Sweden proposes railway reform to improve maintenance and resilience

The Social Democrats and the Green Party in Sweden have reached an agreement to reform the management of the national railway system. The proposal aims to split Trafikverket to create a dedicated railway authority and bring maintenance operations back under direct state control to reduce reliance on external procurement and administrative costs.

This political move follows reports indicating that Trafikverket’s productivity has decreased by 25 percent over the last decade, despite a significant increase in staff and consultants. Proponents argue that the current structure allows administrative costs to consume resources intended for infrastructure, affecting punctuality and reliability.

In parallel, Trafikverket is conducting infrastructure projects in northern Sweden to bolster national resilience and total defense capabilities. This includes building test tracks between Arvidsjaur and Jörn and clearing vegetation on the decommissioned line between Morjärv and Haparanda to assess the feasibility of future traffic on those routes.