Atkins wins design contract for major rail upgrade in Stockholm

Atkins has been awarded a major design contract for one of the largest infrastructure projects in Sweden, Mälaren Line Project. The project will increase capacity on the rail network in the greater Stockholm region, which is home to almost a quarter of Sweden’s population.

The contract, which has been awarded by the Swedish Transport Administration, will include the planning and design of new tracks, a new commuter rail station, improved track geometry to increase speed, and new overpasses between roads and railways.

Johannes Erlandsson, managing director for Atkins in Sweden, said: “This project is vital for the people who live and work in the Stockholm area and for the growth of the regional economy. The award of the contract is a clear recognition that our people have the technical excellence needed to deliver this challenging transport and community development scheme.”

Currently, long-distance, regional and commuter trains all use the same two tracks on Mälaren Line to and from Stockholm. This can result in the longer distance services queuing behind the commuter trains as they stop at stations, and therefore can impact on passengers making their journeys on time.

The work being carried out by Atkins will start immediately and is scheduled for completion in spring 2014.

Atkins is working on several other major infrastructure schemes in Scandinavia including the Stockholm City line – the ‘Crossrail of Stockholm’, the first roll-out of a country-wide ERTMS system in Denmark, and planning for a Norwegian high-speed rail system.