Sweden - General Information: Difference between revisions

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(Created page with "==Country Name== Sweden (Sverige) ==National Railway System== Railway infrastructure is owned and maintained by Trafikverket and most long distance train services are operated b...")
 
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The creation of Trafikverket (TRV) will eventually lead to new design and new links for all former Banverket pages. At time of writing some Banportalen pages remain unchanged, but, depending on how you try to access these pages, you may be stopped at a login page. These links will be updated when the new links are known. See instead: [http://www.trafikverket.se/Foretag/Trafikera-och-transportera/Jarnvag/Planera-trafik/Tagplan/  www.trafikverket.se/Foretag/Trafikera-och-transportera/Jarnvag/Planera-trafik/Tagplan]. This [http://lexin.nada.kth.se/swe-eng.html dictionary] may be useful. Select the text ‘Tågplan’ + the timetable (year) you are interested in to the left (Fastställd means set, förslag means suggested). When the timetable has been set (=current year), it will probably contain five tabs in the centre - Bilaga (attachment) 1 to 5:
The creation of Trafikverket (TRV) will eventually lead to new design and new links for all former Banverket pages. At time of writing some Banportalen pages remain unchanged, but, depending on how you try to access these pages, you may be stopped at a login page. These links will be updated when the new links are known. See instead: [http://www.trafikverket.se/Foretag/Trafikera-och-transportera/Jarnvag/Planera-trafik/Tagplan/  www.trafikverket.se/Foretag/Trafikera-och-transportera/Jarnvag/Planera-trafik/Tagplan]. This [http://lexin.nada.kth.se/swe-eng.html dictionary] may be useful. Select the text ‘Tågplan’ + the timetable (year) you are interested in to the left (Fastställd means set, förslag means suggested). When the timetable has been set (=current year), it will probably contain five tabs in the centre - Bilaga (attachment) 1 to 5:
* Bilaga (attachment) 1 is likely to be seen immediately. It contains Timetable graphs
* Bilaga 2 contains a detailed listing of all planned infrastructure work (Trafikverkets tilldelade kapacitet för banarbete)
* Bilaga 3 contains weekly maps for infrastructure work within an area shown
* Bilaga 4 contains plans (Excel, which will open in a new window) for the usage of individual tracks in stations (shunting, stabling etc.)
* Bilaga 5 contain allocation of train numbers by different operators, and drivers’ timetables (Tidtabellsbok)
   
   
<ul class="Level1">
At the beginning of summer, it may be possible to see the plans for the next year – as they are. This link may disappear, and should be seen as just a snapshot of the planning process. The plans are very likely to be modified a lot. Start again from [http://www.trafikverket.se/Foretag/Trafikera-och-transportera/Jarnvag/Planera-trafik/Tagplan/ www.trafikverket.se/Foretag/Trafikera-och-transportera/Jarnvag/Planera-trafik/Tagplan]. Select the next timetable year ('Tågplan' followed by the year) if available. If ‘Förslag till Tågplan’ appears in the drop-down list for the year, this indicates that a draft graphical timetable, which could change, is available. If the text ‘Samrådsmöte’ appears in the drop-down list, only a preliminary draft of the graphical timetable is available.
<li>Bilaga (attachment) 1 is likely to be seen immediately. It contains Timetable graphs</li>
<li>Bilaga 2 contains a detailed listing of all planned infrastructure work (Trafikverkets tilldelade kapacitet för banarbete)</li>
<li>Bilaga 3 contains weekly maps for infrastructure work within an area shown</li>
<li>Bilaga 4 contains plans (Excel, which will open in a new window) for the usage of individual tracks in stations (shunting, stabling etc.)</li>
<li>Bilaga 5 contain allocation of train numbers by different operators, and drivers’ timetables (Tidtabellsbok)</li>
</ul>
At the beginning of summer, it may be possible to see the plans for the next year – as they are. This link may disappear, and should be seen as just a snapshot of the planning process. The plans are very likely to be modified a lot. Start again from <a href="http://www.trafikverket.se/Foretag/Trafikera-och-transportera/Jarnvag/Planera-trafik/Tagplan/"> www.trafikverket.se/Foretag/Trafikera-och-transportera/Jarnvag/Planera-trafik/Tagplan/</a>. Select the next timetable year ('Tågplan' followed by the year) if available. If ‘Förslag till Tågplan’ appears in the drop-down list for the year, this indicates that a draft graphical timetable, which could change, is available. If the text ‘Samrådsmöte’ appears in the drop-down list, only a preliminary draft of the graphical timetable is available.
   
