Uppsala will grow by 70,000 inhabitants by 2050, which means a need for new public transport, new roads and new housing. This affects SLU's operations at Ultuna in various ways, partly through the planned tramway that will run through Ultuna, and partly through new buildings adjacent to the campus.
Opportunities, Risks, and Challenges
The new tramway will pass through Ultuna, where two sections meet. The tramway will continue on a new bridge over Fyrisån and onwards to Bergsbrunna, the terminal station. Through Ultuna, one section will run along Ulls väg, and the other along Ultunaallén, passing by the animal hospital.
A new train station, Uppsala södra, is planned for Bergsbrunna, serving as both the starting and terminal point for the tramway. This development will make it easier and faster for commuters and visitors to travel to SLU from the south.
With the tramway, the city will be connected in new ways, making travel between SLU and Uppsala University quicker and more convenient, which will facilitate collaboration.
However, the tramway also brings challenges both during the construction phase and once it’s operational. As Uppsala’s development plans bring buildings and commercial premises closer to SLU, there is a risk that increased car traffic and the tramway itself may create barriers and hinder mobility within the campus.
Our mission is to ensure that SLU can continue to conduct world-class research, education, and veterinary care, despite the tramway's impact.
Another aspect is accessibility to our campus buildings—for staff, students, and various transport needs. This may result in changes to entrances and delivery routes for some buildings.
A patience-testing construction period ahead
From autumn 2025 to 2030, the construction of the tramway and the new bridge over Fyrisån will affect us in several ways: roads, pedestrian, and cycle paths will be rerouted, there will be noise from piling work, parking spaces will be reduced, and some parts of the campus will be inaccessible at times. Such impacts are inevitable with this type of infrastructure project, but SLU is working diligently to ensure that campus accessibility functions as smoothly as possible.
Here you will find answers to questions about what is happening in the process related to the tramway plans. The content will be continuously updated.
Throughout 2024, extensive work on detailed plans is underway for the routes that affect SLU as well as us as a stakeholder. In parallel, ongoing negotiations—taking place for several years now—continue between SLU, Uppsala Municipality, and Akademiska Hus on how to construct and operate the tramway without compromising our operations at the Ultuna campus.
These negotiations aim to produce two separate agreements to regulate responsibility issues and outline ways to minimise disturbances.
These agreements are grounded in comprehensive investigative work concerning noise, vibrations, and electromagnetic fields that could disrupt our operations. These technical aspects are highly complex and have necessitated extensive internal discussions within SLU on managing, for instance, vibrations.
An investigative effort is also ongoing regarding a new instrument centre, where particularly sensitive instruments may be relocated. Additionally, there may be a need for specific measures in certain buildings to manage vibration-sensitive instruments.
The municipality has conducted baseline measurements of vibrations and noise levels along the planned tramway route. For vibrations and electromagnetic fields, SLU has inventoried the equipment, animals, or operations that could be affected and, based on this, identified acceptable levels.
These findings enable us to set contractual requirements and assess the extent of potential disturbances during both construction and operational phases. In planning for future operations and equipment purchases, it is crucial to consider the projected levels of disturbance once the tramway is operational, in order to minimise disruptions.
According to the current schedule, the following will take place during the construction period:
The first noticeable change will be the relocation, or in some cases, removal of trees along Ulls väg, expected to start after the summer of 2025. The trees need to be moved to allow access for relocating certain underground utilities beneath the road, which must be cleared before the tramway construction begins. It is essential to avoid having utilities under the tramway, as replacing or repairing damaged lines beneath the tracks would be extremely challenging.
It has yet to be decided how many trees and which ones will be affected. The plan is to replant relocated trees at new spots on campus wherever possible.
The next visible change will likely be the start of work on the bridge over the Fyris River, anticipated in early 2026. This work will involve extensive piling for the bridge supports, which will result in noticeable noise.
During 2026–2027, the utility relocation along Ulls väg and Ultunaallén will take place. This period is expected to be quite disruptive. A new road for car and bus traffic might also be built at this time, running between the current Ultunaallén and the UDS.
The tramway on campus will be constructed during 2028–2029, so it can be operational before 2030. At the same time, new trees and shrubs will be planted along Ulls väg.
The animal hospital and our animal facilities must remain accessible to pet owners and heavy transport vehicles throughout the entire construction period and once the tramway is operational. To ensure this, plans are underway to construct a new road between the northern tree line on Ultunaallén and the stormwater pond/parking area in front of the UDS, allowing the tramway to operate solely on the current road.
By separating these traffic flows, customers and heavy transport vehicles will not need to cross the tramway, maintaining direct access to UDS/VHC. The tram will have a stop just southeast of the intersection at UDS, making it convenient to reach UDS by tram from the southern and central parts of the city.
The municipality’s traffic planners are working on proposals for how various modes of transport on campus will coexist once the tramway is operational. The goal is to maintain accessibility while minimising the risk of accidents as the tramway will share space with cars, bicycles, and pedestrians on campus. Achieving this balance involves making some challenging decisions, and both SLU and Akademiska Hus are actively participating in this work. An important consideration is that trams will always have right of way, which is something we at Ultuna, as well as everyone in Uppsala, will need to adapt to. In Gothenburg, where trams have been in operation since 1879, they continue to work on finding the best solutions for pedestrians who need to cross the tracks.
A significant challenge will be ensuring access to SLU’s facilities during the construction phase. All parties involved aim to maintain good accessibility for students, staff, and visitors throughout the construction period. However, this will likely mean that traffic—including buses, cars, deliveries, and bicycles—will occasionally need to be redirected while the tramway is being built. This redirection is inevitable, and periods of muddy streets and similar disruptions are to be expected.
During construction, it is also very likely that some parking spaces on campus will be temporarily unavailable. This could be due to blocked entrances, but primarily because certain areas will need to be used for handling construction materials. These so-called staging areas present an additional challenge, as we must balance the need to retain parking spaces with the goal of minimising heavy transport traffic through the campus.
Once the tramway is in place, getting to and from the Ultuna campus will become easier, which students will likely appreciate. At present, there is no indication that the tramway will disrupt teaching itself. However, initially, everyone on campus will, of course, need to learn to be mindful of the tramway, which will run directly through the area.
There will be three tram stops at Ultuna:
Akademiska hus owns the buildings and the majority of the land on which SLU operates. SLU owns a small amount of land. However, SLU owns the land that is mainly affected by the new bridge for the tramway on the eastern side of Fyrisån. Akademiska Hus and SLU work closely together and we have a great deal of consensus on these issues.
Maps of land ownership in and around Ultuna
The operational work is conducted by a working group consisting of:
The task of the working group is to conduct negotiations with the municipality and organise the internal consultation process. Supporting the working group is Mats Åleskog, a property lawyer.
The working group is in close collaboration with representatives from Akademiska Hus and SVA (Statens veterinärmedicinska anstalt).
The working group reports to Martin Melkersson, University Director.
Formally, it is SLU's rector or board that makes all decisions related to these issues.