The feasibility study on five tunnel options have been handed to the City of Gothenburg, and the West of Sweden region, as part of the Västlänken project linking the north and the south of the city. A decision should be made next month on which two options should be handed to the government for final consideration.

Representatives from Banverket (the Swedish National Rail Administration), the region of Västra Götaland, Västtrafik AB, the Gothenburg Region’s Municipal Federation and the City of Gothenburg, published the feasibility study into the proposed project at the end of last year.

Beside the tunnel routes (UA1-UA5), an alternative was studied without tunnel construction (UA0), calculated on the same increase in traffic. This would cost US$575M.

UA1 has the shortest tunnel length, at about 3.2km, and would cost a total of US$831M.

UA2 consists of a 5.3km tunnel, which would cost US$819M-US$882M, depending on which route is chosen.

The 5km UA3 project would cost US$806M-US$870M.

UA4, with a tunnel length of 6.9km, would cost a total of US$1.07bn-US$1.13bn.

At 9.7km, UA5 is the longest tunnel option, and carries a price tag of US$2.34bn.

Given the future development of the city, and the system’s estimated return, it is believed that UA2, UA3 & UA4 are the likeliest options.

Detailed design will follow the government’s decision in 2005, with construction planned for between 2008 and 2012, depending on the finance situation.

The twin-bore tunnels will be excavated with a combination of drill and blast and cut and cover. The dimensions will follow Banverket standards: an outer height of 9.5m, and an outer width of about 17.5m. Switch tunnels will also be constructed.

The project will be financed mainly by public grants. Göran Sewring, of Banverket/Tyréns, said: “The project can be compared to the city tunnel of Malmö, where the regions have financed the project with 15% of the total costs.”

Gothenburg has become a bottleneck for trains, and it is a condition for any future tunnel that it should contribute to the extension of Gothenburg central station, and give an opportunity for further expansion. The primary reason for any tunnel, though, is to provide a convenient connection between Gothenburg and the West of Sweden region, and further a field, including Denmark and Norway.

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Västlänken