rely on that the trains arrive on time. The Government is working for a transport infrastructure that functions, where the roads are intact and the trains run on time. The needs are great, and it is necessary to make deliberate prioritizations between different measures. This means that we must maintain the existing transport system and prioritize maintenance but also invest in new infrastructure where it is needed.
On October 3 of this year, the government submitted an infrastructure bill to the Riksdag with proposals for historically large investments in the transport infrastructure. The economic framework for the period 2026-2037 is proposed to be increased by 200 billion kronor compared to the previous planning period to 1,171 billion kronor.
Ola Möller asks whether investments in road maintenance will solve the problems for Skåne's train travelers. Let me be clear, investments in road maintenance shall go towards maintaining roads and investments in railway maintenance shall go towards maintaining railways. There is no contradiction between maintaining roads and railways. We need to do both to pay off the maintenance debt.
I therefore want to remind that the government has proposed increases for both road and railway maintenance corresponding to the volume that Trafikverket assesses can be achieved during the upcoming planning period. This means that all the lagging maintenance for the road system is being addressed. For the railway, as much as Trafikverket assesses is possible is being addressed during this period. The government is now reversing the destructive trend of neglecting maintenance and is instead prioritizing maintenance in terms of both more money for maintenance and more maintenance for the money.
Ola Möller (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister!
Skåne is, as we all know, the gateway to Sweden, and a large amount of all the goods that come to Sweden pass through Skåne. Skåne's roads, ports and railways truly make the entire country live.
When the Fehmarn Belt link between Denmark and Germany is completed in 2029, the Scanian infrastructure will become even more congested, and in light of this, the government's infrastructure proposition is a disappointment. From a Scanian horizon, it is difficult to see what will become significantly better. The pausing of the expansion of the main line between Lund and Hässleholm was a fatal blow, moreover, a completely incomprehensible one, and needs to be seen in light of the investments, or lack of investments, that the government proposes for railway maintenance.
While road maintenance is maximized, the railway is left on the sidelines. Road maintenance receives an increase of 48 percent, while railway maintenance receives an increase of 5 percent. Had we Social Democrats had pushed through our policy, the increase for railway maintenance would have been 27.5 percent.
When one knows that over 6,000 departures with Pågatågen, over 1,600 departures with Öresundstågen and over 400 departures with Pågatågen just from Hässleholm were cancelled in the first half of 2024 and that approximately half of these are due to the infrastructure, I am nevertheless struck. It is completely obvious that the system does not deliver what the people of Skåne can expect of it.
That is why I question the government's priorities and lack of action. Why is railway maintenance not prioritized more? What message does the minister want to send to all the people in Skåne who are standing and waiting on the platform while the cars roll by?
Adrian Magnusson (S)
Madam Speaker! I take the opportunity to speak a little bit about the railway in southeastern Skåne. I am the only Member of Parliament from southeastern Skåne, so if someone is going to do it, it is well me. It is an excellent opportunity when it is precisely the railway in Skåne that is being discussed.
The railway section between Simrishamn, Ystad and Malmö is the section in all of Skåne that is most affected by delays and cancelled trains. It creates a feeling that southeastern Skåne is forgotten and neglected, a region where one is supposed to spend the summer and possibly some leisure time on the weekends.
Working and commuting to Malmö and Lund, however, is not possible if you live in southeastern Skåne. It is a major concern that harms both the future prospects and the hope in Ystad, Simrishamn and Tomelilla municipalities, and it also harms growth. Unemployment is admittedly not high in all these municipalities, but it clearly harms the possibility of being able to take the jobs that exist in Malmö, Lund and other parts of western Skåne, where large parts of Skåne's growth actually occurs. This is a concern that to a large extent is due to diminished railway maintenance.
Therefore, it is regrettable that the railway is not prioritized higher in the government's proposal. Instead, it is roads that receive the main investments.
Then one might imagine that the people in southeastern Skåne could instead take the car to Malmö. But those who have tried to do so on a Tuesday morning at half past six will soon find themselves sitting in a long queue at Sturup airport, so that is not possible either.
When one does not invest in the railway, which is the climate-smart alternative even if it is sometimes forgotten, one might force people out onto the road instead, and in my part of Skåne, very large investments in roads would be required for it to be an alternative to the railway.
I believe that most in southeastern Skåne would have welcomed investments in the railway, and I think it is regrettable that the government has chosen the path it has chosen.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! Sometimes one is surprised in the chamber of the Riksdag. This is such an occasion. Did the members cover their ears when I gave my answer to the interpellation?
We are allocating as many resources as Trafikverket assesses can be utilized both on roads and on railways. We heard from Adrian Magnusson that investments in the road network were also needed. What would the effect have been if we had allocated even more money that could not have been utilized? The risk would have been that one would only have to pay them back.
