The Swedish government sees this low-cost, environmentally friendly travel option as key to “becoming the world’s fossil-free welfare country.” In the quest to reduce the massive carbon footprint from global transportation, Sweden plans to revive a staple of 20th century travel: the overnight train.
The Swedish government announced Sunday that it will fund the creation of overnight train services from Sweden to the European mainland. According to a statement from the Social Democrat-Green coalition government, the state will pump 50 million Kronor ($5.3 million) into creating night links by train to major European destinations, as part of a drive to give Swedes more low-carbon ways to travel long distances.
This isn’t just promising news for people who want to see carbon emissions reduced—it’s also a major shot in the arm for Europe’s night trains overall, which have been struggling to the point of risking extinction in recent years. In the 20th century, such services were standard across the continent. Since around the millennium, however, a boom in low-cost airlines has bitten hard into their business, while high-speed trains have made overnight travel less necessary on many routes.
“We do this in order to cope with the climate, build a strong society and to achieve the goal of becoming the world’s fossil-free welfare country,” said Deputy Finance Minister and Green Party representative Per Bolund in press release. “More and more people want to be able to travel climate-smart, both on holiday and for work. Now it is up to us politicians to contribute to the train becoming an obvious alternative for getting to [the rest of] Europe.”