Västlänken: “The budget we have is perfectly reasonable” – New Technology

The new commuter rail tunnel under central Gothenburg, West Link, estimated to cost 20 billion. Project Manager Bo Larsson think it is a reasonable budget.

In Sunday’s referendum in Gothenburg said Gothenburgers no to continued congestion tax, a tax that was supposed to finance part of the western Swedish package, which includes West Link tunnel.

Politicians now have to decide to ignore the result of the vote, which was purely advisory, emphasize some investment, or finance the construction with tax money .

Bo Larsson, Transport Administration’s project director for the Western Link, said that the need for information on the project has increased after the referendum. But otherwise he does not think the project organization is affected by the outcome of the vote.

We have a mandate from the government. As long as no one says anything so we continue, he says.

Traffic Researcher Jonas Eliasson think there is resistance to the West Link, which has led that no side won the referendum. The resistance has mainly been about the price tag, 20 billion in the 2009 price level becomes high.

– It is in the same level as the example, the City Line in Stockholm. Based on the content of the project, so the pricing is quite understandable. The budget we have is perfectly reasonable, said Bo Larsson.

Western Link comprises eight kilometers double track for light rail, of which six kilometers are in tunnel, and three new stations.

Jonas Eliasson has criticized the lack of economic viability of the project. Transport Administration main analysis for the calculation only new hands, for example, how much time expected to serve travelers, shows that the Western Link is unprofitable. The so-called net present value ratio reaches the minus 0.12. That compares with the Stockholm Bypass highway project, the corresponding figure is 1.43 plus.

– Although the Stockholm Bypass is expensive to build touches on so many people. There are many who get time savings can also be had environmental effects when you get off track from the inner city, says Peo Nordlöf, head of the Transport Administration’s drive for economy and models.

When even effects that can not be the price, for example, to land next to Gothenburg Central released and freight traffic have higher reliability, weighed into the Administration analysis, the result is that the Western Link has an uncertain profitability.

But overall it makes the Transport Administration nevertheless judged that the Western Link is economically justified.

– That’s because you weigh in on regional development and sustainability assessment. One can see a benefit beyond those traveling in the Western Link, in that it enables one to switch from bus to rail and tram says Peo Nordlöf.

Traffic Researcher Jonas Eliasson has also argued that the Swedish Transport Administration has had ended calculus conditions when the socio-economic viability of the Western Link has been calculated. According to Peo Nordlöf there have been changes, but for all projects:

– Yes, we do regularly when we review the calculation methodology, but there are no changes made exclusively for West Link, he says.

Jonas Eliasson has also pointed to the lack of money to other investments such a flyover in Olskroken and an increase in capacity of the Western Main Line, which required that the utility of the West Link should be high enough. But it says the West Link project manager is wrong.

– There is a misinterpretation. The national plan is funding for the Olskroken. It is not true that the money is not there, said Bo Larsson.