The Western Main Line is the main state-owned railway line between Stockholm and Gothenburg in Sweden. Its construction began in 1856 and it opened for service in 1862. Maintained by the Swedish Transport Administration, the Western Main Line is electrified and consists entirely of double track, except the four-track sections between Gothenburg Central Station and Olskroken (2 km), in Järna (5 km), and south of Stockholm, between Flemingsberg and Stockholm South Station, about 14 km. The last section between Stockholm South Station and Stockholm Central Station runs mainly on a two track bridge. Before the Stockholm City Line was opened in 2017, the bridge was a serious bottleneck, as all trains had to use the same tracks.

Operating speed

The maximum speed on the line is 200 km/h. This speed is only attained by the X 2000 tilting high-speed trains and some regional trains. The InterCity trains are limited to 160 km/h due to the rolling stock. A section of the line, between Skövde and Töreboda, is the longest straight section of railway in Sweden, with almost 40 km of track without a curve, and used in speed trials. The current Swedish speed record of 303 km/h was achieved here by a X50 "Regina" EMU. The line has always been known for its high speeds. As early as the 1950s, the Rapid engines travelled the route at 150 km/h.

Future plans

There are plans to build a high-speed line between Stockholm and Gothenburg, south of lake Vättern, Götalandsbanan. The route would be operational somewhere around the mid 21st century, and capable of speeds of more than 300 km/h. However, this would only cut the travel time by about 40 minutes (the fastest connection today is a non-stop X 2000 service which covers the 455 km in 2 hours and 52 minutes, at an average speed of 159 km/h), but connect more large cities to the Stockholm–Gothenburg line (Borås, Jönköping, Linköping, Norrköping).