2023-06-202022/23:TU14 · p.2TUTransport & infrastructure
Organisation of railway maintenance
Organizing railway maintenance: the agency's role versus the market
What's at stake: The outcome affects the reliability and cost control of railway maintenance and how much of the maintenance market remains open to private contractors versus being brought in-house at the agency, which affects train passengers, freight customers and maintenance companies.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether Trafikverket (the Swedish Transport Administration) should get greater scope to carry out railway maintenance itself, or whether maintenance should continue to be procured mainly from the market as at present.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee stresses that railway maintenance should be organized as efficiently as possible and that Trafikverket needs the right expertise for parts of the maintenance work, such as inspections, while also remaining an effective procurer that helps develop the maintenance market. The committee notes that preparatory work on how railway maintenance should be organized is already under way and does not want to preempt it, choosing instead to continue following the issue, and therefore rejects the motions.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 2 (S, V, MP)
The reservation calls for the state to get greater scope to carry out railway maintenance itself through Trafikverket, instead of a one-sided focus on deregulation and corporatization. The reasoning is that good railway maintenance is not just about the funds allocated but also about who holds principal responsibility, that in-house delivery would give the agency better cost control and benchmarking capacity, and that inadequate maintenance is also a matter of Sweden's preparedness and resilience.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 2 by S, V, MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | No 0/21/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: high | explicit |
| S | No | No 0/94/0/13 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| MP | No | No 0/15/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: high | not addressed |
| C | Yes | Abstain 0/0/20/4 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| L | Yes | Yes 14/0/0/2 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| KD | Yes | Yes 16/0/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | Yes | Yes 60/0/0/8 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| SD | No | Yes 62/0/0/10 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
Committee proposal
Parliament rejects the motions 2022/23:3 by Linda Westerlund Snecker et al. (V) item 15, 2022/23:834 by Ulrika Heie et al. (C) item 44, 2022/23:1016 by Patrik Jönsson et al. (SD) item 2, 2022/23:1233 by Nooshi Dadgostar et al. (V) item 26, and 2022/23:2140 by Gunilla Svantorp et al. (S) item 24.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2022/23:3 av Linda Westerlund Snecker m.fl. (V) yrkande 15, 2022/23:834 av Ulrika Heie m.fl. (C) yrkande 44, 2022/23:1016 av Patrik Jönsson m.fl. (SD) yrkande 2, 2022/23:1233 av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V) yrkande 26 och 2022/23:2140 av Gunilla Svantorp m.fl. (S) yrkande 24.
Riksdag decision: Parliament has reviewed a letter from the government regarding the Riksrevision (National Audit Office) report on quality charges and rights of regress in railway matters. The Riksrevision's overall conclusions are that the systems of quality charges and regress lack conditions to effectively contribute to preventing delays, and that train delays overall have not decreased since the systems came into force. In its letter, the government partly agrees with the Riksrevision's observations and recommendations, and at the same time points to measures that have been taken and which the government will follow up on. Parliament expects the government to follow up on the measures and that the Trafikverket (Swedish Transport Administration) continues its efficiency work. With this, Parliament laid the government's letter to the records, that is, closed the matter. Parliament at the same time said no to approximately 50 proposals from the general motion period of 2022. The proposals concern, among other things, the organisation of railway maintenance, the railway's signalling system, track fees and questions about safety, punctuality and information. Parliament refers to measures taken and ongoing work.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to review the possibility for the state to conduct railway maintenance in-house. (S, V, MP) — Reservation 2
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan wants to reclaim socially important activities and infrastructure that have been privatized and establishes that public ownership should be strong in transport systems and other infrastructure.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan wants to reclaim socially important activities and infrastructure that have been privatized and establishes that public ownership should be strong in transport systems and other infrastructure. It also demands that the state increase its control over infrastructure and that the railways are upgraded. That the state gets increased opportunities to conduct railway maintenance itself through the Transport Agency is exactly what the plan seeks.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill ta tillbaka samhällsviktig verksamhet och infrastruktur som privatiserats och slår fast att samhällsägandet ska vara starkt inom transportsystem och övrig infrastruktur. Den kräver också att staten ökar sin kontroll över infrastrukturen och att järnvägen rustas upp. Att staten får ökade möjligheter att bedriva järnvägsunderhåll i egen regi genom Trafikverket är precis det planen efterfrågar.
- reclaim privatized infrastructuredecisive»Det är hög tid att agera och ta tillbaka den samhällsviktiga verksamhet och infrastruktur som har privatiserats.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It is high time to act and reclaim the socially important activities and infrastructure that have been privatized.”
