The Iron Ore Line (Swedish: Malmbanan), has been regularly in the news during the past two years. Several derailments in short succession sparked suspicions of sabotage. The line is highly important to Sweden, but will also grow in importance for Europe and its adversaries.
The Iron Ore Line runs from Boden, in the north of Sweden, to the border with Norway. From there, it runs to Narvik under the name “Ofotbanen”, which is Norway’s extension of the Swedish railway.
In other words, the line is located in sparsely populated territory, not usually associated with great economic or political importance. But the Iron Ore Line is different, the name reveals why: it is a key artery for mining products from the area.
LKAB, the largest mining company in the region, calls the railway “a critical link in the green transition” and cites its “crucial importance for Europe’s future economic development and access to critically important raw materials”.
The share of Iron Ore Line freight in Sweden
Its large role in Swedish rail freight is reflected in the country’s annual statistics reports. It has separate datasheets with and without ore transportation on the Iron Ore Line. Due to their sheer volume, including the ores might paint a skewed picture of rail freight elsewhere in the country.
Out of the total rail freight volume of 68,3 million tonnes in 2023, 25,7 million tonnes was ore on just the Iron Ore Line (37,6%). The impact of the derailments in early 2024 also immediately became clear. In contrast to other rail freight transportation in Sweden, which grew by 2,2%, ore traffic on the Iron Ore Line shrank by 12%.
In H1 2025 and in the absence of derailments, the Iron Ore Line rebounded with a jump of 32%
| Metric (millions of tonnes) | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Change from ’24 to ’25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total freight (Q1+Q2) | 34,312 | 31,569 | 34,750 | +10.1% |
| Excluding Iron Ore Line (Q1+Q2) | 21,576 | 21,733 | 21,768 | +0.2% |
| Ore on the Iron Ore Line (Q1+Q2) | 12,736 | 9,836 | 12,982 | +32% |
Rail disruptions = fewer mining products
The numbers show that the Iron Ore Line is economically crucial to Sweden, despite being a single-track railway in a remote area on the periphery of the country and the continent as a whole. Without it, the mines would not be able to export their products in the same way, leading to reductions in output.
That is exactly what happened after the derailments in 2024: “In view of the limited capacity on the Iron Ore Line, during the quarter LKAB decided to cut back production of finished products by around a million tonnes on an annual basis. As part of optimising mine production in the operating locations it was also announced that production in Konsuln, which is adjacent to the Kiruna mine, is being mothballed”, the company explained.
That wraps it up regarding the situation as it is today. Yet, the Iron Ore Line will -most likely- grow even further in importance. That has everything to do with Europe’s ambition for “strategic autonomy” and a shift away from China. Beijing has control over the world’s largest rare earth mineral reserves, and as of 2024, China produced around 70% of all rare earth oxides.
New rare earth mineral deposit
Europe wants to be more independent, and that includes raw material independence. It just so happens to be that Sweden discovered large rare earth mineral deposits close to the existing mines in the north. A blessing for Sweden, but also a blessing for Europe, which expects a 500% increase in the rare earth mineral demand by 2050. By 2030, Sweden has the potential to meet approximately 18% of that demand.
This would make Sweden a key supplier for the continent, while also contributing to Europe’s goal of reducing its reliance on China. However, mining operations in the new deposit are expected to start only 10 to 15 years from now. And for comparison: Sweden has found one million tonnes worth of rare earth minerals, whereas China has a reserve of 44 million tonnes.
The rare earth factor, even if it is something for the long term, comes on top of the already existing mining output in the area: Sweden is Europe’s leading iron ore producer and fourth largest copper producer. It also mines zinc and lead in other parts of the country.
LKAB too highlights the mines’ role in the green transition and the growing role of the Iron Ore Line: “As the mining industry and steel companies shift towards fossil-free iron and steel, the Ore Railway becomes even more important. The iron from the mines is planned to soon be joined by new important products, critical minerals and metals vital for food production and for European industry.”
The company sees the Iron Ore Line as a critical link for the green transition and for development in the Nordics and Europe. “A vital artery where the pressure from larger volumes of goods and new residents will increase dramatically in the coming years.”
NATO and the military
That was it for the economic part. Besides ore transportation, the railway has recently gained a new significance elsewhere. With Sweden’s accession into NATO, the country will need to have its infrastructure in order to facilitate military transports. The key railway line for the country in this context is indeed the Iron Ore Line.
It links up to the Norwegian port of Narvik, which was a major battle theatre in WWII. The central prize was access to Swedish ore all-year round due to freezing in the Bothnia Gulf. In contemporary times, Narvik is also a gateway into the far north areas of Europe. That makes it a prime target for NATO adversaries, which also explains why there were so many suspicions of sabotage after derailments in early 2024. From both an economic and military point of view, the Iron Ore Line is being propelled forward into continental significance.
Future-proofing and higher TACs?
In order to future-proof the railway, Sweden is investing. LKAB’s dream of a double track railway across the entire length of the line is out of reach for the time being. Instead, Sweden is betting on station extensions and passing loops to improve capacity. The upgrade plan also involves an axle load improvement to 32.5 tonnes on large sections of the railway.
Sweden’s upgrade plans for the Iron Ore Line are relatively big, in the sense that they don’t fit in the budget. For that reason, Stockholm has tasked the Swedish Transport Administration and infrastructure manager Trafikverket with exploring public-private partnership (PPP) funding, an unusual step to take for Sweden.
It refers to the potential additional funding and more efficient implementation of projects as a justification. In order to generate private interest, however, it is also floating higher track access charges to create revenue streams.