Rail transport in Sweden

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Sweden
Operation
National railwaySJ
Infrastructure companySwedish Transport Administration
Major operatorsArlanda Express, FlixTrain, Inlandsbanan, Krösatågen, MTR, Mälartåg, Norrtåg, Storstockholms lokaltrafik (SL), SJ, Snälltåget, Tågab, Vy Tåg, Pågatågen, Värmlandstrafik, Vy, Västtrafik, X-trafik, Øresundståg, Östgötapendeln[1]
Statistics
Ridership264.6 million[2]
System length
Total10,912 kilometres (6,780 mi)[3]
Double track2,058 kilometres (1,279 mi)[3]
Electrified8,186 kilometres (5,087 mi)[3]
Track gauge
Main1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge
1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)10,846 kilometres (6,739 mi)[3]
891 mm (2 ft 11 332 in)66 kilometres (41 mi)[3]
Electrification
MainTemplate:15 kV AC
Features
Longest tunnelHallandsås Tunnel (8.7 km)
Longest bridgeÖresundsbron (7.8 km)
Highest elevation601 m a.s.l.
 atStorlien
Lowest elevation30 m b.s.l.
 atStockholm City Station
Map
System map

Rail transport in Sweden is a network of 10,912 kilometres (6,780 mi).[3] The first railway line in Sweden was built in 1855. The major operator of passenger trains was the state-owned SJ. Today around 70% of all rail traffic is subsidised local and regional trains. They are run by the regional public transport authorities.[4] Passenger traffic has increased significantly since 2000.[5] In 2019 Sweden was number five in the world measured in passenger kilometres per person and number three in the European union.[5] It was 8th in the world when measured by passenger share.

In 1988 the Swedish parliament separated the ownership of rail infrastructure from train operations. Sweden was the first European country to do this. They also opened the railway system to private train operators, including open-access operators, with competitive bidding for regional service contracts. [6][7]

In 2019, the Swedish railways were called 'the most deregulated railways in the world'.[8]

Sweden is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Sweden is 74.

References[change | change source]

  1. Nelldal, Bo-Lennart, Andersson, Josef, Froidh, Oskar. (2018). Kungliga tekniska högskolan. Resandeflöden på Sveriges järnvägsnätAnalys av utbud och efterfrågan på tågresor TRITA-ABE-RPT-1818 URL: http://kth.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1251488/FULLTEXT01.pdf
  2. "Railway passenger transport statistics" (PDF). Europa EU. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Bantrafik 2021" (in Swedish and English). 23 June 2022. p. Table 2.1. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  4. Transportstyrelsen Resandeflöden på Sveriges järnvägsnät Analys av utbud och efterfrågan på tågresor (in Swedish TSJ 2019-2258. Website URL: https://www.transportstyrelsen.se/4978e1/globalassets/global/publikationer/marknadsovervakning/resandefloden-pa-sveriges-jarnvagsnat20190411.pdf
  5. 5.0 5.1 Eurostat (2021) Statistics Modal split of passenger transport. Data from 2019. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/t2020_rk310/settings_1/table?lang=en
  6. Spaven, David (November 1993). "Rail Privatization: the Swedish Experiment". Scottish Affairs. 1 (5): 87–95. doi:10.3366/scot.1993.0073. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  7. "Sweden, 30 years of railway liberalisation". Mediarail.be - Rail Europe News (in French). 2019-05-19. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  8. Söör, Johan (2019). Världens mest avreglerade järnväg. (In Swedish). URL: https://timbro.se/smedjan/varldens-mest-avreglerade-jarnvag/