This is a consequence of railway maintenance being deprioritized and that methods have not been updated and maintenance work strengthened. That is what the government is now in the full process of doing. I perceive that there is a strong commitment, but it would also have been interesting with a certain degree of self-criticism and that you had taken in the answer I gave, namely that we are investing maximally in railway maintenance in the long-term transport infrastructure framework.
I am also somewhat surprised that Ola Möller takes the decision to cancel the planning for trunk lines for high-speed trains between Lund and Hässleholm and instead give Trafikverket a new assignment to build for lower speeds in a more cost-effective way and also take other measures that incorporate the opening of the Fehmarn Bält connection in the decision. The Government revised the national plan last year and then tasked Trafikverket with planning for two new tracks between Lund and Hässleholm which shall cost-effectively improve for work commuting and increase the capacity for freight.
The government has also included six named objects in the national plan that were on the previous government's table but which they chose to deprioritize. What are those objects? Yes, they are objects aimed at increasing the capacity for freight traffic on the railway with a view towards the Fehmarn Bält connection opening.
What do these land connections mean, together with the reinforcements on the Danish side that the Danish government decided on the same day? Well, it means that the capacity on the Öresund Bridge increases by just over 30 percent on the current connection. It was the effect of the government taking a decision to cancel the very costly work with tracks for high-speed trains, implement a more cost-effective solution, and also establish land connections that increase the capacity in the existing track.
It would have been interesting to hear a bit more about why these six named objects were simply ruled out. Why was responsibility not taken to increase the capacity of the existing connection in light of the fact that the Fehmarn Bält connection would open, which you had full information about at the time? This, in addition to the obvious strengthening of the work with maintenance, which the government has now taken responsibility for as we clean up some of the previous sins in infrastructure policy.
Madam Speaker! The message in the infrastructure framework, which is historically high, should also be seen in light of the fact that during the mandate period we have already taken responsibility for failures and deprioritizations from the previous government.
Ola Möller (S)
Madam Speaker! The Minister for Infrastructure is well aware that infrastructure is sequenced in cycles, that is to say, those projects would have been completed if we had remained in power. The image that everything is the Social Democrats' fault is therefore somewhat regrettable because it is actually now, under the Minister for Infrastructure's stewardship, that there will in practice be cuts to railway maintenance.
During this planning period, 10-15 percent of the railway maintenance, the debt that exists, will be cleared. To then stand paralyzed and say that is how it will be, because Trafikverket has said so, is not quite reasonable from the government. All of us who have worked with housing policy or infrastructure policy know that a 5 percent increase in practice becomes a cut.
Somewhere the minister makes what the Transport Administration says into general law. The authority has said something, and then it is so. But according to the constitution, it is the government that governs the realm, and then one must also manage to govern towards meeting the Skånians' humble expectation that the trains should run on time - and that they should run at all.
In the government's own proposition, it is stated that both resources and competence are lacking at Trafikverket for railway maintenance to be able to increase. Likewise, the market is undersized and obviously dysfunctional. It is a market failure we see before our eyes. Regarding this, the minister wants peace - a peace declared on the radio - which would mean that we let a market failure continue.
One of the reasons for the resource shortage is that the decision is being stopped. Just look at the municipal sector, the municipalities' placement conditions and the great surprise, fear and desperation that arose in Scania municipalities because the decision was paused.
Another reason is the savings made on the administrative appropriations for Myndighetssverige for 2023. It also affected Trafikverket with reductions in capacity.
A third reason is the desire for the private market to handle the maintenance. It is one of the reasons why the private sector does not want to invest in maintenance machinery. In that case, it may not be so reasonable for the private sector to handle the maintenance.
Does the minister mean that he has some responsibility for the fact that the residents of Skåne do not arrive on time or at all to work, doctor's appointments, or family dinners? Is there any part where the minister can say that here the government has fallen short? It becomes tiring to hear in debate after debate that everything is the Social Democrats' fault.
Adrian Magnusson (S)
Madam Speaker! I also reacted to the fact that Trafikverket says that this is what they can manage - and I have heard that even in other contexts. If there is a will to allocate more money, effort, energy, or whatever one wants to call it to the railway maintenance, one can steer Trafikverket.
Now I have been critical of Trafikverket in two consecutive interpellation debates, but there are obviously major problems with the agency Trafikverket. We Social Democrats have proposed a division of Trafikverket to address some of the problems. There is certainly reason to return to the issue in the future, but it seems that what Trafikverket says becomes law, a bit like Member Möller was pointing out. It is Trafikverket that sets the framework for infrastructure policy, not the elected representatives. It is both a problem and a bit strange, and I believe we will have reason to return to the issue.
