Sweco to design new rail link to Göteborg Landvetter Airport

Engineering and architecture consultancy Sweco has been awarded a contract worth about SEK 440 million to provide planning and design services for a new railway section linking Mölndal with Göteborg Landvetter Airport, a project intended to give western Sweden’s main international gateway a direct rail connection to the regional rail network.

Major design role on strategic Gothenburg corridor

According to public information released in early June 2026, the Swedish Transport Administration has selected Sweco to lead planning and design for a new rail alignment between Mölndal, south of central Gothenburg, and Göteborg Landvetter Airport. The agreement covers consulting services through key phases of the project and is valued at approximately SEK 440 million.

The planned line is part of a wider package of rail investments around Gothenburg, one of Sweden’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas. Landvetter currently lacks a direct rail connection, relying on road access and coach services, and the new link is intended to shift more passengers from car to rail for airport trips.

Sweco’s work will encompass multidisciplinary design, including route studies, alignments, stations and technical systems. Publicly available material indicates that the assignment will stretch over several years, reflecting the complexity of integrating a new line into a busy regional network while limiting impacts on existing communities and natural areas.

Project timelines for construction and opening have not yet been formally confirmed, but planning and design are viewed as critical early steps toward a future rail-served airport for the Gothenburg region.

Connecting Göteborg Landvetter Airport to the rail network

Göteborg Landvetter Airport is Sweden’s second-largest airport and the primary international hub for western Sweden. It serves a catchment area that includes Gothenburg, Borås and other regional centers, and handles millions of passengers annually. Despite this role, the airport is currently accessible only by road, primarily via the national road 40 corridor.

The new line between Mölndal and Landvetter is intended to plug this gap by creating a rail connection that ties the airport into the region’s existing and planned rail services. Public documents describing the corridor highlight goals such as reducing travel times, increasing reliability for airport access and creating more sustainable transport options for residents and visitors.

A rail link would allow passengers to transfer between airport services and regional trains serving Gothenburg and other destinations in western Sweden. Over time, this is expected to ease congestion on road 40, particularly at peak periods, and to support broader climate targets by encouraging a shift from private cars to public transport.

Integration with other infrastructure projects around Gothenburg is likely to be an important aspect of the design work, requiring careful coordination of track layouts, signaling and station locations to ensure smooth operation once the line opens.

Sweco’s growing portfolio of Nordic and European rail projects

Sweco, headquartered in Stockholm, has become one of Europe’s largest engineering and architecture consultancies, with extensive experience in rail and public transport schemes. Publicly available company information lists involvement in high-speed rail planning in Sweden, major light rail initiatives in Finland and complex rail and road upgrades elsewhere in northern Europe.

Recent contracts in the rail sector include multi-year planning and design assignments for national rail infrastructure, high-speed corridors and urban transit systems. Reports indicate that the Göteborg airport link adds another significant Nordic transport project to Sweco’s portfolio, consolidating its position in rail design and systems integration.

The company’s role on the Mölndal to Landvetter section is expected to draw on expertise across disciplines such as geotechnics, structures, environmental assessment, digital modeling and station architecture. Similar projects in other countries have made extensive use of building information modeling and other digital tools to manage complexity and coordinate large multidisciplinary teams, and observers expect the Landvetter rail link to follow a comparable approach.

By winning the design contract at an early stage, Sweco is positioned to help shape everything from technical standards to passenger experience, including station layouts, accessibility and connections with other modes of transport at the airport.

Capacity, sustainability and regional development goals

Planning material for the airport rail link highlights several objectives beyond pure travel time savings. Capacity, environmental performance and regional development are key themes in the justification for the Mölndal to Landvetter section.

On the capacity side, a dedicated rail connection can remove some traffic from the road network, freeing space for freight and essential road users while giving travelers a predictable alternative at times of congestion. The link is also expected to support a growing demand for airport access as passenger volumes recover and expand in the medium to long term.

From a sustainability perspective, Swedish transport policy places increasing emphasis on reducing emissions from travel. Shifting airport trips from private cars and taxis to electric-powered trains aligns with these goals. Rail planners involved in similar projects elsewhere in Europe have pointed to the benefits of integrating airport rail links with wider regional networks, allowing passengers to travel between cities and the airport on a single rail journey.

The project also has a regional development dimension. Improved access to Landvetter can make surrounding municipalities more attractive to businesses and residents, while better rail connectivity into Gothenburg supports labor market integration across western Sweden. Station locations, park-and-ride facilities and potential intermediate stops along the corridor are likely to be shaped by these broader planning objectives.

Next steps for the Gothenburg airport rail project

With the design contract now awarded, the project moves into an intensive planning phase. This typically includes detailed route investigations, technical design, environmental impact assessments and consultations with municipalities and stakeholders along the corridor.

Public information suggests that work under Sweco’s contract will be divided into stages, allowing the project owner to refine scope and budget as studies progress. Early phases are likely to focus on corridor selection and key engineering challenges, followed by more detailed design for tunnels, bridges, stations and systems.

Procedures for major rail investments in Sweden generally require multiple decision points, including approvals tied to environmental permitting and financing. As those steps advance, more precise timelines for construction and opening of the Mölndal to Göteborg Landvetter Airport rail link are expected to emerge.

For travelers and the tourism sector in western Sweden, the design contract marks a significant step toward a future where the region’s main international airport is directly connected to the rail network, reshaping how passengers move between Gothenburg, surrounding cities and the rest of Europe.