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supplied are provided. To cut off intercity telecom circuits with Stockholm, or any other major urban area, would require destruction of cables, radio-relay, and broadcast facilities in a wide area surrounding the city.
C. Railroads (C)
The rail network has decreased in size in recent years as a result of the government policy of closing unprofitable lines which do not provide an important service. Route mileage declined to 7,578 at the beginning of 1971 from 10,300 in 1954. The Swedish State Railroads (Statens Jarnvagar-SJ) owns and operates 7,004 miles of standard-gage (4'8½") line and 165 miles of 3'6" and 2'11" narrow-gage line. Of SJ's 4,373 route miles of electrified line, 723 are double track. A short segment of Finnish 5'0" broad-gage line extends into Sweden in the Haparanda region near the border. The remaining 311 miles of standard-gage and 98 miles of 2'11" narrow-gage lines are privately owned and, except for one branch line listed in Figure 1, will not be covered in this study.
The SJ, one of the largest industries in Scandinavia, is an important carrier of international traffic consisting mainly of machinery, ore, wood products, construction material, and POL. The network has one of the highest ratios of railroad mileage to population in the world (0.92 mile per 1,000 people), and is more than adequate for the needs of the country.
The SJ serves major administrative and populated areas, industrial and mining centers, and all major ports in Sweden. Although rail and highway transport are competitive, intermodal operations are facilitated by concentrating freight handling at 32 rail centers. The SJ controls over 20% of all buses and has subsidiary tracking lines. Container operations are concentrated at the following locations: Stockholm, Goteborg, Malmo, Orebro, and Sundsvall; Vasteras is a site of future operations. Over 90,000 containers were handled by SJ in 1970, and this figure is expected to more than double by 1975. Heavy competition from highway transport, particularly for short-haul traffic (less than 60 miles), and from coastal shipping has limited the growth of the rail share of the freight market. However, the SJ continues to carry about 70% of the long-distance freight traffic. Recently the railroads have been successful in drawing additional timber traffic away from waterways. The continued increase in private ownership of automobiles has lessened the growth of rail passenger traffic.
The Swedish network is concentrated mainly in the southern part of the country where most of the important ports, population centers, and economic activities are located. The sparsely populated and less productive northern areas are linked by two north-south main lines, which are connected by several east-west lines. The far north is served by the strategic Lulea-Narvik, Norway line.
The mountainous topography and numerous streams and lakes throughout the country require extensive tunneling and bridging. Bogs also require special construction techniques and maintenance. Snowsheds and galleries in the north protect the lines from drifting snow, falling rocks, and avalanches.
There are four international rail connections with the standard-gage Norwegian system: two routes lead to Oslo, one to Trondheim, and one to Narvik. The last is the most important revenue-producing line in the Swedish system. A fifth international connection is made with Finland at Haparanda where a short segment of 5'0" broad-gage line parallels the standard-gage line between Haparanda and Tornio, Finland. Freight moving between the two systems must be translated at Haparanda or Tornio. Regular train-ferry service affords five additional international connections: two with Denmark and one each with Finland, East Germany, and West Germany.
The Swedish railroads, like those of France and West Germany, have high standards of construction and are well maintained. The SJ is a semiautonomous agency under the Minister of Communications. Policy control is exercised by the Railroad Board headed by a director general.
In 1970 the SJ employed 47,224 personnel, down from 52,303 in 1966. Subsidiary companies employed an additional 8,030 people. The gradual decline in personnel strength is a reflection of higher wages as well as increased efficiency and mechanization. There is no shortage of skilled personnel. Intensive on-the-job training programs are conducted at two main centers: one at Stockholm for administrative training and the other at Angelholm (with branches at Revingehed/Harlosa and Ystad) for technical skills. The railroads offer afterhours courses and sponsor studies with independent institutions. A few highly qualified individuals attend advanced courses in other European countries and in the United States.
The principal classification yards are located at Hallsberg, Stockholm, Mjolby, Bracke, Kristinehamn, Langsele, Ange, Nassjo, Malmo, Borlange, Boden, Goteborg, Riksgransen, Trelleborg, Gavle, and Charlottenberg. The facilities at Borlange and Hallsberg have automatic hump yards, and automation of the Savcnas yard near Goteborg is in
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200090023-1
