- There is talk that the whole of Sweden will live, but in reality the investment in high-speed trains between the big cities pushes away the needs in other regions, not least in Kalmar County, writes Member of Parliament Gudrun Brunegård (KD) in a press release.
In the previous plan, the Coast-to-Coast line from Kalmar to Gothenburg was designated for lack of capacity, punctuality and robustness.
After that, a separate study was done on the shortcomings of that route.
- That study has landed in a number of measures to solve the problems.
But there is nothing that could be planned into the plan proposal, except for the station in Räppe, says Malin Dahlberg, strategic planner at the Swedish Transport Administration.
Why is it not a priority?
- There are quite a few needs that we have tried to merge across the country.
Then there is limited space, answers Lennart Andersson, regional director at the Swedish Transport Administration.
New signal system
Other hot potatoes in Kalmar County are Tjustbanan north of Västervik and Stångdalsbanan from Kalmar via Hultsfred to Linköping.
There is no investment in more tracks or electrification.
- It stands as a named shortcoming, which we want to be able to work on in the near future in order to have a better basis for the next plan review in four years.
On the other hand, the Swedish Transport Administration wants to replace the signaling system on the routes, at a cost that exceeds SEK 300 million.
This is something that is welcomed by Member of Parliament Anders Åkesson (C), who believes that it is a prerequisite for future investments.
- It is very welcome.
Had we not received it, it would have been a death sentence for the railway system in south-eastern Sweden, he says.