Response to interpellation 2024/25:579 on the railway's role in the total defense
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 breaking a destructive trend by prioritizing maintenance and investing in a substantial upgrade of the railway to strengthen the total defense 1. KD emphasizes that the maintenance now reaches a level where the condition of the railway can be maintained and that the government is carrying out more maintenance work than ever 2. KD claims that the government now prioritizes maintenance, has canceled the planning of high-speed lines, and is freeing up money from administrative costs 3. KD argues that the proposal to take back the maintenance under state control is inefficient 2 and that S's proposal for financing would slaughter the upgrading of Swedish roads 4. S argues that the infrastructure is neglected and that the current market-driven model lacks democratic control and preparedness 5. S wants the state to regain control and expertise over railway maintenance 6. S believes that the government's budget is insufficient to pay off the massive maintenance debt 7. S proposes 45 billion kronor more for railway maintenance over the next twelve years 7. S argues that the government lacks urgency, has scrapped the planning of new main lines, and that the fragmented railway creates vulnerabilities 7 8. S wants to strengthen public democratic control over the infrastructure 8. S criticizes the government for not wanting to join a working group for infrastructure and preparedness 7 9.
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! Aylin Nouri has asked me if I consider that the railway is being maintained and upgraded at a sufficient speed and with sufficient quality to meet our growing total defense needs, and if not, if I intend to take any measures. Furthermore, Aylin Nouri has asked me if I assess that the current organization and management of railway maintenance is purposeful from a total defense perspective and if I intend to take any initiatives based on my assessment. Finally, Aylin Nouri has asked me if I intend to take initiatives to strengthen public control over the railway infrastructure.
In the proposition Totalförsvaret 2025–2030 (prop. 2024/25:34), the government states that activities of importance for the total defense need to be assigned greater significance than previously when trade-offs are made between different societal interests. Trafikverket shall therefore take into account the total defense's needs for transport infrastructure, including the need to maintain society-critical functions before and during high alert and, ultimately, war, as well as to enable military mobility and NATO's military operations, including host nation support.
Trafikverket is a preparedness authority and a sector-responsible authority according to the Ordinance (2022:524) on the Preparedness of Government Agencies. The preparedness authorities are an important part of the civil defense and shall, among other things, cooperate with the Swedish Armed Forces regarding the need for support to the military defense.
In the regulatory letter to Trafikverket for 2025, Trafikverket has been tasked to take special measures for strengthened protection of the state infrastructure such as road facilities, rail yards and society-critical facilities for the railway, as well as capacity-enhancing measures to maintain and repair transport infrastructure during high alert and war. The measures shall aim to develop and strengthen the civil defense and thereby contribute to a higher collective capability within the total defense.
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, there have not been the economic conditions for Trafikverket to carry out the necessary maintenance to maintain the condition of the railway.
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, not least for the needs of the total defense, 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.
The government is now reversing the destructive trend of prioritizing down maintenance and is instead prioritizing this central activity, both in terms of more money for maintenance and more maintenance for the money. The railway faces a significant upgrade during the upcoming planning period 2026–2037 regarding the national state transport infrastructure. As a result of the government's investments, a trend break is now occurring, and maintenance will for the first time in many years be at a level where the condition of the railway can be maintained. During the coming years, the deferred maintenance will also decrease.
Regarding Aylin Nouris' question about taking the initiative to strengthen public control over railway infrastructure, there is currently no restriction on the control over the railway infrastructure owned and managed by the state through Trafikverket, which is the absolute majority of the infrastructure. The remaining parts of the country's railway network are owned and managed by other infrastructure managers, for example municipalities and companies. I do not intend to change that order.
Aylin Nouri (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.
I must however say that it is difficult to understand the relaxed attitude that the Minister takes here in the Chamber today. We are not discussing what level of ambition would be nice to have at some point in the future. We are discussing Sweden's ability to secure its total defense here and now.
Given the Minister's relaxed attitude, perhaps it is appropriate for me to remind the Minister that our infrastructure is the foundation for the entire society's functionality. By that, I do not mean only our welfare, our prosperity, our growth, that one can get to work and that our country should be tied together from north to south, but I also mean for our total defense.
