Kommunerna och järnhästen : En studie om kommunerna i västra Smålands påverkan på nedläggningen av persontrafiken på järnvägslinjen Värnamo-Kärreberga

Sammanfattning: Tedestam, Joel, 2021. Kommunerna och järnhästen. En studie om kommunerna i västra Smålands påverkan på nedläggningen av persontrafiken på järnvägslinjen Värnamo-Kärreberga. (The Municipalities and the Iron Horse. A study about the municipalities in western Småland and their impact on the shutdown of the passenger traffic on the railway line Värnamo-Kärreberga). C-level.    The purpose of this essay is to explore the actions taken during 1960 to 1970 by relevant municipalities in regards to the shutdown of the passenger traffic on the railway line Värnamo-Kärreberga in 1968. The study also aims to bridge the areas of municipal and railroad history using this event as a focus for both disciplines and it will hopefully provide a more nuanced picture of the event itself concerning the roles the municipal governments had during the shutdown. The study employs primarily the method of text analysis and the source material is based on city council protocols from the municipalities themselves as well as a couple private archives.    The shutdown of passenger traffic on the railway sparked different levels of reaction from the municipalities, ranging from the largely passive to the almost defiant. Tensions were high as the region were poised to lose part of a transportation system that had been operational since 1899 and had deeply impacted the region’s societal and economic development. In order to solve the problems however, the councils showed the pragmatism that was characteristic of the Swedish municipalities at the time.   Key words: Municipal history, railway history, communication history, local history.