The community
A robust Swedish-Norwegian region will benefit its citizens. In the space of 35 years, the population in the Gothenburg / Oslo region has grown by as much as the population of a new Oslo. It is therefore crucial for the development and future of the region and its individual municipalities that we act now, and that we act appropriately. A community with well-developed infrastructure and efficient transportation is a more profitable one, and this is crucial for prosperity and population growth.
Today, around 1.8 million people live in the Oslo–Gothenburg area. Given a 20% population increase, at least 2.2 million people will live in the area in 2040. Around 400,000 more people will need eco-friendly transportation between Oslo and Gothenburg by then. A new high-speed rail line – Skagerrakbanan – would help knit together the growing regions to form a very robust, economically strong region that creates benefits for the citizens of both countries. The community would enjoy advantages that people could both contribute to, and draw benefit from, to achieve their goals in life.
The forecast model used by the Swedish National Negotiation on Housing and Infrastructure is applied when making major infrastructure choices. According to calculations based on the model, economic activity along Skagerrakbanan will increase substantially due to the number of companies and people moving to the towns that have stations along the line.
Skagerrakbanan is an enabler for a massive investment boom in the region between Oslo and Gothenburg. It is felt that other cross-border effects such as improved labour market, business development, studies and research along with accessibility for tourism will increase by a further EUR 40 billion in soft money.
Skagerrakbanan will
- increase in market value, giving municipalities a valuable investment object
- be cheaper to build through international competition
- enable a massive investment boom in the
Oslo–Gothenburg region.
The outcome is in line with the demands for business-related profitability that can be expected. Were each country to build a new Østfold Line and a new Bohus Line individually, both projects would be very unprofitable in terms of social value. Because it is a cross-border operation, profitability on Skagerrakbanan is split between international travel and a great amount of regional travel.
