There have been many twists and turns around the construction of Ostlänken – already in the 80s, the question of a new railway section to replace the single-track Nyköpingsbanan was raised, but the plans were only put into print in the 90s.
Since then, the start of construction has been delayed several times, including due to protests from landowners, but in 2018 the go-ahead came from the government at the time to start construction.
The price tag for the entire project, which is to be completed in 2035, is currently estimated to be SEK 91.4 billion.
Despite many obstacles on the way, the announcement came this spring about the green light for the first, northernmost part of Ostlänken between Hölö and Järna, and in Gerstaberg the first sod was laid on Wednesday.
But the way the plans look now, the residents of Södertälje will not benefit to any great extent from Ostlänken, according to municipal board chairman Boel Godner (S):
– Above all, we hope for a continued expansion to Stockholm with a stop in Södertälje south, she says.
But why has the project start been so delayed? Hear Magnus Sjöberg, Trafikverket’s program manager for Ostlänken, in the clip above.