Trafikverket: Getting Sweden’s railways on track for…

Change is coming to Europe’s railways and the organisations planning the continent’s train traffic have to be ready to deliver it. Our experts have made sure Sweden’s transport authority, Trafikverket, is prepared to adapt Sweden’s rail capacity planning to a new harmonised process, enabling proactive, long-term planning, and cross-border coordination.

Doubling rail traffic for a greener Europe

As part of the European Green Deal plan for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the European Commission (EC) wants to double rail traffic across the continent. Rail is currently not flexible enough for businesses which want to move freight reliably at short notice, while others need the stability to plan passenger traffic.

In part, that’s because infrastructure managers in EU member states use different processes to plan capacity and schedule maintenance on their rail networks. This makes it harder for rail operators to move freight and passenger traffic efficiently across borders and get the most out of Europe’s rail network. A regulation due in 2026 aims to speed up co-ordination and ensure a new harmonised process is enforced. Infrastructure managers like Sweden’s transport authority, Trafikverket, face a challenge in adapting themselves to work more closely with international counterparts while still meeting the needs driven by different national circumstances.

We knew the change the EC wants would mean a complex transition for us. We’ve already come together with other European infrastructure managers to move towards a new integrated process for planning rail traffic. But we needed to be clear about what that would demand of us as an organisation.”

Mats Berlin Head of Department/Project Sponsor, Trafikverket

Searching for new ways of working

Currently, Trafikverket prepares its timetable only after Sweden’s rail operating companies apply – around eight months in advance – to use the network for the coming year. But to make a more joined-up railway possible, Trafikverket, along with its counterparts across Europe, will need to plan more proactively, already starting the capacity planning five years in advance. This means change throughout the organisation, from the teams who plan capacity and maintenance, to those planning infrastructure projects and managing technology systems.

Our operating model specialists worked with Trafikverket to apply the emerging European capacity planning process to the Swedish context and anticipate how the organisation will need to adapt to be able to put it into action. This will mean it’s prepared when regulations come into force.

PA Operating Model expert Malin Jakobsson said: “Today, Trafikverket waits until it has all the pieces of its puzzle – applications from rail operators – before it starts to put it together. It now needs to be able to start assembling the puzzle before it has the pieces. Trafikverket will also need to be able to share its emerging plan for any given year with other infrastructure managers and operators in the market.”

Setting up the national project

We laid the groundwork for success by teaming up with Trafikverket’s experts to carry out a gap analysis of how processes, information, and different parts of the organisation will be affected by the change. This helped us define a solution which was supported by our business design framework. At every step, we factored in the impact this solution would have on external stakeholders such as freight and passenger operators, public transport authorities, and maintenance companies.

Stepping up to a new role

Our team and Trafikverket pinpointed the capabilities it would need take to make this work. Jakobsson explains: “The organisation had to understand the needs of its market through dialogue with Sweden’s 50-plus rail operators, as well as the businesses who rely on the railways.” She continued, “it then has to balance efficiency with enabling fair competition. Another key capability is managing data and using it to forecast demand.”

We also worked with Trafikverket on how to implement the new planning and timetabling process step-by-step around the existing system and the annual cycle imposed by current laws.

Another part of the project has been setting up a forum for rail operators and businesses who use the rail network so they can see and feed back on Trafikverket’s development plans. Jakobsson said: “This makes sure that, as far as possible, Trafikverket is giving its clients what they need, and that they know what to expect as things change.”

Playing a part in a continent-wide network

The work means Trafikverket is now ready to respond when new regulation emerges, and ready to work with other infrastructure managers. Mats Berlin, Head of Department/Project Sponsor, Trafikverket said: “We’re moving towards a point where, across Europe, the rail network is managed in a consistent way to further support international traffic and increase the appeal of rail transport. PA has been a reliable partner in helping us understand what we need to do and to move our teams forward, as well as making sure we’re in step with external factors like legislation and international developments.”