The Region Stockholm’s traffic committee has made a decision on the route for the Roslag line to T-Centralen after investigating the advantages and disadvantages of three possible options. The green alternative, which involves running the tracks via Odenplan to the city, has been chosen. This decision will increase accessibility between the northeast sector and central Stockholm. The investigation suggests that the existing Roslag track in ground position goes down in a new tunnel at the height of Albano. Currently, Roslagsbanan has around 50,000 arriving passengers a day. The expansion is estimated to begin in 2026, with traffic starting in 2038. Despite criticism from opposition regional councilor Anna Sehlin, the decision was made based on the investigation’s significant advantages. Suggested improvements include relieving the subway’s red line and adding another junction at Odenplan, where the subway, commuter train and Roslagsbanan meet. The project is a number of years away, and the challenges will be managing the traffic increases until then.
The location investigation for the Roslag line has examined the advantages and disadvantages of three possible routes of the narrow-gauge railway’s stretch towards T-Centralen. Based on the investigation, Region Stockholm’s traffic committee has now decided to go ahead with the green alternative, i.e. to run the tracks via Odenplan to the city.
– This is an important decision that increases accessibility between the northeast sector and central Stockholm, says traffic regional councilor Anton Fendert (MP).
With this, the orange alternative with a route from University to the T-Centralen and a new station at Rådmansgatan is abandoned, as well as the blue alternative where the line was supposed to go via the Technical University.
– This option is the one that provides the greatest traffic benefits. It relieves the subway’s red line and we get another junction in the form of Odenplan, where the subway, commuter train and Roslagsbanan meet. Now the Roslagsbanan gets a connection to two different subway lines even before it reaches the T-central, says Anton Fendert.
The investigation suggests that existing Roslag track in ground position goes down in a new tunnel at the height of Albano.
Three alternatives for the Roslag line to T-Centralen
Source: Region Stockholm
Today, traveling between the north-east municipalities and central Stockholm is a hassle. Travel times are long and a change is required at Stockholm’s east to the metro’s red line. This also means that the subway is heavily loaded between the University of Technology and the T-centre. By the year 2050, travel on the Roslagsbanan is estimated to triple.
Currently, Roslagsbanan has approximately 50,000 arriving passengers a day.
The investigation has suggested that Östra station should be shut down if the green option is chosen. But Anton Fendert does not want to give any definitive information at the moment.
– We will have to look at exactly what will happen to Östra station in the future.
Opposition regional councilor Anna Sehlin (V) has previously directed sharp criticism at the building plans in general. She has dismissed the whole thing as madness and has argued that an expansion of the subway would do more good.
Anton Fendert disagrees and refers to the fact that the investigation pointed to significant advantages.
– There are many different wish lists for all possible types of rail traffic in the county, but now we actually have a decision and funding for this option.
The ambition is for the expansion of the Roslag Line to begin in 2026. If everything goes as it should, it will then be time for traffic to start in 2038.
What are the challenges with the option you have chosen?
– There are many advantages to this solution. The challenges will above all be about getting everything in place by 2038 and managing the traffic increases we will see until then. The project is a number of years away and of course, as with so many other projects, we would have liked to have it in place much sooner.
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New proposal from SL: Extend the Roslagsbanan