Organization of railway maintenance

The election manifesto requires that the state increases its control over infrastructure and that socially important activities and infrastructure that have been privatised are taken back. Allowing the infrastructure manager to maintain the railway in its own operation is precisely that direction, and the party programme establishes that common ownership forms and coordination are crucial for maintenance to function. The committee's claim that the deregulated market has delivered positive development is the opposite of the plan's analysis.

• state control over infrastructuredecisive»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 climate transition.”
• commonly-owned railway maintenance»ägandeformer och samordning är avgörande för att trafiken och under« (party programme ↗)“ownership forms and coordination are crucial for traffic and under”
• reclaim privatised infrastructure»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 take back the socially important activities and infrastructure that have been privatised.”
• common ownership in key sectors»gemensamma ägandet i ekonomins nyckelsektorer och därmed öka« (party programme ↗)“common ownership in the economy's key sectors and thereby increase”

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's principled stance is that democracy has precedence before the market and that the management form in each situation shall be tested according to what result it gives; society shall move forward the positions and take back control. Allowing the infrastructure administrator to perform more railway maintenance in-house for better cost control is in line with that, since functioning infrastructure is fundamental. The organization of railway maintenance is not explicitly mentioned.

• test management form according to resultdecisive»måste vara att i varje situation pröva vilken form som ger det bästa resultatet med hänsyn« (party programme ↗)“must be to in each situation test which form gives the best result with consideration”
• democracy's precedence»Demokratin har därför företräde före marknaden.« (party programme ↗)“Democracy therefore has precedence before the market.”
• society takes back control»Samhället ska flytta fram positionerna för att ta tillbaka kontrollen över utvecklingen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Society shall move forward the positions to take back control over development.”
• functioning infrastructure»Ett framgångsrikt näringsliv kräver en väl fungerande infrastruktur.« (party programme ↗)“A successful economy requires well-functioning infrastructure.”

The party programme establishes that the railway system needs to be reviewed and in certain respects reregulated and that society itself must direct and provide for the expansion of infrastructure systems. One shall be able to rely on the railway, therefore tracks must be maintained and delays minimized. Allowing the infrastructure manager to conduct more maintenance in-house is exactly such reclaimed public control that the plan requires.

• reregulate the railwaydecisive»Järnvägssystemet behöver ses över och till vissa« (party programme ↗)“The railway system needs to be reviewed and in certain”
• society directs infrastructure»Samhället måste själv styra och stå för utbyggnad« (party programme ↗)“Society must itself direct and provide for the expansion”
• reliable railway maintenance»Man ska kunna lita på järnvägen.« (party programme ↗)“One shall be able to rely on the railway.”
• upgraded railway network»bygga ut och rusta upp järnvägsnätet för snabba tåg i hela landet och skynda på bygget av nya stambanor för höghastighetståg.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“expand and upgrade the railway network for fast trains throughout the country and speed up the construction of new main lines for high-speed trains.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The party programme establishes that Sweden shall have a market economy free from centrally planned directives, that competition is an important driver, and that public activities can advantageously be subject to competition. Allowing the infrastructure administrator to take over more railway maintenance in-house goes in the opposite direction. The plan instead wants to strengthen the railway substantially, but the decisive commitment speaks against the counter-proposal's demand.

• competition-exposed public activitiesdecisive»Offentlig verksamhet kan med fördel konkurrensutsättas för att ge det privata näringslivet möjlighet att skapa« (party programme ↗)“Public activities can advantageously be subject to competition to give private enterprise the opportunity to create”
• competition as driver»Konkurrens är en viktig drivkraft för utvecklingen av marknadsekonomin.« (party programme ↗)“Competition is an important driver for the development of the market economy.”
• strengthened railway»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 — för klimatets och landsbygdens bästa.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to strengthen regional railways, build new main lines from north to south, raise the standard of the national main line network across the country, and make a major commitment to tomorrow's rail traffic — for the climate's and rural areas' benefit.”

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 party programme establishes that the public shall only conduct business activities if there is strong public interest and not activities that crowd out functioning private alternatives, and that procurement shall provide low costs, high quality and stimulate competition. Allowing the infrastructure manager to conduct more railway maintenance in-house goes against that line. The plan however shares the counter-proposal's problem description that the railway network is in great need of modernization.

• limited public operationsdecisive»Det offentliga ska endast driva affärsverksamhet om det finns ett starkt samhällsintresse.« (party programme ↗)“The public shall only conduct business activities if there is strong public interest.”
• do not crowd out private actors»offentliga ska inte driva verksamheter som tränger ut fungerande privata alternativ eller försvårar« (party programme ↗)“public shall not conduct activities that crowd out functioning private alternatives or impede”
• procurement that stimulates competition»som ger skattebetalarna låga kostnader, hög kvalitet, säkrar likabehandling och stimulerar« (party programme ↗)“that provides taxpayers with low costs, high quality, secures equal treatment and stimulates”
• modernized railway network»persontransporter är i starkt behov av upprustning och utbyggnad« (party programme ↗)“passenger transport is in great need of modernization and expansion”

The plan divides responsibility so that the public sector is responsible for infrastructure while the activity itself is conducted in competition, and establishes that public activity that is not administrative shall be procured in competition and be based on the absence of monopoly. Allowing the infrastructure manager to perform more railway maintenance in-house goes in the opposite direction. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demands, while the state's responsibility for the investment level in railways remains.

• procurement in competitiondecisive»Övrig offentlig verksamhet, som inte är myndighetsutövning, bör« (party programme ↗)“Other public activity, which is not administration, should”
• absence of monopoly»verksamhetsformer ska så långt möjligt bygga på frånvaro av monopol.« (party programme ↗)“activities shall as far as possible be based on the absence of monopoly.”
• traffic in competition»Själva trafiken bör bedrivas i konkurrens.« (party programme ↗)“The traffic itself should be conducted in competition.”
• state responsibility for infrastructure»att investeringsnivån i kommunikationssystemens infrastruktur« (party programme ↗)“that the investment level in communication systems' infrastructure”

The party programme establishes that that which can be done equally well or better by someone other than the public should not be performed by the public, and that a large state gives a weaker society. Allowing the state to take back railway maintenance in its own hands goes against that line. The plan's railway commitment is instead to upgrade existing railway so that trains run on time.

• the public should not perform everythingdecisive»Om något kan göras lika bra eller bättre av« (party programme ↗)“If something can be done equally well or better by”
• focus on upgrading»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 completed”
• diversity of actors»En mångfald av aktörer är också en förutsättning för förnyelse och innovation« (party programme ↗)“A diversity of actors is also a prerequisite for renewal and innovation”
• limited state»En stor stat leder till ett svagare samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“A large state leads to a weaker society.”

The plan states that essential parts of infrastructure should be under state control and that the maintenance of the railway, described as neglected, shall be improved and the network upgraded throughout the country. A review of how the state can to an increased extent manage railway maintenance in-house serves these commitments. The plan takes no stand on operational form in detail, so the support is derived.

• state control over infrastructuredecisive»försvar och väsentliga delar av vår infrastruktur bör stå under statlig kontroll« (party programme ↗)“defence and essential parts of our infrastructure should be under state control”
• better railway maintenance»Förbättra underhållet av vägar och järnväg« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Improve the maintenance of roads and railway”
• neglected railway»Järnvägen är eftersatt och på sina håll får tågen köra mycket långsamt på grund av krokig sträckning och svaga banvallar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The railway is neglected and in places trains must run very slowly because of curved track and weak embankments.”
• upgraded railway network»Rusta upp väg- och järnvägsnätet i hela landet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Upgrade the road and railway network throughout the country”

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.