When it comes for the rightful implementation of the First Railway Package provisions by separating the national infrastructure manager of railway operators, Sweden is a positive example taken into account by all those involved in the railway sector.Other states obviously complied rather quickly with these measures on the implementation of provisions which led to the support of the rail transport, of the profile market, as well as the support of fair competition between the modes of transport, but Sweden remains the main example by which the government wanted to identify support for social goals and to ensure a competitive balance to the benefit of public transport.
In 1988, Sweden split state railways into two separate agencies, long before the coming into force of the First Railway Package and since 2010 it has planned a second major reorganisation in the field of transports. Thus, Trafikverket was created, managing all modes of transport.
Trafikverket is responsible for the long-term planning of transportation systems, implicitly of the rail, road, maritime and air infrastructure. The same authority deals with the construction, operation and maintenance of national rail and road transport networks; it also deals with accessibility as regards public transport, by the assignment of public service obligation contracts at national level. Trafikverket decides on problems regarding state subsidies granted to the maritime transport sector.
Although its responsibility is the ma-nagement of four different types of transport infrastructure, Trafikverket faces the same challenges as the rest of the similar European authorities, therefore “constant issues relate to the construction of an efficient transportation system in terms of energy consumption, a well-adapted freight and passenger transport in metropolitan areas, the maintenance of an efficient intermodal transportation system for the trade and industry area, the maintenance of an efficient and consolidated infrastructure, as well as the achievement of efficiency following the amounts invested in infrastructure”, informs Bo Olsson, strategy director within Trafikverket, participant in the session dedicated to the infrastructure on the occasion of the Railway Days Summit 2011.
For the first year, Trafikverket budget amounted to approximately SEK 46 Billion (EUR 5 Billion) granted for investments and maintenance, and SEK 15 Billion (approximately EUR 1.5 Billion) of them were intended for the railway sector and SEK 20 Billion (approximately EUR 2 Billion) for the road sector.
Trafikverket representative also spoke about Green Corridors, an initiative of the European Commission, meant to intensify the competitiveness of the logistic industry and to create sustainable solutions, initiative that the Swedish authority as well as the Maritime Swedish Administration and VINNOVA support since 2010, by means of a governmental commission.
Green Corridors initiative will allow large-scale and long-term transport solutions by the completion of an attractive infrastructure as well as by a sustained regulatory framework.
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