High-speed trains run slower in Sweden today compared to 2003 – travel time on routes between Sweden's three largest cities has increased by 20 minutes.

”"But it's not the trains that are at fault, it's too crowded on the tracks. Travel and freight transport are increasing every year, basically it's good, but the problem is that there is a constant lack of capacity," says SJ's acting press manager Tobbe Lundell to TT.

Reduced average speeds affect both express and regional trains on several main lines, and only along short routes do the express trains reach their maximum speed. When more trains are squeezed onto the tracks, the fastest trains have to adapt their speed to slower trains in order to keep up with the timetables – also resulting in more delays during the period, Helsingborgs Dagblad and Sydsvenskan report in a comparison.

The average speed of high-speed trains has decreased on metropolitan routes on several main lines, for example from 156 to 141 kilometers per hour for SJ's high-speed train on the Gothenburg–Stockholm route, if you compare 2003 with 2018. Between the country's three largest cities, travel time by high-speed train has been extended by 20 minutes during the 15-year period, the comparison shows.

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”"If our decision-makers 25 years ago had had the courage to think and dared to see that this development lay ahead of us, they might have made different investment decisions regarding railway infrastructure and increased capacity to meet today's needs," says Tobbe Lundell.

”"But now they didn't do that, and that's why we're constantly lagging behind in railway capacity."”

A prerequisite for faster travel in the future, and meeting the demand for train travel, is that a new high-speed railway is built and that existing railways are properly upgraded, according to SJ. There are no other ways to go, Lundell believes:

”"It's about upgraded tracks and changed planning processes, and that we operators contribute with new and fresher vehicles."”

At the same time, there are routes where trains run faster today compared to 2003. High-speed trains and Öresund trains on the Malmö–Gothenburg route have increased their average speed since the opening of the Hallandsås Tunnel – for example, SJ's high-speed trains have accelerated from 113 to 137 kilometers per hour. Travel time for high-speed train passengers has been reduced by 24 minutes.

Thanks to upgraded tracks and a more modern train fleet, trains are running faster on several county lines, for example on the Kalmar–Linköping, Halmstad–Nässjö, Malmö–Simrishamn and Fagersta–Västerås routes.

The number of train operators has increased significantly during the period covered by the average speed comparison.

”"Today we have 47 operators using the tracks. One of the challenges with punctuality is that you have to pass a number of commuter systems if you travel between Malmö and Stockholm, for example," says Bengt Olsson, press manager for the Swedish Transport Administration.

”And all systems have different speeds depending on what kind of carts they run. That’s one of the factors that affects what speeds we can allow.”

There is currently a discussion about whether fewer trains should be run on the tracks to make the system work better.

”"We are looking at whether we can really run this many trains, given all the work that needs to be done to modernize and upgrade Swedish railways," says Bengt Olsson.

With fewer trains during the work, there could also be less disruption.

”So that you stick to what is on the timetables.”

Corrected: In a previous version, the Gothenburg-Malmö route was incorrectly stated as an example of reduced average speed. This has been changed to Gothenburg-Stockholm.

Source: TT