I feel compelled to remind the Minister that Swedish infrastructure is enormously neglected, and this applies in particular to the railway. The trains do not run on time to a sufficient extent, they do not arrive on time to a sufficient extent, and the lack of railway capacity is enormous.
To the matter at hand, Madam Speaker, is that Sweden has the world's most deregulated railway. Democratic control is lacking. Trafikverket does not perform any maintenance on its own account but instead hires private contractors who in turn hire subcontractors. There is no long-term governance, no readiness capability worth the name, no incentives to work for the sake of the economy or for the requirements of the total defense.
Sweden does not need more levels of procurement chains. Sweden needs to regain control over its critical infrastructure.
It is time for Swedish politics, more precisely the government, to make a decision. Shall the railway continue to be treated as a market experiment, or is it time that we see critical Swedish infrastructure as a common public good?
My point, Madam Speaker, is that what does not work in everyday life will also not work in a crisis or, ultimately, in war. In the security policy situation we find ourselves in, all parties in the Swedish Riksdag should share our concern over how neglected the Swedish railway is. If the SD government does not want to listen to us Social Democrats, one can listen to Natokritik. Constant delays, capacity shortages, derailments, and broken facilities mean that one can hardly call our railway resilient as required in NATO's Article 3, which concerns the member states' own ability to withstand armed attacks.
We must make our country strong and resilient, and it is urgent. Therefore, we Social Democrats are allocating 750 million kronor more for 2025 than the government to work faster to eliminate the maintenance debt.
Madam Speaker! Infrastructure is the foundation, the backbone, of our total defense. It cannot be outsourced. It cannot wait. It cannot be governed by market logic. It requires public ownership, robustness, and resources here and now.
I hope that the Minister can give a more serious and responsible answer in his next contribution.
Kadir Kasirga (S)
Madam Speaker! Thanks to my fellow Member of Parliament Aylin Nouri for this important interpellation! Thanks to the Minister for Infrastructure for the answer!
It is good that the government highlights the total defense's need for a provision in the regulatory letter to Trafikverket, but it is not enough to speak only of instructions. I believe we also need to go deeper and review the entire model for how the railway maintenance is organized.
The truth is that today we are living with a market failure. The maintenance of the railway has been organized in a way that has created fragmentation, short-sightedness, and a lack of control. Today we have a system where responsibility has been divided between Trafikverket and a number of private actors, where knowledge and competence are eroded when procurements spin on, and where those who are responsible for the condition of the railway network often do not have the opportunity to act in time. It is not sustainable, especially when we speak of railway maintenance as part of the total defense.
For the total defense, it is not just about enabling military mobility or securing Natotransporter. It is about the entire society's resilience, about ensuring that ambulance transports function, about food being able to be distributed, and about people being able to be evacuated or get to work and schools when there is a crisis. It requires a functioning and robust transport system. In that case, a fragmented, vulnerable, and market-driven model will not suffice.
Madam Speaker! The state needs to take back control. It is not enough to say that Trafikverket owns the tracks. It is about also taking back the competence, the resources, and the direct execution under state authority. There is today broad knowledge that this is the right way to go. Trade union organizations, investigations, researchers, and employees testify to how today's model creates inefficiency, safety deficiencies, and unnecessary costs. It is not reasonable that the state should pay for different contractors to compete each other out while we lose the long-term competence required for the railway to function.
Madam Speaker! If we are to manage the supply preparedness, the total defense requirements, and the climate transition, we must also manage to rethink. A functioning railway binds Sweden together. It is necessary both in everyday life and during a crisis. But then it must be maintained by a system that is built for the good of society, not for short-term profit. Therefore, I want to urge the government to take the next step. It is good to talk about priorities. But even more important is to organize the railway maintenance in a way that is efficient, robust, and long-term.
I want to ask the Minister: If the government is serious about prioritizing the needs of the total defense, why does one not dare to take back the railway maintenance in its own capacity so that we can build a unified, strong and secure railway infrastructure? I look forward to an answer.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! The member will, of course, receive an answer. This question has been investigated.
