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Sweden's capital has probably one of the best public transport systems in Europe, especially if you look at the total length of rapid rail (T-bana, commuter rail and light rail lines) for a relatively low number of inhabitants, only about 800,000 in the city of Stockholm, although the whole metropolitan area (Stockholms län) has about 2 million. The city is situated on various islands which makes city transport a special enterprise. The Stockholm T-bana is also considered to be one of the most beautiful metro systems in Europe, especially the newest line (blue) is a real art gallery. Stockholm's tunnelbana is 108 km long (62 km are underground) with 100 stations. From 1998 most trains have been replaced by the new Vagn 2000. The Stockholm Tunnelbana is operated on the left.

The first line was opened in 1950 between Slussen and Hökarängen, a suburb in the south. Between Slussen and Skanstull the Tunnelbana uses a tunnel already built in 1933 for rapid tram lines serving the southern suburbs. Today's southern legs of the Green Line partly follow the alignments of these tram lines.
In 1944, another mostly segregated tram line opened from the city centre towards the west to Ängby. This line was later converted to metro standard and integrated into the western section of the Green Line opened in 1952.
Five years later, in 1957 the important city crossing was opened and the green line already went from Hässelby strand in the west to Hökarängen in the south.
The underground section of the Green Line between Fridhemsplan and Skanstull has a shallow alignment and is certainly the most frequently used for trips within the inner city. Between Slussen and T-Centralen the green and the red line run parallel on separate tracks allowing comfortable cross platform transfer, at Slussen and Gamla Stan in the same direction, and at T-Centralen in the opposite direction. Between Fridhemsplan and S:t Eriksplan, the Green Line crosses Karlbergskanalen and the railway tracks on the lower level of Sankt Erik's Bridge.
The Green Line actually consists of three independent lines operating along a shared section:

Route T17: Åkeshov (Odenplan in the evenings) - Skarpnäck
Route T18: Alvik - Farsta strand
Route T19: Hässelby strand - Hagsätra

The second Tunnelbana system opened in 1964 between T-Centralen and Örnsberg/Fruängen and was completed in 1975. The Red Line was built deeper than the Green Line, with the first rock cavern stations on the Norsborg branch at Masmo and Alby. The Mörby branch was initially planned to reach Täby, but these plans were later shelved. At Ropsten, there is a direct interchange with the Lidingöbanan, although the alignment of the Red Line would allow for a future extension across the bridge towards the island of Lidingö. The Red Line consists of two lines:

Route T13: Norsborg - Ropsten
Route T14: Fruängen - Mörby Centrum

- Hissbanan - a rubber-tyred funicular linking Liljeholmen metro station to the Nybohov neighbourhood.

The same year the Red Line was finished the blue line opened its first segment. This line is almost entirely underground (except Kista station) and all stations were built in rock at a depth of 20-30m. All of these stations boast a great design by different artists. Due to the deep alignment the line is not very busy with inner-city traffic, most passengers board the trains at T-Centralen to go to the northwestern suburbs. Along the surface strech of the Akalla branch another station, Kymlinge, was built but never opened. It will probably never open as it lies in a now protected area. The Blue Line operates two lines:

Route T10: Kungsträdgården - Hjulsta
Route T11: Kungsträdgården - Akalla

Vreten renamed Solna strand on 18 Aug 2014

01 Oct 1950: Slussen - Hökarängen Green Line (South)
09 Sept 1951: Gullmarsplan - Stureby Green Line (South)
26 Oct 1952: Kungsgatan (now Hötorget) - Vällingby (provisional) Green Line (West)
06 Apr 1954: Vällingby (definitive station)
22 Nov 1954: Stureby - Högdalen Green Line (South)
01 Nov 1956: Vällingby - Hässelby Gård Green Line (West)
24 Nov 1957: Hötorget - Slussen Green Line (South and West linked)
16 Apr 1958: Skärmarbrink - Hammarbyhöjden Green Line
18 Nov 1958: Hässelby gård - Hässelby strand Green Line
        Hökarängen - Farsta (provisional) Green Line
        Hammarbyhöjden - Bagarmossen (surface station) Green Line
13 Nov 1959: Högdalen - Rågsved Green Line
04 Nov 1960: Farsta (definitive station)
01 Dec 1960: Rågsved - Hagsätra Green Line
05 Apr 1964: T-Centralen - Fruängen Red Line
        Liljeholmen - Örnsberg Red Line
16 May 1965: Örnsberg - Sätra Red Line
        T-Centralen - Östermalmstorg Red Line
01 Mar 1967: Sätra - Skärholmen Red Line
02 Sept 1967: Östermalmstorg - Ropsten Red Line
02 Dec 1967: Skärholmen - Vårberg Red Line
29 Aug 1971: Farsta - Farsta Strand Green Line
01 Oct 1972: Vårberg - Fittja Red Line
30 Sept 1973: Östermalmstorg - Tekniska Högskolan Red Line
12 Jan 1975: Tekniska Högskolan - Universitetet Red Line
        Fittja - Norsborg Red Line
31 Aug 1975: T-Centralen - Hjulsta via Hallonbergen/Rinkeby Blue Line
05 Jun 1977: Hallonbergen - Akalla Blue Line
30 Oct 1977: T-Centralen - Kungsträdgården Blue Line
29 Jan 1978: Universitetet - Mörby Centrum Red Line
18 Aug 1985: Västra Skogen - Rinkeby Blue Line
15 Aug 1994: Bagarmossen (underground) - Skarpnäck Green Line

