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Stockholm holds colour contest for new metro

The Local/sr
The Local/sr - [email protected]
Stockholm holds colour contest for new metro
Photo: Joel Bagon

Stockholm's new metro line is not set for preliminary construction until 2016, and will not be completed until 2022 - but Swedes already have the chance to vote for the new line's colour.

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In November last year the Swedish government announced a massive building project including nine new metro stations comprising a new tunnelbana line towards Nacka Forum and Arenastaden. 

The Stockholm County Council is now holding a contest to decide the colour of the new line. Stockholm's metro already consists of a red line, blue line, and green line.

The contest, which is specifically for the new stretch from Odenplan to Arenastaden, lets travellers suggest a colour. The competition closes on August 11th. Submissions must also include a motivation for why the line should indeed be dubbed in the new hue. The council will then select the three suggestions with the best motivations for a final round of voting.

See also: Top ten Stockholm metro stations

"We try to engage travellers in many different contexts," Christer Wennerholm told newspaper Dagens Nyheter. "They always have a tonne of views, often about things we can do better. This constructive approach is exactly what SL needs in order to improve."

Over 3,400 Stockholmers have voted so far, and the most popular colours are yellow, brown, purple, turquoise, and pink.

With Stockholm Pride in full swing this week, Wennerholm had his own suggestion - "Rainbow colour would be nice."

The person who made the winning suggestion will be awarded a year's transport card for use on Stockholm's public transport. 


Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

The pricetag of the contest is a half million kronor ($72,887) in taxpayer money - but Wennerholm said it's well-invested money.

"One can view it as a way of creating engagement in the colour contest, but it is just as much one part of a much bigger informational campaign about how the collective traffic will be developed through 2025," Wennerholm said. "In that context it's really quite cheap."

Specific measures for the building project include extending the blue line metro past Kungsträdgården with five new stations: Sofia, Hammarby kanal, Sickla, Saltsjö-Järla, and Nacka Forum. A new stretch will also be built connecting the blue line's planned Sofia station with the Gullmarsplan transit centre on the green line.

North of Stockholm, the blue line will be extended past Akalla and connected to the commuter rail line at Barkaby Station, with a stop at the Barkabystaden district currently under construction in Järfälla along the way.
 
From Odenplan, a new branch will be built with two new stations, Hagastaden and Arenastaden.
 
When the new stations are completed, the green line to Hagsätra will become blue and connect to the new line to Nacka. The current blue line will gain a lighter blue colour. 

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