The previous government tasked the investigator Gunnar Alexandersson to look into this, and he concluded that exactly what the members are proposing would be very inefficient and in practice completely unfeasible. Feel free to engage in political rhetoric! But what is important now, Madam Speaker, is to get more maintenance work in place as quickly as possible, where all good forces work together to maintain Swedish infrastructure. It does not fully measure up. I agree with the members on that. But the investigation that the Social Democratic government gave an additional directive to reached this conclusion already over ten years ago. Since then, a wet blanket has lain over railway maintenance.
Much of what we see today is the result of a passivity for which no one other than the Social Democrats bears responsibility. But the government takes responsibility by now doing everything we can to both strengthen Trafikverket's procurement competence and operational capacity and get everyone pulling in the same direction. That, Madam Speaker, has led to 1,700 works being carried out this year regarding the maintenance of the Swedish railway. That is more than ever before. Is it enough? No, more needs to be done. But moving from words to action, I believe, is important.
Madam Speaker! One knows the tree by the fruit. Look at the government's actions, which have led to us now having a budget that breaks with the negative trend that has existed over the last few years. This is not least about the two most recent national plans for which the two most recent S-governments bear the responsibility, but it has also been a responsibility shared across block boundaries. I shall be clear in highlighting this, Madam Speaker, in the debate. But now we are breaking this trend.
To stop the deterioration of the railway, the maintenance appropriation needs to reach a level of approximately 15 billion kronor per year. In 2025, the government is allocating just over 18 billion kronor for the maintenance of the railway, which means that we are stopping the deterioration and simultaneously recovering deferred maintenance. It is positive to hear that there is a consensus on this. On the other hand, it is difficult to allocate the 750 million kronor that Aylin Nouri speaks of, because we are now allocating the maximum of what can be achieved without affecting traffic more than is necessary.
Traffic will be affected. We saw this, not least during the Easter holidays, when much track work was carried out. There will be a lot of that during the year when 1,700 maintenance works are carried out. It is not just about the maintenance works themselves, but it is important to hit strategic switches, to replace contact lines before they have collapsed, and to perform track work to increase robustness. This is important for the whole of Sweden to function. It is important for Sweden's total defense capability.
I agree with Aylin Nouri regarding the words here and now. But we move from words to action. Early in the parliamentary period, we interrupted the planning of new main lines for high-speed trains. According to the Swedish National Audit Office, that accounted for 160 billion SEK of the upcoming plans' financing. There is a maintenance debt on the railway side of 91 billion SEK. The deferred maintenance has increased by approximately 36 billion SEK just compared to the previous orientation basis. It is therefore important to get the shovel in the ground and prioritize so that there is more money for maintenance and more maintenance for the money.
Aylin Nouri (S)
Madam Speaker! I think it is unfortunate that the Minister spends so much of his time blaming previous governments. It is actually the Minister who is the Minister for Infrastructure, but in this way, he evades his political responsibility for Sweden's transport system and preparedness.
Let me remind you that Trafikverket is a politically steered agency. The government seems to forget that. The government has the responsibility to steer the goals, prioritize the resources, and ensure that our country has a functioning transport infrastructure in crisis, in everyday life, and ultimately in war. It is the government's responsibility that our infrastructure is characterized by robustness, own capacity, and the state control that is needed.
I heard the Minister of State talk about trend crimes and also about so-called historical investments that the government is making to pay off the maintenance debt. But the truth is that the maintenance budget that the SD government has presented is by no means sufficient to pay off the massive maintenance debt. Anyone can understand that a modest increase of 5 percent in the appropriations for the maintenance debt in times of inflation and enormous cost increases in reality rather means cuts.
In the serious security situation that Sweden finds itself in, it is not sufficient. It is a historical mistake, Madam Speaker. A larger part of the appropriations needs to go to railway maintenance if we are to manage the readiness. The investments that the government presents will, in the best case, suffice for status quo over the coming twelve years. It is not sufficient when the robustness is already substandard.
We Social Democrats propose 45 billion kronor more for the maintenance of the railway over the next twelve years and 750 million more already this year. It is such investments that are needed to build a total defense worthy of the name.
