High-speed trains in Sweden – a good idea?

Abstract

The demand for both passenger and freight rail transport in Sweden has never before been higher than in the year 2008. There is now serious lack of capacity and big delays, and need for massive investment in rail. High-speed trains may be a way to relieve track congestion, reduce travel times and improve the environment through less air and car travel. The Swedish National Rail Administration has initiated a number of studies on the value of high-speed trains over the last years. The Swedish government has initiated a study that was finished 14 thof September 2009 and suggested to build a separate high speed tracks in Sweden. The paper describes the main findings of the study and the models employed. The latter is of importance since two models gave significantly different results, even though both showed a positive socio-economic net return. The cost-benefit calculations have also been subject to scepticism. These scepticisms are also described and commented. QC 20120229

Original document

The different versions of the original document can be found in:

• http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-90813