- publicly-owned transport system»samhällsägandet är starkt inom ekonomins nyckelsektorer« (party programme ↗)“public ownership is strong in key sectors of the economy”
- state control over infrastructure»Staten måste öka sin kontroll över infrastruktur och resurser som behövs för att genomföra klimatomställningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The state must increase its control over infrastructure and resources needed to implement the climate transition.”
- upgrade the railways»Vägnätet och järnvägen behöver rustas upp i stora delar av Sverige, när industrierna nu expanderar på nya platser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The road network and railways need to be upgraded in large parts of Sweden, as industries now expand in new places.”
The party programme's fundamental principle is that democracy has precedence over the market and that organisational form shall be tested according to what produces the best results, not according to deregulation as an end in itself.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme's fundamental principle is that democracy has precedence over the market and that organisational form shall be tested according to what produces the best results, not according to deregulation as an end in itself. The election manifesto wants society to move forward positions and take back control, and highlights preparedness in the transport sector, which is the counter-proposal's reason. Increased opportunities for the National Road and Railway Administration to handle maintenance in-house is therefore supported on the merits.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammets bärande princip är att demokratin har företräde före marknaden och att driftsform ska prövas efter vad som ger bäst resultat, inte efter avreglering som självändamål. Valmanifestet vill att samhället flyttar fram positionerna och tar tillbaka kontrollen, och lyfter beredskapen i transportsektorn, vilket är motförslagets skäl. Ökade möjligheter för Trafikverket att sköta underhåll i egen regi stöds därför i sak.
- democracy's precedencedecisive»Demokratin har därför företräde före marknaden.« (party programme ↗)“Democracy therefore has precedence over the market.”
- take back control»Samhället ska flytta fram positionerna för att ta tillbaka kontrollen över utvecklingen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Society shall move forward positions to take back control over development.”
- preparedness in transport»öka beredskapen i transportsektorn.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“increase preparedness in the transport sector.”
- in-house as an alternative»verksamheten i egen regi eller överlåta driftsansvaret till externa utförare.« (party programme ↗)“operations in-house or transfer operational responsibility to external providers.”
The party programme demands that the railway system is reviewed and to some extent re-regulated to achieve a long-term functioning transport system, and that society itself shall govern and finance the expansion of infrastructure systems.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme demands that the railway system is reviewed and to some extent re-regulated to achieve a long-term functioning transport system, and that society itself shall govern and finance the expansion of infrastructure systems. The counter-proposal's demand for increased opportunities for the state to conduct railway maintenance itself instead of continued deregulation is exactly this. The plan also accepts public ownership and operation of commercial activities and demands that tracks are maintained so that delays are minimized.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet kräver att järnvägssystemet ses över och till vissa delar återregleras för att få ett långsiktigt fungerande transportsystem, och att samhället självt ska styra och stå för utbyggnaden av infrastruktursystemen. Motförslagets krav på ökade möjligheter för staten att bedriva järnvägsunderhåll i egen regi i stället för fortsatt avreglering är just detta. Planen accepterar också offentligt ägande och drift av affärsverksamhet och kräver att spåren underhålls så att förseningar minimeras.
- re-regulate railwaysdecisive»delar återregleras för att få ett optimalt och långsiktigt fungerande transportsystem.« (party programme ↗)“parts re-regulated to achieve an optimal and long-term functioning transport system.”
- society governs infrastructure»Samhället måste själv styra och stå för utbyggnad« (party programme ↗)“Society must itself govern and finance expansion”
- maintained railway»spåren underhållas och förseningar minimeras.« (party programme ↗)“tracks are maintained and delays are minimized.”
- public operation in-house»eller en kommun att äga och driva affärsverksamheter.« (party programme ↗)“or a municipality to own and operate commercial activities.”
The plan's core commitment is a market economy free from planned economy directives with competition as a driving force, which argues against the state taking over railway maintenance on its own.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan's core commitment is a market economy free from planned economy directives with competition as a driving force, which argues against the state taking over railway maintenance on its own. The plan wants instead to develop the railway through major investments in tracks and traffic. The preparedness argument in the counter-proposal has support in the plan's requirement for strengthened civil preparedness, but it does not outweigh the main line.
Original (Swedish)
Planens bärande åtagande är en marknadsekonomi fri från planekonomiska pekpinnar med konkurrens som drivkraft, vilket talar mot att staten ska ta över järnvägsunderhållet i egen regi. Planen vill i stället rusta järnvägen genom stora satsningar på banor och trafik. Beredskapsargumentet i motförslaget har stöd i planens krav på stärkt civil beredskap, men det väger inte upp huvudlinjen.
