Freight traffic and defense policy in focus at seminar on the Höglandsbanan

The Swedish Transport Administration has high ambitions for the maintenance of the railway between Nässjö and Oskarshamn. The regions and municipalities are ready to work together to manage and develop the railway, where freight traffic is at the top of the common agenda. The outdated designation Bockabanan will be phased out and replaced by the future-oriented Höglandsbanan. The lead times are long, but at the same time, Sweden's entry into NATO creates an enormous need for increased transport on the railway from the west coast to the east coast. In the near future. This became clear when Astrid Lindgren's Hembygd held a transport seminar in Hultsfred yesterday.

A distinguished group of politicians and civil servants from the Jönköping County Region and the Kalmar Region, the municipalities of Nässjö, Eksjö, Hultsfred, Högsby and Oskarshamn, as well as the organizer Astrid Lindgren's Hometown, came to Valhall on Wednesday to discuss the future of the Höglandsbanan. Also present were representatives from the business community, the Swedish Transport Administration and Eksjö Garnison/Ing2.

The association Astrid Lindgren's Hembygd was already tasked in 2016 by the municipalities along the railway to work on promoting environmentally friendly transport. Since then, the association has organized study trips and seminars, written consultation responses, and arranged a 150th anniversary celebration. With the help of experts, a basis for the resumption of passenger train traffic and conditions for developed freight traffic for the railway has been established.

– It is time for us to pass the baton. Now it is up to our municipalities, regions, the Swedish Transport Administration, and other authorities to continue doing the groundwork. This is not an end, but a beginning of the ongoing discussion, said Jennie Leppelt, chair of the association Astrid Lindgren's Hembygd.

Representatives from the Swedish Transport Administration announced that the railway is in good condition. The electrification of Nässjö-Eksjö is proceeding as planned with an estimated construction start in 2026. The rest of the railway is maintained based on current needs and requirements, and is gradually improving, with fully welded rails, a crushed stone bed, and better drainage.
– For larger efforts, long-term planning and political work are required to highlight the railway. The needs and what measures are required must come from the ground up and be included in the national transport plan to become a prioritized task for us, said Peter Sieurin, Swedish Transport Administration.

Astrid Lindgren's Hembygd's vision is a travel time of three hours from Oskarshamn to Gothenburg. The municipalities share the vision of better public transport, the possibility of commuting to work, and being able to offer the area's tourists to travel by train.

Representatives from Region Jönköpings län and Region Kalmar agreed that freight is the low-hanging fruit based on Höglandsbanan and that the regions need to become even better at utilizing the needs and messages from businesses when they represent their respective counties in national contexts.
– The business community is the one that can create opportunities on this railway, said Tommie Ekered, regional councilor, Region Jönköpings län.

The business community was represented during the meeting by Vida, with operations in Hjältevad, Mörlunda, and Vimmerby, as well as Ikea Industry in Hultsfred. Scania also uses the railway today, but would use it significantly more if it were electrified. Already during the meeting, a concrete proposal emerged for a transshipment terminal with good unloading and long tracks, located in Hultsfred, where different types of goods from various actors can be transferred from road to railway and vice versa.
– We need to transport large volumes in the future, if it is possible to use the railway we will do so, said Fredrik Nilsson, logistics manager, Vida.

During the seminar, it became clear that municipalities and regions could unite around the common need for freight traffic, which can create conditions for passenger traffic in the long term. What adds another dimension to the picture is Sweden's entry into NATO and the demands that will soon be placed on Sweden.

Claes Wetterström, development manager, Ing2, reminded of the responsibility that all authorities and civil sectors have to live up to, as Sweden is expected to handle large-scale operations and exercises. When a brigade, that is, a unit with 5000 people, needs to be transported from the west coast to the east coast, the road is not an option. As long as the Baltic Sea is not safe, the railway remains. The route from Gothenburg via Eksjö to Oskarshamn is highlighted as an important transport route in the new logistics network.
– NATO will test our capability. It is up to Sweden to succeed. It is not the Armed Forces that have joined NATO, this concerns all of us, said Claes Wetterström.

Link to anniversary publication

Link to final report Höglandsbanan