Border controls and (im)mobilities: experiences from a public transport node

Abstract

The Öresund Bridge between Sweden and Denmark was opened in 2000, allowing both road traffic and fast commuter trains to travel between Malmö and Copenhagen. Various agreements have long facilitated passport-free travel. However, at the end of 2015, temporary border controls were first introduced. This paper aims to provide a deeper understanding of portrayals in the news media and everyday mobility experiences relating to border controls, with a special focus on Hyllie Station in the city of Malmö, in southern Sweden. The article is based on a compilation of the way Hyllie Station has been depicted in the news media for a deeper contextual understanding combined with a public participation GIS dataset focusing on the safety and security experiences of public transport nodes. Hyllie station, border controls and the presence of security personnel are depicted in different ways and at different levels. The complexities of life are intensified due to the daily cross-border commute and extra time required by border controls. The issue of mobility justice is raised, and the interrelationship between power and mobility becomes more and more tangible. Hyllie is a traffic node wherein the barriers of mobility and immobility become blurred, and power is displayed on different levels.