Norrbotniabanan Project ( Skellefteå, Västerbottens län )

Description: Planning, design and documentation of tender documents of the North Bothnia Line section by Skellefteå,
Västerbotten”. The project is planning of a new double-tracked railway corridor, around 55 km, consisting of
several infrastructure solutions.
Description Planning, design and documentation of tender documents of the North Bothnia Line section by Skellefteå,
Västerbotten”. The project is planning of a new double-tracked railway corridor, around 55 km, consisting of
several infrastructure solutions.
Client Trafikverket- Swedish Transport Administration
Project Budget ~ 8 000 million SEK
Role Cost-estimation and LCC-analysis responsible
About Project This Global Project is part of the North Bothnia Line and aims at developing and improving the railway traffic infrastructure by means of constructing a 270 km new railway line from Umeå to Luleå. The old line to the west (Stambanan – part of the comprehensive network) is predicted to be a bottleneck within a few years. For this reason, there is a growing need to significantly increase capacity to the Iron Ore Line and Haparanda Line through the Bothnia Line. If the railway infrastructure does not meet the needs of the future, there is a risk of breach for the value investment chain, and thus of transfer of investments from large companies to other regions. Growth of the regional economy could be strategically hurt. The railway line from Umeå to Luleå would alleviate the present Stambanan line, accommodating for the predicted increases in freight traffic resulting from the increasing raw material exploitation in northern Scandinavia. The Action features the planning phase for the construction of the Umea-Skellefteå railway line, which is part of the pre-identified other section of the Core Rail Network, namely the Sundsvall-Umeå-Lulea. It entails the preparation of the railway plans for the rail subsections along the Umeå and Skellefteå route, including the detailed technical design detailed planning processes for the first subsection between Umeå and Dåva, and the assessment of the project’s environmental impact. The outcome of the Action will be used as a decision-making tool for the construction phase. 

The Norrbotten bank is a major investment for society and strengthens business competitiveness.

The new track can reduce companies’ transport costs by up to 30 percent. Such an efficiency enhances not only impact in the north but also in the rest of the country because more than half of the heavy freight traffic comes from the north with its southern destination. Many of the raw materials transported from the north are processed in other parts of the country to some of our most profitable export products.

Because of the Stambanan through Upper Norrland’s many times curvy and rugged profile, freight transports can not be carried out as efficiently as in other parts of the country. A new coastal railway between Umeå and Luleå allows for both heavier and longer trains.

New opportunities

Personnel traffic in the area can be developed. Regional passenger traffic between Umeå, Skellefteå, Piteå and Luleå can be extended and new traffic can be added. With modern trains, traveling times can be halved. Station locations in the urban areas provide completely new opportunities for daily commuter trips to and from work or study. Passenger traffic may consist of both shorter, fast trains, staying in both larger and smaller cities, and higher speed trains driving longer distances and not staying in smaller resorts.

Long-term good and sustainable project

Norrbotten Bay is a major investment for society. The Swedish Transport Administration estimates the cost of the project to be around SEK 29 billion at the 2013 price level. The Swedish Transport Administration, despite the large investment it means, thinks that the project is a useful investment in the long run. The utility for industrial transport, the connection to international transport corridors from the Baren region down to the continent and the possibilities for brand new passenger traffic concepts point to the long-term good and sustainable project to be invested in.