Important assignment for the Swedish Transport Administration for better connectivity on trains

The opportunity for train passengers to take part in modern digital services is central to the development of sustainable travel and thus to the opportunity to live and run businesses throughout the country. The assignment in the Letter of Appropriation 2025 to the Swedish Transport Administration to improve the opportunities to offer mobile services in tunnels and rock cuts is an important step in being able to offer train passengers better connectivity with fewer interruptions.

Connectivity on trains is a complex challenge where many actors need to work together to ensure stable services throughout the journey. We are now seeing a development where train operators, among other things, are installing new windows that better let mobile signals through, while mobile operators are modernizing networks with more capacity and coverage. These are important steps, but a good customer experience without interruptions requires that there are conditions to make corresponding improvements in coverage and capacity in train tunnels and rock cuts.

In the appropriation directions for 2025, the Swedish Transport Administration has been tasked by the Government to take measures by 2027 to develop and increase its ability to provide services that mobile operators demand in order to offer better mobile coverage to rail passengers. This refers to services in places where mobile operators cannot normally achieve mobile coverage with installations outside the track area, such as in connection with and in government train tunnels or in deep rock cuts. We also hope that in this assignment the Swedish Transport Administration will facilitate the expansion of mobile operators by, for example, providing connection of electricity and fiber where other options for this are difficult to access. 

TechSverige and Tågföretagen welcome the assignment to the Swedish Transport Administration. Improving the conditions for mobile coverage in tunnels has been a priority issue that we have jointly pursued for several years. We now look forward to the continued work and together being able to contribute to Sweden's train passengers being able to take advantage of the opportunities of digitization on their journeys. 

Robert Liljeström
Business policy expert, TechSverige

Lina Lagerroth
Business policy expert, Tågföretagen