Bo-Lennart Nelldal

Regional high-speed trains on the Svealand line: Evaluation of effects

Several new or upgraded railway lines, primarily for regional or medium distance travel at high speed, have been opened in Sweden since the 1990s. The investment decisions were based on the expected societal benefits of increased accessibility. It was thought that it might be possible to turn regional imbalances, for example in the Stockholm-Malaren region, into regional development through high-speed train commuting, and unemployment might thus decrease. However, some economists and organisations, for various reasons, have questioned the whole idea of constructing new railways and their possible effects on the travel market and regional development. Therefore, in order to evaluate the effects of the radical change in train service supply, a before and after study was conducted on the new Svealand line.