   
Trafikverket provides a [http://www.trafikverket.se/Foretag/Trafikera-och-transportera/Jarnvag/Planera-trafik/Tagplan/ ‘daily graphical timetable’]. Select the current timetable year and you will see the text ‘Dagliga grafer yyyy’ (where yyyy is the year). Select this and you will see a new page in a new window ‘Dagliga grafer yyyy’. Select ‘Ladda ned dagliga grafer’ (Download daily graphs) and follow these instructions:
Trafikverket provides a [http://www.trafikverket.se/Foretag/Trafikera-och-transportera/Jarnvag/Planera-trafik/Tagplan/ ‘daily graphical timetable’]. Select the current timetable year and you will see the text ‘Dagliga grafer yyyy’ (where yyyy is the year). Select this and you will see a new page in a new window ‘Dagliga grafer yyyy’. Select ‘Ladda ned dagliga grafer’ (Download daily graphs) and follow these instructions:
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The website [http://www.tydal.nu/ www.tydal.nu] contains graphic information on how a certain train number is routed including timings for all intermediate locations and some other useful information, however in Swedish only. Select 'Tåg' (=Trains), select 'Sök tågs tidtabell' (Find the timetable of a train), enter the train number and Select 'Sök' (=Search) . This site is not official, it is provided by Thomas Tydal, a driving instructor at SJ, who also has his own software company.
The website [http://www.tydal.nu/ www.tydal.nu] contains graphic information on how a certain train number is routed including timings for all intermediate locations and some other useful information, however in Swedish only. Select 'Tåg' (=Trains), select 'Sök tågs tidtabell' (Find the timetable of a train), enter the train number and Select 'Sök' (=Search) . This site is not official, it is provided by Thomas Tydal, a driving instructor at SJ, who also has his own software company.
 
==See also==
==See also==
*[[Sweden]]
*[[Sweden]]
*[[Sweden - Lines with Obscure or Sparse passenger services]]
*[[Sweden - Lines with Obscure or Sparse passenger services]]

Revision as of 17:24, 21 November 2010

Country Name

Sweden (Sverige)

National Railway System

Railway infrastructure is owned and maintained by Trafikverket and most long distance train services are operated by SJ AB. SJ AB has adopted a policy of not bidding for all regionally financed services, so its share of the total traffic is reduced. Most SJ activities are being devolved into three subsidiaries:

  • SJ AB – Passenger services.
  • Green Cargo AB (GC) – Freight.
  • Swedcarrier AB – Service divisions - Now privatised.

Various residuary activities remain with Affärsverket Statens Järnvägar.

The other major passenger operators are Arlanda Express, Arriva, DSB First, Merresor, Stockholmståg,  Svenska Tågkompaniet (TKAB) and Veolia Transport. Trafikverket and SJ AB are government-owned; the others have private or foreign owners. Merresor is jointly owned by SJ and PTG. But the owner of PTG is now Veolia, and this means that Merresor will cease to operate when existing contracts have expired. Stockholmståg and SJ Norrlandståg are subsidiaries of SJ AB. Green Cargo and Railion now jointly own Railion Scandiavia (based in Denmark). Norwegian NSB is the owner of TKAB. Norwegian Cargo Net is partly owned by GC and has operations in Sweden. More information under Other Railways below. Many local passenger services are operated on behalf of regional transport authorities. In many cases the operator is still SJ: for exceptions see below. Trafikverket owns former SJ lines, plus those of Trafikaktiebolaget Grängesberg Oxelösunds Järnvägar (TGOJ). TGOJ Trafik AB is now a subsidiary of GC. It owns some locomotives used on freight services. Certain SJ passenger services are branded under other names, such as "Kust till Kust", and "TiM" (Trafik i Mälardalen). “TiB” (Tåg i Bergslagen) is now operated by TKAB. On its long distance weekend service Veolia uses locomotives from Hector Rail or occasionally InfraNord (ex. Banverket Produktion).

