The Swedish Transport Administration has hired engineering firm Sweco to plan the section of a major new coastal railway that runs through the city of Skellefteå in northeastern Sweden.
"This is a highly complex assignment that entails project planning for a new railway in an urban environment, and it’s critical that we apply an innovative and sustainable approach while minimising impact on the environment and surroundings," said Jan Thulin, Sweco’s division manager for rail in Sweden.
Skellefteå lies approximately midway between the cities of Umeå and Luleå, which are to be linked by the planned 270-km North Bothnia Line running along the Norrland coast on the Gulf of Bothnia.
The contract worth some $23m (SEK 200 million) to Sweco sees it preparing construction documents for the section from Norra Tuvan to central Skellefteå. That work is expected to last until 2024, with advisory services continuing until 2031.
Sweco will plan the section over the Skellefte River to the east through central Skellefteå, running parallel to an existing railway.
Image: SkellefteÃ¥ ice hockey fans celebrate their team’s victory in the Swedish Hockey League’s championship in 2013 (Lena LÃ¥ngdahl/CC BY-SA 3.0)Â
