February 1850

Sweden-Norway’s treasuries were stretched to its limit with the many reforms and rearmament programs. Taxes that were collected within municipalities and counties was mostly used to pay for services already in place and left little room for new reforms and projects such the construction of a new fortress or enacting another major reform like folkskolan. The ongoing trade with Siam and Brazil provided a source of income and cheap goods, but it could only be used to reinvest in of the more ambitious projects abroad rather than domestic developments.

To build industry and improve the mining output Sweden-Norway was in need of railways. This sort of logistical marvels were not easy nor cheap to build, and Sweden-Norway now had to rely on foreign capital to expand its limited railway networks.

The Parliament in late February 1850, now with the needed loans aquired, ordered for preparations to be made for the construction of Södra and Västra Stambanan to begin, 1851-65.

Södra Stambanan: Malmö-Lund-Alvesta-Linköping-Norrköping-Nyköping-Järna.

Västra stambanan: Stockholm-Järna-Katrineholm-Skövde-Falköping-Göteborg.

The project would be headed by Adolf Eugéne von Rosen who had returned from abroad in 1845 where he had observed and been mightily impressed by the railways in France and England. He had some prior experience building railways and had with the blessing of the king and help from the Navy Mechanised Corps been able to build a short railway in Örebro to Ervalla and another short route from Ervalla to Nora, creating a transport lane for iron and iron ore. Von Rosen had also inspected Swedens many wooden railways connecting to mines.