DSB run through trains to Ystad, to connect with passenger ferry services to Bornholm.

Through services Stockholm – Oslo are operated by SJ, Oslo – Göteborg are operated by NSB in cooperation with TKAB.

The following are regional transport authorities responsible for the provision of local train services. They contract with SJ or another train operator to run the trains for them. Services crossing regional transport authority boundaries are usually jointly-sponsored. A few are joint operations with SJ long-distance services. In several cases a separate brand name, shown in brackets, is used to promote some or all services.

  • Blekinge Länstrafik: Malmö – Karlskrona (operator DSBFirst)
  • AB Dalatrafik: Ludvika – Västerås, Borlänge – Malung (both TiB, operator TKAB)
  • Hallandstrafiken: Varberg – Borås (Viskadalen), Halmstad – Nässjö (operator Merresor)
  • Jönköpings Länstrafik: Nässjö – Halmstad, Nässjö – Vetlanda, Nässjö – Hultsfred , Alvesta – Sävsjö – Nässjö – Tranås, Jönköping – Vaggeryd – Värnamo - Växjö (all branded as LÄNSTÅGEN or Krösatågen, operator Merresor), Nässjö – Töreboda (operator SJ)
  • Kalmar Läns Trafik AB: Linköping – Kalmar, Linköping – Västervik (operator Veolia)
  • Länstrafiken i Jämtlands län (Z-trafik AB): (Trondheim-) Storlien – Östersund – Sundsvall (MittNaboLinjen, Operator Veolia)
  • Skånetrafiken: Malmö – Landskrona – Helsingborg – Ängelholm, Malmö – Höör, Malmö – Karlskrona (operator DSBFirst), Malmö – Teckomatorp – Helsingborg, Malmö – Ystad - Simrishamn, Helsingborg – Kristianstad (all except the Karlskrona service branded as Pågatågen and operated by Arriva)
  • Storstockholms Lokaltrafik: Stockholm to Bålsta, Södertälje, Märsta, Gnesta and Nynäshamn (all operator Stockholmståg), plus metro services (see below)
  • Södermanlands Läns Trafik: Eskilstuna – Västerås (TiM)
  • Upplands Lokaltrafik: (Upptåget), Upplands Väsby – Arlanda C – Uppsala – Tierp – Gävle, Uppsala – Sala – Västerås
  • Värmlandstrafik: Karlstad – Torsby, Karlstad – Arvika – Charlottenberg, Karlstad – Kristinehamn – Grängesberg/Ludvika (operator Tågkompaniet)
  • Västtrafik: Hallsberg – Herrljunga (- Göteborg) via Mariestad (Kinnekulletåget, operator Arriva), Töreboda – Nässjö (Vättertåg), Skövde – Göteborg: Göteborg – Strömstad, Göteborg – Kungsbacka , Göteborg – Alingsås (GL TÅGET)
  • Västernorrlands Läns Trafik: Sundsvall – Östersund (MittNaboLinjen, Operator Veolia)
  • Västmanlands Lokaltrafik: Västerås – Sala – Uppsala , Västerås – Fagersta (TiB), Västerås – Eskilstuna
  • X-trafik AB: Gävle – Ljusdal, Gävle – Sundsvall (X-tåget, Operator TKAB)
  • Östgötatrafiken: Norrköping – Tranås (operator SJ), Linköping – Hultsfred and Linköping – Västervik (operator Veolia)

The following unprofitable services have been contracted out by Rikstrafiken (a government body) to operators other than SJ:

  • Göteborg and Stockholm to Umeå, Luleå and Narvik: SJ Norrlandstrafik (a subsidiary of SJ)
  • Sundsvall – Östersund : Veolia

Official Website

www.sj.se

Language

Swedish. The Sami, who live in the extreme north, have their own language, which is related to Finnish.

