Kerstin Lidbeck wonder in a letter to the editor and a reply on the DN View, for whom the Västlänken railway tunnel is being built. The answer is that it is built for Västrafiks travelers, and the inhabitants of Gothenburg and the rest of west Sweden, which gets a welcome addition of new travel opportunities. It applies to both the approximately 110,000 people who are daily commuting to Gothenburg and about 50,000 residents who commute out of the city.
Once Västlänken is completed, we can develop the Västtrafik trains. Regiontåg and light rail are tied together into coherent routes through Gothenburg. Regiontågen get more lines and can make more frequent at commuter stations.
We will also introduce new regionexpresståg which reduces the travelling time from, for example, Falköping and Skövde. It will also be possible to run trains closer towards Gothenburg, since you can keep a shorter distance than five minutes as it is now, between the two incoming or two outgoing trains.
that there is capacity at the Göteborg Central, but not at times when people want to travel. We at Västtrafik has long wanted to run more trains in the rush hour, but it is not possible, then it is full.
in The last ten years, the travel by public transport has increased by almost 60 percent. According to region Västra götaland’s forecast, the population is increasing by 17 per cent by 2035. When the population increases, so does the commuting and other trips. To the roads not to be asked again is it necessary that vehicle traffic decreases.
the City of Göteborg own goal is to reduce car travel by 25% by 2035. Västtrafik survey ”Stop 2018” shows that 73 per cent of the people of gothenburg believes that public transport should be given priority over the car when it is being built in the town and 68 per cent think that fewer cars in the city centre creates a more attractive city. There is public transport and the Västlänken an enabler.
to the Västlänken railway tunnel is an important piece of the puzzle even in the city traffic because it relieves the Brunnsparken and Drottningtorget square when travelers arriving by train can choose to get by even on the other stations in town.
It will enable the development of public transport on the new pendeltågstationerna. Reduced pressure on the Park and the rest of the city is an important part in the future development of public transport in Gothenburg.
We make no bones about the fact that the construction will involve efforts in the here and now. But Västlänken is a prerequisite for a more sustainable future for us all.
