Major setback for controversial project

The Eastern Link would result in a significant socioeconomic loss, according to the Swedish Transport Administration’s forecasts. But the government wants to proceed with the route that has been planned and shelved in several rounds since the 1800s.

The controversial motorway tunnel Eastern Link, between Sickla and Ropsten in Stockholm, Sweden, has hit a roadblock again.

The Swedish Transport Administration’s evaluation shows that the planned road tunnel would be an enormous loss-making venture. When the total costs to society are factored in, the forecast lands at minus 24.8 billion kronor, reports Mitt i.

“You could say that the cost is roughly three times as high as the benefit,” says Sofia Heldemar, unit manager at the Swedish Transport Administration, to the newspaper.

In addition, the agency’s report shows that while some gain shorter travel times, significant bottlenecks form for others.

Government won’t change Course

The announcement is also a setback for the government, which has worked hard to push through the construction of the Eastern Link. And they appear set to continue doing so, despite the Swedish Transport Administration’s calculations and the government’s own directive to the agency to eliminate all projects that are not clearly socioeconomically profitable.

“This does not warrant any change during the ongoing assignment,” writes Infrastructure Minister Andreas Carlson’s (Christian Democrats) press secretary to Mitt i.