Sweden’s longest rail tunnel has opened on the railway between Malmö and Gothenburg more than 20 years since the start of its construction.
The €1.2 billion Hallandsås Tunnel was finally opened by Sweden’s Minister for Enterprise and Innovation, Mikael Damberg, and Trafikverket director general Lena Erixon on December 8.
The 9-kilometre, twin-bore tunnel will allow significantly more passenger services to operate along the western corridor, creating capacity for up to 20 additional trains an hour. On December 15, when the tunnel is brought into service, 100 trains will travel through the Hallandsås Tunnel – twice as many as currently use the route.
The project has also seen new stations constructed in Förslöv, Barkåkra and Bastad.
Construction of the tunnel first began in 1992. Five years later, with a third of the tunnel bored, the project was brought to a standstill after serious environmental concerns were raised. Construction eventually restarted in 2003.