Currency

Swedish Kronor

UIC code

numeric 74; alpha S

Timetable

Journey Planner

www.resrobot.se. Select the British flag. www.sj.se can also be used but has less detail – e.g no ability to select streets, only locations where you can purchase a ticket. Select ‘English’ (top right hand corner).

Downloadable Timetable

SJ and other operators Timetables: www.resplus.se and select 'Tidtabeller'. It is recommended that travellers do not rely on the printed timetable, but download all relevant new timetables from this site. When the public timetable for the spring is publicly available, the advance (preliminary) edition for the summer and autumn may be available at www.resplus.se/Global/tidtabeller/Forhandsutgava.pdf

Printed Timetable

The national timetable, labelled RESPLUS, has been reduced to consist only of rail services, and is free of charge. Apart from an explanation of abbreviations, the timetable is entirely in Swedish – but it is probably the most clearly-presented timetable for any European railway. Rail timetables include details of engineering work involving diversions or bus substitution, but information is not comprehensive. The Scandinavian summer timetable period is of much shorter duration than elsewhere in Europe, running from mid-June to mid-August.

Engineering Information

www.trafikverket.se/Privat/Resan-och-trafiken/Din-resa/Laget-pa-vagarna-och-i-tagtrafiken/Laget-i-tagtrafiken Here all disruptions are listed, but in Swedish only. Look for the word Banarbete (Infrastructure work). Unfortunately this page does not have consistently good quality information. When you have selected a station or a train, if there are any ‘!’ in a yellow triangle to be seen, hold the cursor over the triangle; engineering or other problem information will then appear. There is also information on www.sj.se in English, but only for lines where SJ is the operator. Select ‘English’ (top right hand corner). Select ‘Travel info’. Select ‘Read more’ (under Current traffic information). Rail timetables normally include details of large engineering works which are planned in advance. For anyone with a particular interest in Engineering information, see the links under "Special Notes" below.

Maps

Maps are available from the Trafikverket website. Click on the name of the area you are interested in. There is comprehensive technical information available in English in theNetwork Statement.

Gauge

Standard. SJ used to operate several 891mm gauge lines, but these have all been closed or converted to standard gauge. There are tourist operations on a few ex-SJ narrow-gauge lines, but the only 891mm gauge line still with regular passenger services is the SL Roslagsbanan (with operator Roslagståg, owned by TKAB and Danish DSB).

Electrification

15kV 16.7 Hz. The Öresund bridge is 25 kV 50Hz (DSB system). The SL Roslagsbanan is 1500V dc and the SL Saltsjöbanan is 900V dc.

Rule of the road

Left, but most lines in Sweden are single track. All lines with two or four tracks have CTC and full bi-directional signalling. The Öresund trains Malmö – København use the Danish right hand rule from Malmö C.

Other railways

Apart from tourist lines and industrial concerns, the only significant private railway is the Inlandsbanan from Mora to Brunflo and Östersund to Gällivare.

Malmtrafik AB (and Norwegian company Malmtrafik AS) was jointly-owned by SJ, NSB and the mining company LKAB, but is now a fully owned subsidiary of LKAB. They operate iron ore trains over Trafikverket (in Sweden) and Jernbaneverket (in Norway) lines from Gällivare, Kiruna and Svappavaara to Narvik and Luleå. Among other companies operating freight (and, in some cases, passenger) trains over Trafikverket lines are: Cargo Net, Hector Rail, Inlandsgods, Peterson Rail, Stena Gotthard,), Tågfrakt AB, TX Logistik, Tågåkeriet i Bergslagen and Vida Timber . Some operations are on behalf of Green Cargo and others at the private companies' own risk or for their own needs.

Tourist lines

Due to weather and daylight hours, most tourist lines have a very short operating season, typically from mid-June to mid-August.

A free guide to preserved railways in Sweden, "Tågsommar", is published each spring by JärnvägsInfo-Förlaget, Box 1134, S-171 22 Solna. Telephone +46 8 82 27 35, web site www.teknikarv.se/ts, which leads to the current edition. This now includes an appendix giving both the GPS coordinates and latitude and longitude of each line. Click on "pdf-fil" for a PDF file of the brochure, or on "html-fil" for a simple HTML listing (without illustrations). Links to all tourist lines and many other small museums, societies etc. are available here.

