UL Will Draw up a Plan for New Trains for the Upptåget Train Service

UL has been commissioned to draw up a basis for acquiring new trains for the Upptåget train service The Public Transport Board decided to do this at the meeting on October 13.

“It is very good for both the environment and the county’s development that more people travel by the Upptåget train and in order for the development to continue, we need to put trains into service that accommodate more passengers," says Bertil Kinnunen (S), Chairman of the Public Transport Board.

“During my daily travel on the Upptåget train I feel how crowded it is and that see that passengers have to travel standing because all the seats are occupied," says Jenny Lundström (MP), 1st Vice Chairman of the Public Transport Board.

“That so many people choose to travel climate-smart is very good and important in our endeavors towards a sustainable society with fossil-free public transit. It is important that the positive trend can continue and therefore as soon as possible we need a train that has space for both today’s and tomorrow’s passengers," says Jenny Lundström.

In the feasibility study about the future train for the Upptåget service that the Public Transit Department UL presented at the Public Transport Board’s meeting showed that there is a need to as soon as possible introduce bigger trains in the Upptåget train system. Today’s train is not enough in peak time traffic and travel by the Upptåget train is estimated to continue to increase. In the feasibility study different alternatives were reported for replacement of the train and a gradually phasing in was advocated.

The need for larger trains is greatest on the Uppsala - Gåvle route where travel has more than doubled between 2007 and 2015 from 1.5 million journeys to 3.1 million journeys.

In order to quickly proceed the board decided to commission the department to draw up a basis for acquiring new trains. The assignment also includes investigating which type of train should replace today’s train. The assignment will be completed during 2017.

Further information:
Bertil Kinnunen (S), Chairman Public Transport Board, phone 070-763 40 71
Jenny Lundström (MP), 1st Vice Chairman Public Transport Board, phone 070-399 24 93
Sture Jonsson, UL’s CCO, 018-611 19 08