It is good for entrepreneurship in general that investments are made in infrastructure, regardless of whether it is road or rail, but we can never say that we are satisfied. We know that it does not pay off the maintenance debt on the rail network during this planning period, says Gustaf Engstrand, business policy chief at the industry organization Tågföretagen.
According to the infrastructure proposal, 607 of the 1,171 billion will be used for new investments in the transport system.
The investment funds are quickly consumed by the planned Skåne project, with two new tracks on the rail section Hässleholm-Lund, and the Västra Götaland project with a new rail line between Gothenburg and Borås, says Gustaf Engstrand.
Better Coordination
Green Cargo is the largest rail operator for goods in Sweden, where customers in the forestry, steel, and paper industries dominate.
A positive message is that the ceiling for trimming measures is being raised from 100 to 150 million. We had requested a doubling to give the Swedish Transport Administration better conditions to implement the type of measures that have a significant impact in the short term, says communications chief Stephan Ray.
The capacity shortage is causing major problems for freight traffic, and Green Cargo is calling for better coordination between the Swedish Transport Administration and the business community when it comes to track maintenance.
We will probably have to accept a period of very much track work ahead. It's just regrettable that the Swedish Transport Administration does not have the ability to accomplish more maintenance for the money, says Stephan Ray.
Streamlining Freight
In the north, investments in roads are welcome.
"Investments are being made in roads with load-bearing class 4, which can take heavier and longer trucks, streamlining freight and making it more environmentally friendly. But we also need a functioning rail network and look forward to investments in maintenance and the construction of the Norrbotniabanan getting underway", says Patrik Jonsson, CEO of Skog & Virke at Norra Skog, in a written comment.
State-owned SJ writes in an email to TT:
"We can only agree with the Minister of Infrastructure that it will be a tough period ahead, and it's good that they have the ambition to tackle the rail maintenance. We have high hopes for the assignment that the Swedish Transport Administration has received to find new methods and working methods to quickly reduce the maintenance debt without affecting all the customers and passengers who daily use this vital infrastructure."
Low Priority
At the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, the disappointment is great over the fact that the climate perspective is not higher on the agenda.
"The government is choosing to make major investments in road traffic at a time when it needs to decrease and rail traffic increase. The government barely mentioned the climate during the press conference, which suggests that the climate perspective has low priority in the government's infrastructure policy", says Beatrice Rindevall, chair of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.
