Leader: Sweden should board the European railway

A direct night train between Brussels and Malmö is due to begin in April 2028, and Dagens Nyheter argues that Sweden should use such plans to rethink its railway future.

The editorial points to wider changes taking shape across Europe. By 2030, the journey between Copenhagen and Berlin is expected to take four hours instead of seven. In the middle of the 2030s, the Fehmarn Belt tunnel between Denmark and Germany is expected to make travel between Malmö and Hamburg possible in less than three hours. Rail ticket booking is also becoming more coordinated.

For Sweden, the newspaper says these developments should influence long-term investment plans. It calls for a railway system that can handle more punctual freight and regional services, allow more Swedes to travel to the continent, and make it easier for Europeans to visit Sweden.

The proposed expansion also requires practical upgrades. Sweden needs to bring its signaling systems into line with EU standards and improve track quality. SJ has bought a larger successor to the X 2000, capable of traveling at 250 kilometers per hour rather than 200, but the editorial notes that Sweden has very little track able to support that speed.

Dagens Nyheter adds a security argument to the climate and mobility case. The EU and NATO want Sweden’s rail network strengthened, including to improve Europe’s combined defense capacity. The editorial says railway infrastructure should receive its share of coming total-defense investments, and that Sweden should coordinate with its European partners and allies rather than plan strictly within national borders.