The Arlanda
Express – High-Speed Rail in
Stockholm
Transportation planners in
Stockholm
,
Sweden
, have
found the solution to carry passengers to/from the airport and the central
business district with its high-speed rail system, the Arlanda Express. With 98%
of trains arriving within 2 minutes of their scheduled arrival, and four-to-six
trains per hour departing from 4 separate stations, passengers enjoy a reliable,
predictable and speedy service.
The Arlanda Express is remarkable
not only because of its speed – it is built to reach a maximum of 125 mph – but
because it was
Sweden
’s first major public-private
partnership project in over 100 years. Traditionally, federal funding would have
covered the costs of the project but a weak economy forced
Sweden
’s
policymakers to consider alternative funding sources. In 1995, the preferred
bidder signed a 45-year concession agreement for $540 million USD. The Swedish
Railway Administration managed the construction while private banks provided the
loans with future fare revenues as collateral. The Administration worked to
ensure the new high-speed rail line had the same feel as the airport terminals
in its design and closely monitored the project’s environmental impacts
throughout the construction phases.
Because of the public-private partnership,
Stockholm
was able to deliver a state-the-art
transportation system in only five years from start to
finish.
Not only is the
Arlanda Express a quick way to travel to and from the airport, it is embraced
for its ability to help reduce congestion and therefore, improve the city’s
overall air quality. Since the train is electrically powered, it does not
produce any environmentally harmful emissions.
Because passengers and airport employees
now have an alternative mode of travel to the airport, The Arlanda Express has
the potential to eliminate 95,000 car trips and 2,300 bus trips every week on
the motorway, which also has significant savings to
Stockholm
’s economy.
The Arlanda Express has a public
approval rating of more than 97
percent.
Chicago
’s congestion ranks third in the
nation. Gridlock in the
Chicago
area rose 42% from 2007 to 2008,
despite a 5% decline in vehicle miles traveled. According to a recent
Talking
Transit
, MPC's bi-weekly e-newsletter. To receive the newsletter, visit
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