There is a listing of Nordic narrow gauge tourist lines on the Scandinavian Railways Society website.

Metro

Stockholm. In addition to the Tunnelbanan, Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL) operates two local lines, the Roslagsbanan (891mm gauge), and the Saltsjöbanan (Tunnelbanan is operated by MTR from 2 Nov 2009, Saltsjöbanan still by Veolia).

Trams

Göteborg, Malmö (Malmö Stads Spårvägar Museiförening, summer weekend museum trams onlywww.sparvagssallskapet.se), Norrköping, Stockholm: Nockebybanan: Alvik – Nockeby, Lidingöbanan: Ropsten-Gåshaga, Tvärbanan: Alvik – Liljeholmen – Gullmarsplan – Sickla udde (all operated by Veolia). Sergels Torg – Waldemarsudde started 23 August 2010 as normal public SL traffic using modern trams. Norrmalmstorg – Waldemarsudde is in operation using museum trams; both modern and museum trams are operated by AB Stockholms Spårvägar, the PLC owned by the Swedish Tramway Society). Museispårvägen Malmköping is a tramway museum near Eskilstuna with a 2.6km operating line (also www.sparvagssallskapet.se).

Recent and future changes

Several cut offs, addition of a second track and new lines have opened in recent years to enable faster train services.

Closures

  • Vetlanda – Åseda and Berga – Oskarshamn have lost their passenger service.
  • Södertälje hamn – Södertälje centrum will be closed for upgrading (double tracking) July 2011 – August 2012.
  • The Emmaboda – Karlskrona line will be closed for upgrading from December 2011 to June 2013. See www.trafikverket.se/Privat/Projekt/Blekinge/Emmaboda-Karlskrona.

Openings and reopenings

  • Kristianstad – Karlskrona re-opened after electrification on 17 June 2007.
  • The construction of a new 2,8 km freight branch to the Aitik mine south of Gällivare was completed in October 2009.
  • On 13 December 2009 TÅGAB (in co-operation with SJ) started to operate Karlstad/Kristinehamn – Laxå – Skövde/Göteborg C passenger trains. This means that the north to west curve in Laxå has been brought into use for passenger services. It has had limited or no passenger service since 1962.
  • Normal SL tram traffic (Sergels Torg – Waldemarsudde) on what has been mainly a museum/tourist tramway until now starts on 23 August 2010. It will initially be operated by the PLC owned by the Swedish Tramway Society using modern trams provided by SL.
  • The tramway in Norrköping is extended 4 km to the south, and is planned to open to Ljura on 21 October 2010 and to Navestad in November/December 2011.
  • (Umeå – ) Hällnäs – Lycksele (65 km), which lost its passenger service in 1995, will get it back in August 2011.
  • The Berga – Oskarshamn traffic may resume in December 2011, with Nässjö – Hultsfred trains once again extended to Oskarshamn.

Contract changes

  • The contract for Göteborg/Stockholm – Umeå/Luleå night trains is transferred from Veolia to SJ Norrlandståg.
  • The contracts for Linköping – Kalmar and Linköping – Västervik were transferred from SJ to Veolia on 14 June 2008.
  • The contract to run Öresundståg EMU trains to and from Denmark was transferred from SJ to DSBFirst on 11 January 2009. This includes trains from Malmö to Helsingborg – Göteborg, Karlskrona, and Alvesta/Växjö. SJ will continue to operate these trains between Alvesta and Kalmar, with the exception of those terminating/originating in Växjö.
  • The Kinnekullebana (Örebro – Hallsberg–) Gårdsjö – Lidköping – Håkantorp (- Herrljunga – Göteborg) was transferred from Veolia to Arriva on 14 June 2009.
  • The Stockholm Tunnelbanan (Metro/Underground) was transferred from Veolia to MTR on 2 November 2009 on an 8-year contract.
  • Värmlandstrafik was transferred to Tågkompaniet 13 December 2009.
  • The contract for operation of all local passenger services north and west of Sundsvall has been awarded Norrtåg, a new company owned jointly by DB Regio (60%) and SJ. This includes the Bothnia line which will be opened in stages from August 2010.
  • All lines within the Västtrafik umbrella (except Kinekullebanan) will be transferred from SJ to DSB First Väst AB and the Krösatågen system will be transferred to DSB Småland AB on 12 December 2010, which also means the end of Merresor. DSB Småland AB is a subsidiary of DSB Sverige AB, which, of course is a subsidiary of DSB in Denmark.
  • DB (DB Regio Sverige AB) has won its first contract in Sweden and will take over from SJ on the Östgötatrafiken Norrköping – Tranås line on the same date. The DB purchase of Arriva will also, of course, have as yet unknown effects on the scene in Sweden.

