Sweden might reopen a railway line closed since 1990 as part of its plan to improve its defence capabilities. The 75-kilometre section would (re)connect Arvidsjaur and Jörn, in the north of the country.
The Swedish infrastructure manager Trafikverket said it will start clearing the vegetation that took over the disused line over the past two and a half decades. “The aim is to enable an investigation into whether future traffic on the route is feasible”, Trafikverket said.
The IM underlined the importance of the line for military mobility as well as freight movement. Between its opening in 1928 and the interruption of traffic in 1990, the line was crossed by freight trains carrying iron ore, forest products and peat.
Military mobility in the EU
Improving railway networks to be ready to move troops and military equipment has become a priority in many European countries and institutions. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s occupation of Palestine and Trump’s anti-EU approach led many Member States to increase defence spending to become more independent when it comes to equipment and more prepared in case of war.
NATO recently asked its members to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP. To reach this goal, many countries decided to invest into improving, reopening, or building new infrastructure for military mobility. Even the CEF funds, Europe’s main funding mechanism for rail infrastructure projects, significantly increased the slice of the pie destined to military mobility projects.