In just 20 months, 6 kilometers of railway, complete with 10 bridges, will be completed – a key investment for the green transition in Norrbotten. And so far, the project is ahead of schedule.
The construction of an infrastructure corridor is progressing at breakneck speed, with railway and road being developed side by side. The project, already described as one of Sweden’s fastest railway constructions, will deliver six kilometers of railway, ten bridges, and 700,000 cubic meters of excavated material – equivalent to 280 Olympic swimming pools – in just 20 months.
– “This is a major project, but what sets it apart is that everything needs to happen incredibly quickly. We are designing the railway while simultaneously building it,” says Max Havama, project manager for the infrastructure corridor at Polar Structure.
Two projects in one
The project is a combination of rail and road construction, with the rail part financed by Polar Structure and the roads by the municipality of Boden. The partnership is based on a so-called PPP (public-private partnership) solution, where the private side takes on the main financial risk. At the same time, it ensures that the public party has full transparency in all processes and retains control over critical decisions, ensuring that public funds are used responsibly.
PPP is a procurement model that allows public actors to partner with private companies to deliver large infrastructure projects faster and more cost-effectively. The model means that the private company not only builds, but is also responsible for operation and maintenance over a longer period of time, providing incentives to ensure high quality.
– “It’s a complex project with many parties involved, but we are actually ahead of schedule, which is very rare for projects of this size”, says Max Havama.
Key to green industry
Rail is a key part of the infrastructure of the Boden Industrial Park, enabling efficient and sustainable transportation for companies like Stegra. For heavy and long-distance transportation, rail offers a superior solution to road traffic, both in terms of capacity and reduced environmental impact, making it crucial for the region’s green and industrial development.
“Strong result – despite short timeframe”
As in many rail projects, factors such as ground conditions and coordination between different actors can create challenges. In this project, tight timeframes and the climate of Norrbotten are added to the mix, placing high demands on flexibility and effective problem-solving. The success so far is due to a combination of careful preparation, innovative approaches and flexible coordination. Now, in the run-up to winter, all planned steps have been completed. The focus now is on rail-specific above-ground work and the foundation of the last two bridges. Work on sleepers and rails will start in spring. The success so far is due to a combination of thorough preparation, innovative methods, and flexible coordination. Now, ahead of winter, all planned groundwork has been completed. The focus moving forward will be on above-ground railway-specific tasks and the foundation work for the final two bridges. In the spring, work on sleepers and rails will begin.
– “We are proud to be ahead of schedule in a project that requires both speed and precision. It showcases the strength of the collaboration between all parties involved”, concludes Max Havama.
Max Havama, project manager for the infrastructure corridor at Polar Structure.
The railway is due to be completed in January 2026 and the road will be ready for traffic in October 2026.
