Train turbulence in Hässleholm makes neighbouring municipalities see red

SD in Hässleholm, with the backing of M, L KD and FV, want to terminate the municipality's contract with the state for a high-speed railway.

– The high-speed railway is a question that engages people in all parts of Skåne. They are worried about making incursions into nature and areas where people live , and I quite understand that, says Anna Jähnke, chairman of he regional development council (RUN) in Skåne.

– But I still believe that most people agree that we need a greater capacity on our railways. It isn't a question of a high-speed railway, she says.

– We need new main lines through Skåne. For us, speed isn't what is most important. What is most important for us is to get four tracks between Hässleholm and Lund, and in a second step a double track between Kristianstad and Hässleholm, she says.

Patric Åberg, (M), municipal council in Östra Göinge, warns that north-east Skåne risks missing out on the whole project.

– If Hässleholm goes through with this manoeuve, it will cause an open sore which shows that we can never manage to work in agreement, he says.

Pierre Månsson (L), municipal council in Kristianstad and chairman of the municipal executive committee in north-east Skåne, agrees that this is not a question for Hässleholm alone.

– We all agree that we need faster trains, they must go via Hässleholm. What we agreed to in Skåne was that Hässleholm should get the high-speed trains and we would work to create a permanent link from Helsingborg to Helsingör. Månsson understands the Transport Administration's disappointment.

– But it would be a catastrophe for north-east Skåne if the high-speed trains were to go straight to Helsingborg. Hässleholm must be our junction, he says.