Swedish government plans big projects for Stockholm infrastructure redevelopment as elections draw nearer

Monday, 11 November 2013
The Swedish Alliance coalition government in are launching a large construction projects in Sweden just as the general election is drawing nearer.
The governing Alliance coalition, four municipalities in the Stockholm County Council area are launching several large-scale construction projects for billions of Kronor. The project will see nine new underground stations and tunnels and 78 000 new housing units in the county to be constructed.

This comes from a write up the leaders of the parties presented in the Swedish daily, Dagens Nyheter which is reported to hold that in practice the housing program will have an equivalence of almost a new Uppsala.

According to them, the City of Stockholm, Nacka, Solna and Järfälla have agreed with the government on the projects. The Stockholm County Council is also in agreement, as described in the paper by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (Moderate party), Minister of Industries, Annie Loof (Centre party), Minister for Education,  Jan Björklund (Liberal or People’s party) and Social Affairs Minsiter, Göran Hägglund (Christian Democrats).

“The agreement presented today includes nine new metro stations, with routes towards places such as Nacka Arenastaden and Barkarby,” write the four party leaders in the newspaper. Investments in new stations, vehicles and depots have been determined to reach a cost of Skr 25.7 billion.

Financing is provided by all parties injecting resources. Congestion tax will be extended to pay for the subway extension. Therefore for example the congestion tax on the Essingeleden  will be introduces as early as 2016, while current congestion taxes will be raised.

Housing construction is according to the agreement already had with the municipalities, and party leaders say that they are ramping up to house counts to almost twice as many homes as was previously projected. The article did not provide any explanation as of how much the housing projects will cost and when they will be finished.

The driver of the project has to do with the expectation that the region’s population will increase from 2.1 million people to 2.6 million in 2030.
The opposition seem to welcome the proposal. The Green Party says that public transport in Stockholm has been hugely neglected, and thus it says it therefore welcome the Alliance’s proposal for the expansion of the subway. “The problem is that the proposal is only funded for one fifth,” said Daniel Helldén, opposition mayor for the Green Party in Stockholm.Construction work coming big time to Sweden / Granscole
Meanwhile the Alliance expects the proposed expansion of the subway in Stockholm to cost some Skr25.7 billion.

For the Social Democrats: “It is important for Stockholm that the Moderates have finally swung and now understand that Stockholm requires an expanded subway,” said Social Democrat economic policy spokesperson, Magdalena Andersson.
The Social Democrat Party, however, is critical that the Alliance choose not to speak with the opposition before submitting its proposal.
“What we lack is a broader bipartisan agreement. We have yet to see how the funding will go through. But we will do everything to support the expansion because we are a cooperative party,” says Magdalena Andersson to Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter.
By Scancomark.com Team