Transportation in Sweden
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Transportation in Sweden.
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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)
From Gällivare in the north to Kristinehamn in the center of the country runs the Inland Railway which had been put into service in the beginning of the 20th century to develop the northern territories of sweden. Now it serves mainly touristical and wood transprotation puroses.
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: Rules of the road
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
- 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 harbors
- 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
See also
- Government agencies in Sweden
- Scandinavian Airlines System
- Volvo, Saab Automobile, Saab, Scania
- Estonia disaster
References
- CIA World Factbook 2001