Infrastructure changes

  • Work is in progress to double several single track sections:
    • the remaining single track sections of the West Coast line (Ängelholm – Göteborg) line, with the last section, the trouble-ridden Hallandsås tunnel planned for completion in 2015. See www.trafikverket.se/Privat/Projekt/Skane/Hallandsas. In all links to Trafikverket Projekt (projects) there might be links on the left hand side for each project with headlines like bakgrund (background) or document (documents). All in Swedish only.
    • Hallsberg – Mjölby (mainly for freight). The final section, Hallsberg - Degerön, is still in the planning stage.
    • Göteborg – Öxnered.
    • The final stages of the construction work for double-tracking of Åkers Runö to Åkersberga (1 km, Roslagsbanan, 891 mm gauge) started in January 2010, and completion is planned for August 2010.
  • The Botniabana (click on English in top right corner), upgrading of Sundsvall – Kramfors and a new line Kramfors (Västeraspby) – Örnsköldsvik – Husum – Umeå (190 km), including a new yard at Umeå, is being built, with Örnsköldsvik – Husum as the first section which is open to freight. The Örnsköldsvik - Umeå section (equipped with ERTMS) will open to public passenger traffic on 29 August 2010. The southern part (upgrading of Sundsvall – Kramfors (Västeraspby) is delayed, with completion planned for autumn 2011. From 29/30 August SJ Norrlandståg will route one train pair via Umeå Ö – Örnsköldsvik. This means that Mellansel – Örnsköldsvik will reopen for passengers, but is expected to close again in December 2011. From December 2010 two night train pairs are expected to be routed this way, but no daytime trains. Whilst Umeå C station is closed for rebuilding from 30 July 2010 to 30 May 2011, trains will pass through without stopping and use Umeå Ö instead.
  • The City Tunnel in Malmö is planned to open on 12 December 2010. Between August 2009 and 11 December 2010 major rebuilding of Malmö C takes place it two steps. The number of available tracks is reduced by half. Most loco-hauled trains – both SJ and Veolia are using Malmö Syd Svågertorp instead of Malmö C, and the Malmö avoiding line (see <a href="se_route.htm#MC_AL">SE10/12</a>). The Malmö C – Berlin trains are instead routed Lund – Malmö Persborg – Berlin and v v and also use the avoiding line.
  • It has been decided to extend the commuter system (Pågatågen) to Trelleborg in 2015 and re-open Trelleborg Central station. It is not known at present if the existing building will be used. This has led to a delay in connecting the Ystad trains to the City Tunnel. They will continue to use the current route until 15 August 2011 or thereabouts.
  • The Boden – Haparanda line is being rebuilt. Boden – Kalix – Karlsborgsbruk (119 km) will be electrified and upgraded. Kalix – Haparanda is a completely new 42 km electric railway. When this is completed in 2012, the existing Morjärv – Karungi – Haparanda line will be closed and lifted. As far as is known, there are no plans for any passenger services.
  • The construction of the Kiruna bypass has started. The city including the railway is partly stopping the ore mining. A new line south of the mine is planned, with a terminal passenger station accessible from the west and a Kiruna avoiding line for freight. Completion is planned for 2012, but the timeframe depends on the mining.
  • The electrification of Kristinehamn – Nykroppa started in summer 2009, with a planned completion in December 2012.
  • In Stockholm, the Tvärbanan tramway is extended from Alvik to Solna station via Sundbyberg station, including a new depot in Ulvsunda. Construction has started and is planned for completion summer 2013. Work has also started to extend what until now has been a museum tramway between Norrmalmstorg and Djurgården (Waldemarsudde). The first step is Norrmalmstorg – Sergels Torg, where construction is almost complete and traffic is planned to start on 23 August 2010. It will later be extended to the Lindhagen area via the Central station and Fridhemsplan. However there is a risk to future plans if the general election in September 2010 brings about a change of governing party. There is also a plan to build a tramway from Strandvägen via the Frihamnen area to Ropsten, where a connection with the Ropsten – Gåshaga tramway is planned. An agreement has logically also been made between the county council and the city of Lidingö that Ropsten – Gåshaga will continue to operate, with new trams and a new depot at Aga.
  • Double tracking of the 2 km Södertälje Hamn (Harbour) – Södertälje Centrum bottleneck, including a new flyover at Södertälje hamn, is in its final planning stage. This being is done to improve timekeeping on the Södertälje Centrum – Märsta SL commuter line. The new SL EMU depot at Södertälje Hamn opened 9 December 2009. However, until the double tracking is complete, access to the depot is limited and it cannot operate at full capacity. The project is planned for completion in 2013.
  • A new 1524 mm gauge line is planned jointly by a Canadian mining company and the Swedish railways to link new iron ore mines at Kaunisvaara in Sweden (about 20 km WNW of Kolari) with the VR line to Kolari. The aim is to have the new line ready by 2013.
  • The building of the tunnel from Stockholm Södra to Tomteboda is the largest of all projects. Completion is at the moment planned for 2017. It also includes two new sub-surface stations in central Stockholm and a new flyover along the entire Älvsjö yard.