Madam Speaker! The SD government lacks a sense of urgency. Among the first decisions this government took was to scrap the planning of new trunk lines. But the needs for expanded railway and capacity remain. The Swedish Transport Administration itself says in a report that recently arrived that the capacity that the government scrapped the decision on is needed. The only difference now is that the Swedish people have received a double blow. Important EU funding is being lost. For the Swedish people, the bill becomes more expensive and the wait for critical infrastructure longer.
Our infrastructure must be built strong, not least in the security policy situation that prevails. Therefore, I submitted an initiative to the Committee on Transport regarding the gathering of all the Riksdag's parties in a working group to reach an agreement on infrastructure and preparedness. But the Tidö parties voted no. They did not even want to deliberate the issue further. In a time when we need to unite, the government parties choose to go in the exact opposite direction – more division.
My questions to the Minister remain. We need political unity to strengthen our resilience. Does the Minister truly believe that a fragmented, deregulated railway system is optimal for meeting a crisis or even war?
Kadir Kasirga (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
I want to begin by informing the Minister that the claim that the Social Democratic government has not prioritized railway infrastructure is incorrect. Between 2006 and 2025, the Riksdag has not had a Social Democratic majority. But despite that, during the times we have governed the country, we have prioritized railways and railway maintenance. In 2018 alone, we made investments of 47 percent of the national plan, and in 2022, the investments were 30 percent of the national plan. I think the Minister should stick to the facts.
Madam Speaker! After today's debate, I can state that it is clear that the government is not taking the problems within the railway fully seriously. The Minister seems to remain unconcerned about the de-privatization within the railway, despite the fact that it creates serious vulnerabilities for the total defense. The Minister also seems to be satisfied with pushing the re-acquisition of the maintenance far into the future when we should be acting forcefully already now.
We Social Democrats want to strengthen railway maintenance directly and build stronger public democratic control over the infrastructure – not for the sake of ideology, but because Sweden needs it in a restless world. If we are to have a total defense that works, we cannot have a railway that resembles a Donald Duck railway, that is to say, a fragmented and vulnerable railway.
Sweden deserves a cohesive, strong and secure infrastructure, and it requires political courage to take back control. We do that by taking back control over the railway maintenance.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! When one has not really delivered oneself, it can be easy to point at something else. That was my ambition in providing a small historical look back. Many of the problems we see today are the fruit of decisions or non-decisions, priorities or non-priorities from earlier.
It is true that railway maintenance increased during the previous government, but the question one must ask is: Was it sufficient? No, we see in black and white that it was not sufficient. The deferred maintenance increased by approximately 36 billion kronor compared to the previous orientation basis, which is from 2020.
The maintenance debt on the railway side has grown avalanche-like. Therefore, the government has decided to prioritize maintenance. That was stated in our first government statement. We decided to cancel the planning of main lines for high-speed trains, which lie far in the future and do not correspond to the needs here and now. They would have contributed to the upgrading of Swedish infrastructure but would have taken up over 160 billion of the space in the national plan, not only now but also for a long time to come.
When I speak about the trend break that is now occurring, I am referring to the fact that for the first time a budget is being laid that ensures that the railway maintenance debt actually does not grow and that the condition of the railway does not continue to deteriorate.
The increase being made is in fact greater than 5 percent, because the previous government allowed the Transport Administration to burden the maintenance budget with administrative costs, that is to say, personnel at the Transport Administration. These were funds that were supposed to go towards the maintenance and upkeep of the railway. We are now freeing these up so that the appropriation is no longer burdened by them.
It means that the increase in reality is 18 percent, which the members of the Committee on Transport know. I have gone through this very carefully with the Committee on Transport, Madam Speaker. I believe it is important to highlight this in the Chamber as well. These are sums that were locked by the Swedish Riksdag and which have gone to something other than what the Riksdag has decided on. The government is now correcting this, which means we get better transparency, better cost control, and budget discipline. But we are also freeing up money that is to go to railway maintenance.
