The airport CEO believes that expensive and complicated train journeys are an argument for opening the flight line between Karlstad and Stockholm again. Others would possibly argue that it is an argument for investing more in the climate-smart railway.
It was too expensive and complicated to take the train between Stockholm and Karlstad to attend an air show at Karlstad Airport on Wednesday, so Peter Larsson, CEO of Swedish Regional Airports, took a rental car instead – and argues that it would probably be worth opening flight line between Arlanda and Karlstad Airport in the future.
No, I don’t get the logic either.
We can probably start with what everyone probably agrees on: that it should be smoother, faster and cheaper to get between Karlstad and the capital and that you should be able to rely on arriving on time. Even in the winter months.
In January, the Swedish Transport Administration stated in a document to the government that SEK 150 billion more than today must be invested in the railways until 2037 in order for planned investments and necessary maintenance of roads and railways to be carried out.
Since then, in just a few short weeks, the government has presented three billion investments… on air traffic.
So no, it is not strange at all if an airport CEO vents the morning air and airs the idea of a revived airline on the short route between Karlstad and Stockholm.
It is too expensive and complicated to travel the roughly 30 miles between Stockholm and Karlstad by train, so today it was better to take a rental car, according to the airport CEO.
But in the future it would be better if people had the option to first travel the four miles between Stockholm and Arlanda, get through security, then fly to Karlstad airport and finally get from there the barely two miles into central Karlstad (yes, if it’s not just an air show at the airport you go there for).
It honestly doesn’t sound much simpler.
In order for this to feel like a better option than the train, the whole procedure would have to be either much faster or much cheaper than the train which, even with today’s admittedly enervating change in Kristinehamn and bus the last part of the journey, takes almost exactly three hours (vs. 2 hours and 30 minutes in normal cases) and costs under SEK 400 one way – or SEK 725 for a first-class ticket that includes breakfast, coffee and coffee.
Now I checked the cost of a train ticket early Thursday morning. Tickets purchased close to departure tend to cost a little more than with longer notice. Weekend trips are more expensive than weekday trips and trips in “rush hour” traffic, morning and late afternoon, as well.
Like the airport CEO, renting and driving a car to Karlstad from Stockholm takes half an hour more than the train (despite changing from train to bus in Kristinehamn) for those who drive legally. And then there is no time left to stop on the road.
So would that journey with a rental car cost less than the train ticket including fuel? A really good deal in that case. Then it is clear that the very last stretch between central Karlstad out to Karlstad airport will be both cheaper and faster if you are already sitting in a car instead of taking a taxi from the center.
Sure, I get it. The car plays an obvious role in the lives of many Swedes and offers a flexibility and a freedom that fixed train or plane departures do not allow.
The longer the railway continues to be underfunded, the more expensive, fewer departures and more delays there will be. The dream of being able to travel the route Oslo-Stockholm in 2 hours and 55 minutes will then stop being a dream. More people choose the car to be sure of getting there.
But flight? Even if we completely ignore the climate aspect (which we shouldn’t), flights between the short distance Karlstad and Stockholm would really never save the travelers either time, money or hassle.
So the government’s aviation investments should probably be invested in the railways instead.
The airport CEO thinks the train is too expensive – took a rental car instead: “Surprised myself”