To still show that I listened to the Minister's answer, the following was stated, among other things: "Train passengers and freight carriers shall be able to rely on the trains arriving on time." If one lives in my part of Skåne, one must be prepared for the trains not to arrive on time, and instead one must expect a half-hour or hour's delay. One has to account for that and travel a bit earlier in the morning or afternoon, or when traveling to Stockholm. One must expect that there can be large delays. As I said, it harms growth, and it harms the possibility of commuting to work. I know that the government prioritizes commuting to work, but in certain periods it is difficult to commute to work by train in eastern Skåne.
I have highlighted the situation for the Minister, and we will have reason to return to Trafikverket in the future.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! We have received an interesting announcement in the chamber today, namely that there was a deliberate strategy from the Social Democrats not to include the six land connections because they expected to be re-elected and take care of them four years later. It is a new announcement. I have not heard it before.
I believe that many in Skåne are questioning the fact that one in a very deliberate way neglected completely necessary investments to increase the capacity of the Öresund Bridge, given that it was known that the Fehmarn Bält connection would be opened.
There has also been difficulty with the financing because the decision that the government made, according to the National Audit Office, saved 163 billion in pledges in future plans; in a plan that promised more than it could deliver according to the National Audit Office. The government's decision to use money that would have only sufficed for 320 kilometers of high-speed rail between Lund and Hässleholm and to use money for land connections which, together with the land connection reinforcements being made on the Danish side, increase the capacity of the Öresund Bridge by over 30 percent is a responsible action. To postpone the type of investments that the Social Democrats obviously intended to make is a new development, but it explains the sluggishness.
I am not saying, and I have not said, that everything is the Social Democrats' fault, but I have said that a certain self-criticism would have been appropriate given the agitation that has existed because it has not been planned for the Fehmarn Bält connection to open on the Swedish side. We take responsibility for that and clean it up.
It is also interesting to hear Ola Möller mention the term administrative grants. It is also one of the cleanup measures that the government makes in the infrastructure bill. The previous government allowed costs that were supposed to go to roads and railways to be absorbed by administrative costs on the general grant. Now we are freeing up those resources, and it concerns 59 billion kronor. This means that Trafikverket has more money for maintenance of railways because personnel costs will not burden Trafikverket's central organization. It is also an issue that will have great significance because it means that it will be 27 percent more with the current plan in fixed prices after inflation adjustment. It also means strengthened work with cost control, budget discipline, and transparency. I believe that the members of the Riksdag would appreciate it because it is the Riksdag that locks the decision next week, that is, the frameworks that the government then has to adhere to.
I have not said that everything is the Socialdemokraternas fault, but what I have raised is the question of some self-criticism. Many of the consequences that travelers in Skåne are reaping today are decisions from a long time ago and a failure to prioritize maintenance of both railway and road.
Ola Möller (S)
Madam Speaker! I am still surprised that the Minister does not mention the fact that approximately 750 million was reprioritized from railway maintenance to road maintenance in 2023 - in a speech on responsibility. As if it would not have had any effect on the problems increasing in Skåne.
I am also surprised that the minister does not mention the debacle surrounding the vocational training and the fact that no money was allocated to the locomotive driver training. A non-negligible part of the problems in Skåne is based on the shortage of locomotive drivers, and there is a lot of focus on what the Social Democrats did or did not do. The picture the minister paints, that there was no plan or idea from the Social Democrats in these matters, is not true. But the minister also has to deal with the fact that everything cannot happen at once without placing them in sequences.
It is clear that we started from the assumption that we would win the election. I believe that is also what the minister usually does.
Together with the shortcomings that I have highlighted previously, it is clear that the Scanian railway is not prioritized by the government, nor is the business community in southern Sweden. Now Ikea has to run its own buses because the traffic does not work from southern Skåne up to Älmhult. Similar to the trains, the people of Skåne will have to wait to receive good policy for Skåne and the railway from the government.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! I have a joyful announcement. The people of Skåne will have to wait for a shorter time than they would have if high-speed trains had been planned for part of Skåne instead of the announcement the government gave earlier, that is to say, that we will use the money more effectively. I agree with the member that not everything can happen at once, and that is why one cannot prioritize costly high-speed trains at the expense of land connections that increase the capacity of the Öresund Bridge by 30 percent and at the expense of maintenance, which has been neglected and has not been prioritized. We prioritize this before other large projects which, according to the National Audit Office, would have consumed 163 billion in upcoming plans.
This will benefit the people of Skåne and others much earlier than if one had continued to plan for the trains to run fast far into the future. Now it is about the trains running more on time earlier than with the plans that were at hand in the previous national plan.
I thank you for the commitment, but there still have not come so many messages regarding why the priorities have been made. We will certainly have reason to return to that at another occasion.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.