This has resulted in us having 1,700 railway maintenance projects this year, which is the highest number ever. This has occurred thanks to good cooperation between Trafikverket and maintenance contractors. Trafikverket has received a clear mandate to strengthen its operational capacity and its procurement competence and to cooperate with maintenance contractors who are prepared to contribute to upgrading Swedish infrastructure.
In this situation, it is important that all good forces cooperate. The Transport Administration's role needs to be strengthened, of course, something the government has already implemented. It is from that mandate that they are working now, Madam Speaker.
The opposition members come here with an old proposal that their own government did nothing about. That is not what we are focused on. We have focused on increasing robustness and establishing a punctuality that is worthy of the name.
Even though I do not think one should make too big a deal out of it, we do see that March was the best month in two years and became a good month for Swedish train travelers. More than nine out of ten passenger trains arrived on time, which is the best result since April 2023. These are figures from Trafikverket's punctuality report, which comes to me and everyone else every month.
This follows a trend. In February, more passenger trains arrived on time, it is written. Punctuality increased to 89 percent, which is just over 2 percentage points higher than the month before and better than February last year. At the same time, a record number of trains are running on the railway, which is also being upgraded more than ever.
I do not say this because I am satisfied, but to illustrate that our shifting of gears for railway policy and our prioritization of measures here and now to strengthen maintenance is beginning to have an effect. We are not finished yet, but I thank you for the commitment to the Swedish railway, Madam Speaker.
Aylin Nouri (S)
Madam Speaker! Those listening to the Minister may question the ambition: that the maintenance debt should not grow. So much more must be done. It is not enough that it should not grow; it must be paid down. There must be a plan for when we truly take action and deal with the enormous maintenance debt that the infrastructure and the railway are characterized by.
I note that the Minister for Infrastructure speaks about cooperation, and I wish that this also applied in reality. We are in an enormously serious security situation, and in that case, the Swedish Riksdag must come together. An expansion of the Swedish railway, for which there is an enormous need and which Nato points out as crucial for our resilience, requires that the politicians come together. To then vote no and be uninterested in sitting down together with the opposition is not to show leadership and take responsibility for Sweden in a tough time.
The infrastructure cannot wait until the next planning period. Total defense cannot be built on private profit incentives. Democratic control cannot be replaced by market experiments. Sweden deserves better.
Our society must hold together – in everyday life, in crisis and, ultimately, as said, in war. Then we need resilience, public readiness and long-term leadership.
We point out an alternative, and we do so also through proposals for financing. If the Minister and this government are serious about wanting to see an infrastructure that is robust and reliable, they only need to follow our examples.
Statsrådet Andreas Carlson (KD)
Madam Speaker! Sometimes there are some concerns when one perhaps has a pre-written speech. ”Don't wait until the next planning period,” says the member. I have described how we work month by month to get maintenance work started, more than ever in 2025. This is starting to yield results.
We are, of course, happy to look at financing, and that is also what we have done. We have looked at the Social Democrats' proposal for financing, Madam Speaker. The Social Democrats are very proud of the 45 billion kronor that is intended to go to railway maintenance. It is very unclear whether this can be implemented because the level we have set for railway maintenance is the maximum. But what Aylin Nouri does not tell us is that she is taking the money from road maintenance. She is slaughtering the upgrading of Swedish roads, which is also completely crucial, Madam Speaker, for us to have a readiness and a robustness worthy of the name. Nato is equally interested in the Swedish road network and in the fact that the government now has a plan to build up the BK4 network – roads with load class 4, which can handle the really heavy transports – in the entire country.
Please also tell us about this! With Social Democratic policy, money that cannot be spent on railway maintenance will be burned inside. There will continue to be potholes on the roads. On the road side, we are also maximizing the maintenance, Madam Speaker, and have a plan to catch up with all deferred maintenance. And on the railway side, we are now maximizing the budget and allocating the funds that have been missing previously, under previous governments of different colors, so that we can get a railway that people can rely on. This is important for the whole of Sweden to function. It is about more money for maintenance, but it is also about more maintenance for the money.
Work is ongoing. I am pleased with the commitment. This is something that we will continue to follow so that one can rely on the infrastructure in our elongated country, Madam Speaker.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.