Railway connections

Rail services are well established. The Swedish National Railway’s main line to northern Sweden runs through Västerbotten, connecting the northern part of Sweden with Europe, along with several regional railway lines. Branch rail lines provide access to the main industrial sites. The Bothnia Line along the coast will significantly cut rail travel times, it will be opened for traffic in August 2010. The Bothnia Line is the biggest railway project of modern times in Sweden. It is a single-track railway being laid from the bridge over Ångermanälven, north of Kramfors airport, via Örnsköldsvik, Husum, Nordmaling, to Umeå.

The Bothnia Line will link together a highly productive region, where a series of significant industrial locations are all situated along the Swedish coastline. This new link will mean efficient transport of freight and the halving of travelling times for passengers. The Bothnia Line will be able to cope with speeds of up to 250 km/hour.

Inlandsbanan (“the inland railway”) runs from Kristinehamn in the south to Gällivare in the north – a total distance of 1300 km.