Sweden's infrastructure manager Trafikverket wants the government to approve construction starts for ten major projects in 2027–2029, and it is pushing to bring four of the rail schemes forward — including the electrification of the Nässjö–Värnamo line, which would give freight operators new diversion routings off the congested Southern Main Line.

Trafikverket announced the recommendations on Wednesday. None of the ten projects had previously appeared in the government's construction-start decisions, and five are now proposed for an earlier start than planned. Under Sweden's planning cycle, the infrastructure manager recommends annually which major national transport plan projects are ready to move toward construction over the following six years; the government then decides which can begin in the first three-year window and which will be prepared for the 2030–2032 period.

For rail freight, the package targets capacity bottlenecks on heavily used mixed-traffic routes.

The accelerated rail projects

The four rail schemes Trafikverket wants to bring forward are:

• Nässjö–Värnamo (southern Sweden): electrification, part of the wider Värnamo–Jönköping/Nässjö upgrade. The line sits roughly 150 kilometres east of Gothenburg. Trafikverket says the upgraded route could carry diverted trains when the Southern Main Line is disrupted and support further freight development around Jönköping.
• Sundsvall C–Dingersjö (east coast): double-tracking of the Kubikenborg–Dingersjö section, adding around 10 kilometres of double track immediately south of Sundsvall. The new infrastructure is designed for 25-tonne axleloads and forms part of the long-term ambition to double-track the East Coast Line between Gävle and Sundsvall.
• Ostkustbanan north of Stockholm: four-tracking of the Söder Bergsbrunna–Uppsala C section. Around 70 kilometres north of Stockholm, the design separates traffic flows, with two of the four tracks reserved for freight and stopping passenger services and the other two for faster regional and long-distance trains.
• Luleå C (northern Sweden): phase 2 of the passenger yard reconstruction, planned against an expected rise in freight traffic from around 20 to 43 trains per day by 2045, alongside separate work to add capacity at the Malmbangården freight yard.

The fifth accelerated project, the Lilla Edet section of the Trollhätte Canal/Göta River on the Lake Vänern shipping route north of Gothenburg, concerns inland waterway infrastructure.

Capacity fixes on Malmbanan and at Högsjö Västra

Two non-accelerated rail projects address freight capacity directly. On the Malmbanan in Norrbotten — the freight-heavy route from Luleå through the mining centres around Gällivare and Kiruna toward Narvik — Trafikverket proposes extending the Murjek passing station. Two tracks would be lengthened to roughly 1,100 metres and 900 metres, allowing 750-metre trains to pass each other, with a roughly 200-metre siding for damaged wagons and engineering vehicles.

At Högsjö Västra, on the railway west of Stockholm towards Hallsberg, Trafikverket wants two new passing tracks. The infrastructure manager says current demand for additional passenger and freight trains cannot be met on the section, with slower trains frequently waiting for gaps so faster services can overtake.

The remaining recommendations cover road schemes: the E45 Vattnäs–Trunna stretch, a new passing track at Högsjö Västra's road counterpart, National Road 50 Medevi–Brattebro including Nykyrka, and through lanes at the E4 Ljungarum interchange at Jönköping.

Next steps

The proposals now go to the Swedish government, which will decide which projects receive formal approval to start construction in 2027–2029 and which move to preparation for 2030–2032. Once a construction-start decision is granted, Trafikverket can sign contracts with contractors and begin building.

"By shortening lead times and finding new solutions, we have made it possible to bring forward the construction start of several major projects that are important for Sweden," said Trafikverket Director-General Roberto Maiorana. "An earlier construction start means that we can realise the benefits in the transport system more quickly. This benefits Swedish business and, in the longer term, strengthens Sweden's competitiveness."

For shippers and rail operators in southern Sweden, the Nässjö–Värnamo electrification is the item to watch: a government green light in the 2027–2029 window would, for the first time, give electrified freight trains a viable alternative routing when the Southern Main Line goes down.