According to the Finnish Transport Agency estimates, a high-speed railway that will link Sweden’s three largest cities will cost between 190 and 320 billion.
Now, negotiations are underway between the government negotiation organization Sweden negotiation and a number of municipalities that may be relevant to get a station along the course.
But there uncertainty among politicians about the project can become a reality.
– It’s very big difference between 190 and 320 billion, and we needed to know where in this range you land eventually, says Infrastructure Minister Anna Johansson (S). We also need to look at whether there are measures you can take to push down the cost of this project.
With a new high-speed rail should be possible to travel between Stockholm and Gothenburg in two hours and Stockholm and Malmö two and a half. But the price looks like I said set to be high, although now the Swedish Transport Administration is working to develop a safer figure and options to keep costs down.
A survey echo made by members of the Parliamentary Committee on Transport, show an uncertainty about the price tag. A party that is questionable is the Conservatives.
– Within the Conservatives, we are very concerned that costs have rocketed as they have done, says Jessica Rosenkrantz (M) vice-chairman of the traffic committee.
She believes that the neglected maintenance of existing rail must be taken into deliberations when discussing the possibility of building a new high-speed rail .
– People stand and the freeze on platforms today while waiting for the train. And I mean that the first priority must be to ensure that the system we have today work. In addition, we think about whether we can move forward with high speed.
echo survey of MPs in the traffic committee asked whether they see it as self-evident that the planned high-speed railway will be built.
Sweden Democrats say that there are too many uncertainties regarding the project to the party in the current situation to be able to take a position.
All the other parties are basically positive, but words such as moderates uncertainty whether the high-speed railway will go to fund in a way that does not crowd out other needed infrastructure investments.
the chairman of the Standing Committee on transport, Karin Svensson Smith (MP), is that the echoes the survey is clearest with the high-speed railway should be built. She believes that it should be compared to other infrastructure.
– The new path must be outside estimate for the infrastructure plan that we must carry out regardless of the new courses, she says.
Karin Svensson Smith says she believes that it is possible to bring down the cost of high-speed railway. If the state borrows money for investment and strikes out repayments on a very long period, Sweden has advice, she says.
– Had Sweden afford to build new trunk lines in the 1800s, as one of the poorest countries in Europe, I believe that Sweden today has pretty good economy has the opportunity to do it now, says Karin Svensson Smith.
Peter Bjurbo
peter.bjurbo @ sverigesradio.se
Joel Wendle
joel.wendle@sverigesradio.se