09 Jan 2006: Årstaberg station on Pendeltåg line added

 Projects

The T-bana is being extended from Odenplan north to Hagastaden and Arenastaden/Södra Hagalund (2028). Initially promoted as the Yellow Line it was eventually classified as a branch off the Green Line in May 2023.

The Blue Line had long been planned to be extended from Kungsträdgården via Skepsholmen to Slussen and further on to Nacka in the east. In 2014 a more direct route via Sofia was chosen, with a branch to Gullmarsplan to connect today's Hagsättra Green Line branch (2030).

In the northwest, a 2-station extension from Akalla to Barkarby railway station is also under construction (2026).

Find out more about these projects here!

Long-term projects:

1) Underground link from Fridhemsplan via Liljeholmen to Älvsjö -the new Yellow Line (8 km, 6 stations).

2) Roslagsbana will get an underground extension from Universitet via Odenplan to T-Centralen, while Stockholm East station will be abandoned.

1) Spårväg City (L7) - Stockholm's first modern tramway, opened in August 2010 after extending the Djurgårdslinjen, which had been operating with historical trams between Norrmalmstorg and Djurgården since 1991. More about Stockholm trams here!

2) Lidingöbanan (L21) - a single-track light rail line linking the southern part of Lidingö Island to Ropsten station - reopened on 24 Oct 2015 after upgrading, will eventually be linked to Spårväg City.

3) Nockebybanan (L12) - the last of the former rapid tram lines, now operated with modern rolling stock together with the Tvärbanan. Cross-platform interchange with Tunnelbana at Alvik.

4) Tvärbanan (L30/31) - a semi-circular light rail line (modern tram), which opened in June 2000 from Gullmarsplan to Alvik (9.4 km). In 2002, it was extended towards the east to Hammarby Sjöstad and Sickla Udde on the eastern side of the Sickla canal (2.4 km). Then in 2013, it was extended from Alvik to Solna centrum (5.6 km, with an 800 m tunnel just north of Alvik), and to Solna railway station in 2014 (1 km). A 600 m extension to Sickla station on the Saltsjöbanan completed the 18 km route of what is now line 30 (formerly 22) on 2 Oct 2017. The first section of a northwestern 8 km branch to Kista and Helenelund was scheduled to open to Bromma flygplats on 13 Dec 2020 (line 31) but was delayed until 16 May 2021, while the rest continues under construction. [Project website]

Visit our dedicated page about Trams & Light Rail in Stockholm!

Apart from the Tunnelbana and the light rail lines, Stockholm has several other suburban railways:

1) Pendeltåg (lines 40-48) - commuter rail line crossing the city north/south and with two branches on either side. Since 10 July 2017, Pendeltåg trains have been running through a new tunnel under the city centre (Citybanan) with stations at Stockholm City (interchange with T-centralen) and at Odenplan.  Citybanan Gallery

2) Saltsjöbanan (lines 25 & 26) - a suburban railway, opened in 1893 and electrified in 1913, leaving from Slussen and serving the eastern suburbs (Nacka).

3) Roslagsbanan (lines 27-29) - 891mm gauge suburban network, opened in 1888 and electrified in 1895, leaving next to Tekniska Högskolan station and serving the Täby area northeast of Stockholm.

SL - Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (Official Site)

MTR Stockholm (Tunnelbana Operator)

Region Stockholm - Transport Projects

Stockholms Tunnelbana at Wikipedia

Many photographs and links by Leif Spångberg

Rail News from Sweden (Svenska Järnvägsklubben - incl. Tunnelbana)

Spårvägsmuseet (Tram Museum)

Stockholm Trams at UrbanRail.Net

Citybanan Gallery at UrbanRail.Net

Read your webmaster's personal impressions on the different Stockholm urban rail systems (Aug 2013)

Robert Schwandl: TRAM ATLAS NORTHERN EUROPE. 2nd edition - Feb. 2021, ISBN 978-3-936573-63-3

Robert Schwandl: Metros in Scandinavia. - 2004, ISBN 978-3-936573-04-6

Björn Alfredsson, Roland Berndt & Hans Harlén: Stockholm under : 50 år - 100 stationer . - Published for Stockholm metro's 50th birthday in 2000. Brombergs - ISBN 9176088324

En värld under jord : färg och form i tunnel... Art on the underground. - Stockholmia Förlag, 2000 - ISBN 9170311072