- competition as a driving forcedecisive»Konkurrens är en viktig drivkraft för utvecklingen av marknadsekonomin.« (party programme ↗)“Competition is an important driving force for the development of the market economy.”
- invest in railways»Vi vill rusta upp regionala järnvägar, bygga nya stambanor från norr till söder, höja standarden på det nationella stambanenätet i hela landet och storsatsa på morgondagens tågtrafik« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to develop regional railways, build new main lines from north to south, raise the standard of the national main line network throughout the country, and invest heavily in tomorrow's rail traffic”
- preparedness and resilience»Även det civila försvaret är livsviktigt. Vi måste rusta civilförsvaret och samhällets beredskap inför krig och kris.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Civil defense is also vital. We must develop civil defense and society's preparedness for war and crisis.”
flags: citat_blockerat
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan establishes that the public sector shall only run business activities when there is a strong public interest and not activities that crowd out functioning private alternatives, and that procurement shall give low costs and stimulate competition.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that the public sector shall only run business activities when there is a strong public interest and not activities that crowd out functioning private alternatives, and that procurement shall give low costs and stimulate competition. Instead building expanded state railway maintenance in-house runs against that line. The plan's demand for strengthened civil preparedness speaks partly the other way, but does not bear the demand for in-house operations.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att det offentliga endast ska driva affärsverksamhet när det finns ett starkt samhällsintresse och inte verksamhet som tränger ut fungerande privata alternativ, samt att upphandling ska ge låga kostnader och stimulera konkurrens. Att i stället bygga ut statligt järnvägsunderhåll i egen regi går emot den linjen. Planens krav på stärkt civil beredskap talar delvis åt andra hållet, men bär inte kravet på egen regi.
- restrictive state business operationsdecisive»Det offentliga ska endast driva affärsverksamhet om det finns ett starkt samhällsintresse.« (party programme ↗)“The public sector shall only run business activities if there is a strong public interest.”
- no crowding out of private actors»driva verksamheter som tränger ut fungerande privata alternativ eller försvårar nyföretagande.« (party programme ↗)“run activities that crowd out functioning private alternatives or impede new entrepreneurship.”
- effective procurement»Offentlig upphandling ska ske på sätt som ger skattebetalarna låga kostnader,« (party programme ↗)“Public procurement shall be done in ways that give taxpayers low costs,”
- preparedness as counter-argument»det civila försvaret stärkas i samma takt som det militära« (2022 manifesto ↗)“civil defence is strengthened at the same pace as the military”
The plan assigns the public sector responsibility for infrastructure but states that traffic itself should be conducted in competition and that forms of activity should to the extent possible be based on the absence of monopoly.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan assigns the public sector responsibility for infrastructure but states that traffic itself should be conducted in competition and that forms of activity should to the extent possible be based on the absence of monopoly. Expanding state railway maintenance in-house goes against this line. The civil defence argument has some support in the plan's requirement for a well-resourced total defence, but the competition principle carries greater weight.
Original (Swedish)
Planen ger det offentliga ansvar för infrastrukturen men slår fast att själva trafiken bör bedrivas i konkurrens och att verksamhetsformer så långt möjligt ska bygga på frånvaro av monopol. Att utöka statens järnvägsunderhåll i egen regi går emot denna linje. Beredskapsargumentet har visst stöd i planens krav på ett resursstarkt totalförsvar, men konkurrensprincipen väger tyngre.
- traffic in competitiondecisive»Det offentliga samhället har ansvar för trafiksystemens utveckling och dess infrastruktur. Själva trafiken bör bedrivas i konkurrens.« (party programme ↗)“The public sector has responsibility for the development of the traffic systems and their infrastructure. Traffic itself should be conducted in competition.”
- absence of monopoly»offentliga sektorns verksamhetsformer ska så långt möjligt bygga på frånvaro av monopol.« (party programme ↗)“public sector forms of activity should to the extent possible be based on the absence of monopoly.”
- monitoring and control»Utvärdering, kostnadsuppföljning och kvalitetskontroll är därför viktiga politiska« (party programme ↗)“Evaluation, cost monitoring and quality control are therefore important political”
- resources for total defence»Det samlade totalförsvaret måste ha tillräckliga« (party programme ↗)“The overall total defence must have sufficient”
The programme states that what can be performed equally well or better by someone other than the public sector shall not be performed by the public sector, and that a large state gives a weaker society.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The programme states that what can be performed equally well or better by someone other than the public sector shall not be performed by the public sector, and that a large state gives a weaker society. The counter-proposal conversely wants the state to increasingly conduct railway maintenance in-house. The plan's own path is instead to upgrade existing railway and let the state promote competition as a purchaser, which is why the plan speaks against the demand.
