Sweden has eight train control centres. From there, train traffic on almost all railway stretches and station areas is remotely controlled. Additionally, the train control centres monitor the railway's power supply and the maintenance work carried out along the lines. In special cases such as fallen overhead lines or repair work, it is important to ensure that the power in the line and train traffic are under control. Information to the public, such as announcements on stations, is also managed from the train control centres.

Sweden has almost 11,000 kilometres of railway, of which nearly 9,000 kilometres are single track. On single tracks, train meetings cannot occur on the line; they must happen at a station. The train signals and switches are operated from the train control centres. Additionally, several safety systems are in place to prevent multiple trains from being on the same track section simultaneously, including line blocking and ATC.

Ängelholm is controlled by the Malmö train control centre, which manages almost the entire southern Sweden, while Helsingborg is one of the few places with local train control.

From around 1960, a train control centre could look like the Kiruna remote blocking centre. From here, the single-track line between Narvik and Gällivare was controlled. Under each town name, all station areas with tracks were depicted, and instructions were set for how trains should operate and meet.

All stations have the ability to disconnect from the train control centre and locally manage their area. This is used as an emergency solution during major operational problems.

Before centralized train control was introduced in the 1900s, entry signals and switches were solely controlled from the various stations. Through telecommunication with neighbouring stations along the route, it could be ensured that only one train was dispatched onto the line at a time.