Infrastructure
Accessibility, i.e. a well-functioning infrastructure and transport system, is one of several important aspects of Värmland's regional development programme. For trade and industry, it means being able to transport goods quickly and easily by road, rail, sea and air to meet the needs of customers in Sweden and abroad. It is also vital that companies and tourists can get to Värmland. Good regional broadband coverage also contributes to accessibility.
Broadband and IT infrastructure
Today, 99.5% of households and businesses in Värmland have access to broadband. The responsibility for promoting broadband coverage lies with the municipalities. The national target stipulates that 90% of Swedish households should have access to superfast broadband at 100 Mbps by 2020 at the latest. A survey of the current picture for Värmland has begun on the initiative of Region Värmland.
The expansion of fibre has happened very differently across the county. Fibre is currently available in all municipalities' urban areas, but not in rural areas. Säffle Municipality has made a substantial investment, and already meets the national objectives. Årjäng, Kristinehamn, Karlstad and Sunne are also working actively on the expansion of fibre.
Trains to and from Värmland
The train company SJ offers direct services to Värmland from Gothenburg (six departures per day), Stockholm (seven) and Oslo (three). The high-speed X2000 train gets you to and from Stockholm in around 2.5 hours.
From 2012, the journey time between Karlstad and Gothenburg will be cut by up to 20 minutes when the new double track between Trollhättan and Gothenburg comes into service. The journey currently takes 2.5-3 hours, depending on the departure.
By air
Karlstad Airport has been owned by Karlstad Municipality since autumn 2010.
Skyways offers scheduled flights from the airport to Stockholm/Arlanda (four per weekday, one on Sunday) and Kastrup/Copenhagen (two per weekday). Ryanair operates the Karlstad-Barcelona route (two flights per week), with the opportunity for onward travel to about 60 destinations.
There are also regular flights to Stockholm/Arlanda from the airports at Hagfors and Torsby.
The roads in Värmland
The E18 runs through southern Värmland between the county boundary just east of Kristinehamn and the national border with Norway in the west. Urban areas along the route are Kristinehamn, Karlstad, Grums, Årjäng and Töcksfors. Today, the entire route between Karlstad and Stockholm is dual carriageway allowing speeds of 100-120 km/hr.
Major national roads:
- Road 61 between Karlstad, Kil, Arvika, Charlottenberg and the Norwegian border
- Road 62, which runs through the whole Klarälvdalen valley between Karlstad and the Norwegian border
- Road 63 between Karlstad, Molkom, Filipstad and Bergslagen.
The E45 is our most important route south through Dalsland to Gothenburg and north through Fryksdalen to Torsby and on into Dalarna.
Shipping
Värmland has freight-handling ports in Karlstad, Kristinehamn and Grums. There are several ports on Lake Vänern, including Vänersborg, Otterbäcken and Lidköping. The river Göta Älv connects Lake Vänern with the oceans. Freighters depart mainly for Norway, the rest of Europe and north Africa.
Freight transportation
Both Karlstad and Kristinehamn offer facilities for trans-shipping freight between several modes – truck, train and ship. Torsby has an intermodal terminal for trans-shipping timber from road to rail. This opened in winter 2011.
There will be new opportunities for rail freight when the electrification of the Inlandsbanan line is completed. It will then become possible to operate "Genvägen", the shortcut linking the Bergslagsbanan and Värmlandsbanan lines. The electrification is scheduled for completion in 2012.
Commuting in Värmland
Värmlandstrafik is responsible for all regional bus and train services in Värmland and for urban services in Arvika, Säffle and Kristinehamn. It is owned by the county council and Värmland's 16 municipalities. Värmlandstrafik has joined the national industry target of doubling public transport's market share by 2020.
The aim is the continuous development of fast, efficient public transport that meets the needs of both commuting and leisure travel. Bus routes and departures are based on a number of main roads linking the urban areas of Värmland with Karlstad. Regional trains operate on the Värmlandsbanan line between Kristinehamn in the east and Säffle in the southwest, and north to Torsby in Fryksdalen.
A growing number of buses and trains offer passengers access to wireless internet.
A new development is the new routes and more frequent services between Hammarö and Karlstad. Similar work is under way to extend the connections between Karlstad and the communities along the national roads 61, 62 and 63.
Karlstadbuss, which is owned by Karlstad Municipality, is responsible for the city bus services in Karlstad.
