The 190 km (118 mi) long route, from Höga Kusten Airport, where it connects to the Ådalen Line, via Örnsköldsvik to Umeå, was opened in 2010 and trains are allowed to travel at speeds up to 250 km/h (155 mph).

Construction was carried out by Botniabanan AB, a company owned 91% by the Swedish government and 9% by the municipalities of Kramfors, Örnsköldsvik, Nordmaling and Umeå.

When Botniabanan AB has recovered its investment (estimated to be 2050), the ownership of the line will pass to the Rail Administration.

It is intended that the Bothnia Line will compete with road transport using the European route E4, which is a main road carrying heavy freight traffic; however because the line uses the European Rail Traffic Management System signal system, which most of Sweden does not, relatively few freight train operators have invested in the ERTMS technology for their locomotives.

The delayed upgrade of the ERTMS signal system on the Ådalen Line meant that traffic south of Örnsköldsvik did not begin until 2012.

The Bothnia line also improves public mobility in the area, reducing the travel time between Umeå and Örnsköldsvik to 50 minutes via high-speed train.

The northern part, near Umeå, did not see operation until August 2010, due to a court battle over the placement of a bridge that crosses over environmentally sensitive areas at the Ume River.

These areas are protected as a nature reserve and the process to approve its location was opposed by environmentalists and neighbours concerned about their properties.

The Transitio leasing company owned by the counties signed a contract in October 2008 to buy Alstom Coradia trains.

So far the suppliers cannot guarantee winter characteristics above 200 km/h (125 mph), since there is no experience operating at such speeds in the northern Swedish climate.

Swedish signalling and its ATP safety system (ATC - Automatic Train Control) is only validated up to 210 km/h (130 mph).

One train of the type Regina was rented from southern Sweden for the Umeå-Örnsköldsvik traffic, with a top speed of 200 km/h (125 mph).

A few parts of it north of Härnösand (totalling 30 km (19 mi)) were replaced with a new route, built to the same standard as the Bothnia Line, with a maximum speed of 200 km/h (125 mph).