Other changes

  • On 1 April 2010 the Swedish National Rail Administration, Banverket (BV) and its counterpart for roads Vägverket (VV) were united to form the Swedish National Transport Administration (TRV - not TV as has been stated elsewhere). Banverket Produktion has been made a separate company named InfraNord.

Special Notes

Sweden pioneered the split in railway management between infrastructure ownership and train operation. Trafikverket is subsidised by the government so that it can provide train paths at a cost comparable with access to the road system.

Seat reservations are compulsory on X2000 and overnight trains, and recommended on other long distance services. Tickets for long distance journeys are issued for specific trains, but will usually be accepted on others, subject to seats being available. Reservations are not indicated on seats so finding a seat that will not be claimed en route is something of a lottery – better to obtain a seat reservation at an open booking office. If someone else has the reservation to the seat you are using, they might request you to move. All fares are influenced by demand and may vary considerably. Sometimes first class can even be cheaper than second class. A few non-X2000 services are for practical reasons operated using X2000 rolling stock.

On some lines, particularly around Malmö and Helsingborg, tickets for local and main line trains are not inter-available, but there are exceptions in respect of particular trains and destinations.

Swedish passenger carriages are larger than UIC standard vehicles and, apart from workings into Norway, carry passengers outside Sweden only to and from Berlin (the Berlin Night Express, via the Trelleborg – Sassnitz train ferry). Passenger-carrying access to København was only available by train ferry as there are no Swedish carriages – apart from the joint Öresund fleet – which are allowed to have passengers on board when using the Öresund bridge/ tunnel. Rebuilt SJ X2000-sets operate Stockholm – København.

The creation of Trafikverket (TRV) will eventually lead to new design and new links for all former Banverket pages. At time of writing some Banportalen pages remain unchanged, but, depending on how you try to access these pages, you may be stopped at a login page. These links will be updated when the new links are known. See instead: www.trafikverket.se/Foretag/Trafikera-och-transportera/Jarnvag/Planera-trafik/Tagplan. This dictionary may be useful. Select the text ‘Tågplan’ + the timetable (year) you are interested in to the left (Fastställd means set, förslag means suggested). When the timetable has been set (=current year), it will probably contain five tabs in the centre - Bilaga (attachment) 1 to 5:

  • Bilaga (attachment) 1 is likely to be seen immediately. It contains Timetable graphs
  • Bilaga 2 contains a detailed listing of all planned infrastructure work (Trafikverkets tilldelade kapacitet för banarbete)
  • Bilaga 3 contains weekly maps for infrastructure work within an area shown
  • Bilaga 4 contains plans (Excel, which will open in a new window) for the usage of individual tracks in stations (shunting, stabling etc.)
  • Bilaga 5 contain allocation of train numbers by different operators, and drivers’ timetables (Tidtabellsbok)

At the beginning of summer, it may be possible to see the plans for the next year – as they are. This link may disappear, and should be seen as just a snapshot of the planning process. The plans are very likely to be modified a lot. Start again from www.trafikverket.se/Foretag/Trafikera-och-transportera/Jarnvag/Planera-trafik/Tagplan. Select the next timetable year ('Tågplan' followed by the year) if available. If ‘Förslag till Tågplan’ appears in the drop-down list for the year, this indicates that a draft graphical timetable, which could change, is available. If the text ‘Samrådsmöte’ appears in the drop-down list, only a preliminary draft of the graphical timetable is available.

Trafikverket provides a ‘daily graphical timetable’. Select the current timetable year and you will see the text ‘Dagliga grafer yyyy’ (where yyyy is the year). Select this and you will see a new page in a new window ‘Dagliga grafer yyyy’. Select ‘Ladda ned dagliga grafer’ (Download daily graphs) and follow these instructions:

  • 1. Open first the document (Den grafiska tidtabellens indelning) and locate the line you are looking for. Remember the numeric code for this line.
  • 2. Open the folder ‘Dagliga grafer’ (Daily graphs).
  • 3. Open the folder with the relevant date.
  • 4. The (PDF) timetable you are looking for can be found using the numeric code from step 1.

This timetable can be very useful to find out which trains really are supposed to run on a particular day.

The very detailed Linjebeskrivning (Line Description) is now available. There is one folder for all lines belonging to each signalling centre. This does not mean that all lines are remotely controlled.

On many local lines trains call at stations by request. Bus-style push buttons are provided in many diesel railcars, to request the train to stop. Passengers wishing to join a train at an unstaffed, request halt need to operate a hand-worked disc signal on the station platform.

Accented vowels come at the end of the Swedish alphabet, with Å, Ä and Ö following Z in that order. Accordingly, Öxnered comes last in the index of Swedish railway stations and Nässjö is further down the list than Nynäshamn.

There is a bulletin board, Postvagnen, for questions also in English, at www.sjk.se. It can also be accessed using www.postvagnen.com. You must, however, register to be able to post messages. Most native Swedes speak at least some English.

Trafikverket has an online service where you can see if the train you are interested in is on time. It is only in Swedish but should be easy to understand. Select either a station or the train number you are interested in and click OK. "Beräknas" means "expected at". All passenger trains on Trafikverket tracks except SL commuter trains and Arlanda Express are included. The graphic real time service provided by Skånetrafiken (the most southern County transport company) remains at www.skanetrafiken.skane.se. Click on the text ‘Trafikinfo’ (top centre). Click on ‘Är ditt tåg i tid?’ (top left corner). A new window will open. Click on the text ‘Klicka här för att se var ditt tåg befinner sig och om det är i tid’ (in the centre). Another window will open. Trains included in the Skånetrafiken timetable can be seen here (not X2000, some other long distance – and freight). When you can see the main window 'Aktuell tågstatus Skåne kl hh.mm' you can click on most stations and halts, and a local timetable will appear.

In Stockholm, the displays shown at the commuter train, Underground (Metro), local railways/tramway and bus halts can be seen at realtid.sl.se/Default.aspx&epslanguage=EN.

The website www.tydal.nu contains graphic information on how a certain train number is routed including timings for all intermediate locations and some other useful information, however in Swedish only. Select 'Tåg' (=Trains), select 'Sök tågs tidtabell' (Find the timetable of a train), enter the train number and Select 'Sök' (=Search) . This site is not official, it is provided by Thomas Tydal, a driving instructor at SJ, who also has his own software company.

See also