The different sections and years
Deje-Forshaga, inaugurated in August 2000.
Forshaga-Karlstad, completed in 2002.
Forshaga to Munkfors municipality, finished in 2003-2004.
Munkfors-Uddeholm, the final asphalt was laid in autumn 2005.
The first tourist season on the Klarälvsbanan (90 kilometers of paved cycling and walking path) was in 2006.
Project Klarälvsbanan
NKlJ-banan with its many opportunities
Project owner: Munkfors municipality
Start/End: 2004-2005
Project goal: Complete the cycling path from Munkfors to Uddeholm. Develop a brand, maps, and marketing materials.
Review the future responsible organization for tourism development and coordinate maintenance, among other things.
Destination Klarälvsbanan
Project owner: Munkfors municipality
Start/End: 2006
Project goal: Market Klarälvsbanan in Sweden and the Netherlands.
Tourism development along the Klarälven (TULK, the Klarälv project)
Project owner: Munkfors municipality (all 6 Klarälv municipalities were co-financiers)
Start/End: 2008-2010
Project goal: Extend Klarälvsbanan from Mörudden to Sysslebäck (Klarälvsleden). Create a platform for collaboration among 6 municipalities and businesses along the Klarälven (from the delta in the south to Långflon in the north). Investigate the potential of pilgrimage trails. Name national road 62 “Klarälvsvägen.”
Promote cycling tourism along the Klarälven in Sweden and the Netherlands. Build a new website: www.klaralvsbanan.se
The projects have been financed through various means such as regional project support, EU funds, and municipal funding.
Additional Information
Extensive groundwork was carried out on the railbed, including reinforcements, clearing, scrap removal, replacement of culverts, and more, before the asphalt could be laid (3-meter width).
Where possible, the original path of the railway was followed, but in some areas, routes had to be diverted due to land purchases or practical difficulties.
Street lighting is available in the central parts of the towns along the route, and 15 toilets are placed along the entire trail (11 along the paved trail and 4 along the unpaved section).
Gradient – 101 meters of elevation difference between Karlstad and Uddeholm.
Trail Marking – Klarälvsbanan is not marked according to the Swedish Transport Administration’s signage system (national, regional, local) as such a system did not exist at the time. However, it has a unified graphic profile on all signs along the entire trail.
The same applies to Klarälvsleden, which is marked on existing small roads.
The Klarälvs Group (Klarälvsbanan’s development group) initially started as a collaboration group between four municipalities (Karlstad, Forshaga, Munkfors, and Hagfors) but has, since 2007, been represented by at least one person from all six municipalities. The group works comprehensively on activities related to the trail, such as development, marketing, customer service, operations, and maintenance. Once a year, street managers from each municipality also meet to discuss the operations and maintenance of the trail and the route.