Original (Swedish)
Programmet slår fast att det som kan utföras lika bra eller bättre av någon annan än det offentliga inte ska utföras av det offentliga, och att en stor stat ger ett svagare samhälle. Motförslaget vill tvärtom att staten i ökad utsträckning bedriver järnvägsunderhåll i egen regi. Planens egen väg är i stället att rusta upp befintlig järnväg och låta staten främja konkurrensen som upphandlare, varför planen talar mot kravet.
- public only when necessarydecisive»någon annan än det offentliga, då ska det heller inte utföras« (party programme ↗)“anyone other than the public sector, then it should not be performed”
- limited state»En stor stat leder till ett svagare samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“A large state leads to a weaker society.”
- upgrading over reorganization»Rusta upp dagens järnväg i stället för att satsa på höghastighetståg som riskerar att vara omoderna redan innan de är klara« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Upgrade today's railway instead of investing in high-speed trains that risk being outdated before they are finished”
- the state promotes competition»skydda penningvärdet, främja konkurrensen« (party programme ↗)“protect the value of money, promote competition”
The party programme establishes that essential parts of infrastructure should be under state control, and the election manifesto makes better maintenance of roads and railways a commitment.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme establishes that essential parts of infrastructure should be under state control, and the election manifesto makes better maintenance of roads and railways a commitment. The plan also wants to strengthen society's preparedness for all types of crises, which the counter-proposal directly links to the organization of maintenance. Increased possibilities for the Transport Agency to conduct maintenance in-house therefore align with the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Principprogrammet slår fast att väsentliga delar av infrastrukturen bör stå under statlig kontroll, och valmanifestet gör bättre underhåll av vägar och järnväg till ett åtagande. Planen vill dessutom stärka samhällets beredskap för alla typer av kriser, vilket motförslaget kopplar direkt till underhållets organisering. Ökade möjligheter för Trafikverket att bedriva underhåll i egen regi ligger därför i linje med planen.
- infrastructure under state controldecisive»att centrala samhällsfunktioner såsom rättsväsende, försvar och väsentliga delar av vår infrastruktur« (party programme ↗)“that central societal functions such as the justice system, defence and essential parts of our infrastructure”
- better railway maintenance»Förbättra underhållet av vägar och järnväg« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Improve maintenance of roads and railways”
- strengthened crisis preparedness»Sverigedemokraterna vill stärka samhällets beredskap för alla typer av kriser som kan uppstå.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats want to strengthen society's preparedness for all types of crises that may occur.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2022/23:TU14)
- Committee report full text (HA01TU14)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2022/23:1003 — Sverigevänlig konsumentpolitik av Mikael Eskilandersson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1016 — En konkurrenskraftig svensk järnväg av Patrik Jönsson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1123 — Den svenska basindustrin av Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2022/23:1233 — Transporteffektivt och hållbart samhälle av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:1325 — Ökad säkerhet på tågperrongerna av Carita Boulwén och Johnny Svedin (båda SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1451 — Nollvision för tågstrul i Sörmland av Marielle Lahti (MP)
- Motion 2022/23:1562 — Förbättring av nattågstrafiken till och från Norrland av Fredrik Lundh Sammeli m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1672 — En levande landsbygd för Sveriges bästa av Annie Lööf m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2022/23:2038 — Etablering och utveckling av övningsanläggningar i Stockholm-Mälarregionen av Hans Ekström m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2022/23:2114 — Bättre infrastruktur i Skåne av Boriana Åberg m.fl. (M)
- Motion 2022/23:2140 — Utgiftsområde 22 Kommunikationer av Gunilla Svantorp m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2022/23:2185 — En familjevänlig tågtrafik av Julia Kronlid (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:2377 — med anledning av skr. 2022/23:96 Riksrevisionens rapport om kvalitetsavgifter och regressrätt av Thomas Morell m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:3 — med anledning av skr. 2021/22:261 Nationell planering för transportinfrastrukturen 2022-2033 av Linda Westerlund Snecker m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:834 — Hållbara transporter med hög tillgänglighet i hela landet av Ulrika Heie m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2022/23:84 — Förbättrade arbetsvillkor i yrkestrafiken av Linda Westerlund Snecker m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:853 — Grön omställning av transportsektorn av Ulrika Heie m.fl. (C)
- Regeringens skrivelse 2022/23:96 — Riksrevisionens rapport om kvalitetsavgifter och regressrätt
Source: The Swedish Parliament