Solving Stockholm’s bottleneck problem
Posted: 18 February 2013 | | No comments yet
When completed in 2017, the new City Line will double the capacity of rail travel into the centre of Stockholm – ensuring the long-term develop – ment of rail travel and for creating an attractive and efficient public transport system that meets the demands and requirements of the city.
Three million people live and work in Stockholm and the surrounding region. It is a market place for trade with goods and services and a centre for culture and entertainment. Many people comm ute into work from the suburbs and the investments made in the railways around Lake Malar have served to make rail travel an attractive alternative to travelling by car.
The City Line is a €1.85 billion project to build two railway lines beneath the city – a vital project for the long-term development of rail travel and for creating an attractive and efficient public transport system that meets the demands and requirements of the city.
As Stockholm is built on many islands, transport links to and from the centre can be difficult. At present, there are only two railway tracks running through central Stockholm.
As a result, commuter trains, regional trains, long-distance trains and freight trains have to use the same tracks, causing bottlenecks during peak time periods.
Commuter central
A quarter of a million commuters travel by train every day in Sweden and eight out of every ten train journeys either begin or end in Stockholm. This puts enormous pressure on the transport system, with crowded trains and laterunning trains.
When completed in 2017, the new City Line will double the capacity of rail travel into the centre of Stockholm – ensuring the long-term develop - ment of rail travel and for creating an attractive and efficient public transport system that meets the demands and requirements of the city. Three million people live and work in Stockholm and the surrounding region. It is a market place for trade with goods and services and a centre for culture and entertainment. Many people comm ute into work from the suburbs and the investments made in the railways around Lake Malar have served to make rail travel an attractive alternative to travelling by car. The City Line is a €1.85 billion project to build two railway lines beneath the city – a vital project for the long-term development of rail travel and for creating an attractive and efficient public transport system that meets the demands and requirements of the city. As Stockholm is built on many islands, transport links to and from the centre can be difficult. At present, there are only two railway tracks running through central Stockholm. As a result, commuter trains, regional trains, long-distance trains and freight trains have to use the same tracks, causing bottlenecks during peak time periods. Commuter central A quarter of a million commuters travel by train every day in Sweden and eight out of every ten train journeys either begin or end in Stockholm. This puts enormous pressure on the transport system, with crowded trains and laterunning trains.
When completed in 2017, the new City Line will double the capacity of rail travel into the centre of Stockholm – ensuring the long-term develop – ment of rail travel and for creating an attractive and efficient public transport system that meets the demands and requirements of the city.
Three million people live and work in Stockholm and the surrounding region. It is a market place for trade with goods and services and a centre for culture and entertainment. Many people comm ute into work from the suburbs and the investments made in the railways around Lake Malar have served to make rail travel an attractive alternative to travelling by car.
The City Line is a €1.85 billion project to build two railway lines beneath the city – a vital project for the long-term development of rail travel and for creating an attractive and efficient public transport system that meets the demands and requirements of the city.
As Stockholm is built on many islands, transport links to and from the centre can be difficult. At present, there are only two railway tracks running through central Stockholm.
As a result, commuter trains, regional trains, long-distance trains and freight trains have to use the same tracks, causing bottlenecks during peak time periods.
Commuter central
A quarter of a million commuters travel by train every day in Sweden and eight out of every ten train journeys either begin or end in Stockholm. This puts enormous pressure on the transport system, with crowded trains and laterunning trains.
Once completed, the City Line will dramatically improve travel into and out of the city centre. The two new commuter train stations, Odenplan and City, will make it easier to change between commuter trains, under – ground and bus services, which will help to cut travel times. The City Line’s two new tracks will serve to double the capacity for rail traffic from the current 24 trains per hour in each direction to 48.
Complex tunnelling
The City Line tunnels will measure between 25m2 for single tracks, 110m2 for double-tracks and 220m2 for stations. A total of 4 million tonnes of blasted rock and 150,000 tonnes of soil will be excavated. The only section of the tunnel to be built differently will be the underwater section to the south of the city, where the tunnel will be floated into position as an immersed tube. Building a new rail tunnel in a city centre between 10 and 40 metres below the surface is a very complex and high-risk undertaking.
When the City Line is finished in 2017, commuter trains will run on their own tracks in a 6km-long tunnel. Other rail services will con tinue to operate on the present tracks. This means that track capacity will be doubled and trains will be able to run more frequently and punctually. Interchanges will be smoother because the new stations are located close to bus routes and metro lines.
Biography
Eskil Sellgren is the Deputy Managing Director for WSP Sweden, mainly responsible for the WSP Civils with 800 staff. Mr. Sellgren has a long and sound experience as a head and leader in diff erent types of roles and has an MSc in Civil Engineering and PhD in Soil Mechanics.