Transportation in Sweden
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Transportation in Sweden.
Railways
Rail transport are operated by SJ, Green Cargo, Tågkompaniet and a number of regional companies. Light rail systems are used in Gothenburg, Norrköping and Stockholm. There is a metro system in Stockholm, the Stockholm Metro.
- Total: 12,821 km (includes 3,594 km of privately-owned railways)
- standard gauge: 12,821 km 1.435 m gauge (7,918 km electrified and 1,152 km double track) (1998)
- narrow gauge: 221 km 0.891-m gauge (2001)
Railway links with adjacent countries
- Norway - yes - same gauge - same voltagge
- Finland - yes - break-of-gauge 1435mm/1524mm
- Denmark - yes - Oresund bridge - same gauge - voltage change 15kVAC/25kVAC.
Road traffic
See also: Driving on the left or right
Sweden had left-hand traffic (Vänstertrafik in Swedish) from approximately 1736 and continued to do so well into the 20th century. Despite this virtually all cars in Sweden were actually left-hand drive and the neighbouring Nordic countries already drove on the right, leading to some confusion at border crossings. The Swedish voters rejected a change to driving on the right in a referendum held in 1955.
Nevertheless, in 1963 the Riksdag passed legislation ordering the switch to right-hand traffic. The changeover took place on a Sunday morning at 5am on September 3, 1967, which was known in Swedish as Dagen H (H-Day), the 'H' being for Högertrafik or right-hand traffic.
Since Swedish cars were left-hand drive, experts had suggested that changing to driving on the right would reduce accidents, because drivers would have a better view of the road ahead. Indeed, fatal car-to-car and car-to-pedestrian accidents dropped sharply as a result.
Highways
Motorways run through Sweden, Denmark and over the Öresund Bridge to Stockholm, Göteborg, Uppsala and Uddevalla. The system of motorways is still under construction and a new motorway from Uppsala to Gävle is under construction.
- total: 210,760 km
- paved: 162,707 km (including 1,428 km of expressways)
- unpaved: 48,053 km (1999)
- Waterways: 2,052 km
- note: navigable for small steamers and barges
Ports and harbours
- Gävle
- Gothenburg
- Halmstad
- Helsingborg
- Hudiksvall
- Kalmar
- Kapellskär
- Karlshamn
- Malmö
- Sölvesborg
- Stockholm
- Sundsvall
- Västerås
Merchant marine
- total: 167 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,205,370 GRT/1,663,091 DWT
- ships by type: (2000 est.)
- *bulk 5
- *cargo 28
- *chemical tanker 31
- *combination ore/oil 4
- *liquified gas 1
- *petroleum tanker 29
- *railcar carrier 1
- *roll-on/roll-off 40
- *short-sea passenger 4
- *specialized tanker 6
- *vehicle carrier 17
Airports
See also: Swedish Civil Aviation Administration
- 255 (2000 estimate)
Airports - with paved runways
(Official figures. A great number of wartime airfields exist with various lengths)- *total: 147
- *over 3,047 m: 3
- *2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
- *1,524 to 2,437 m: 80
- *914 to 1,523 m: 28
- *under 914 m: 25
Airports - with unpaved runways
- *total: 108
- *914 to 1,523 m: 5
- *under 914 m: 103
- Heliports
- *1 (2000 est.) (Every hospital, airport and military base has Helipads.)
List of airports
- Gothenburg City Airport
- Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport
- Kalmar Airport
- Malmö-Sturup Airport
- Stockholm-Arlanda Airport
- Stockholm-Bromma Airport
- Stockholm-Skavsta Airport
See also
- Government agencies in Sweden
- Scandinavian Airlines System
- Volvo, Saab Automobile, Saab, Scania
- Estonia disaster
References
- CIA World Factbook 2001
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