Published: Just now
It was a problem-filled weekend for train traffic in Sweden – with several canceled departures and technical problems. Several of the problems have now been solved, but some remain.
Among other things, a downed catenary caused suspended train traffic on the tracks between Bräcke and Östersund in Jämtland on Friday last week.
– There is still a stop to train traffic there. Repairs are being made there now. The forecast for it to be ready is at noon tomorrow, Tuesday, says Katarina Wolffram, press communicator at the Swedish Transport Administration.
During the weekend, there were also delays between Hallsberg and Örebro as a result of thunderstorms on Thursday. Damage occurred to the track facility.
– On this route, we have continued delays. Material has been ordered for repair, but it will take some time before it has been repaired. Now you can only drive on one track there, so no double track. So there can be delays when waiting for oncoming trains, says Wolffram.
A further problem also arose on Monday morning: an electrical fault that has caused a halt in train traffic between Hindås and Rävlanda, on the line between Gothenburg and Kalmar. The forecast was that it would be fixed at 1 p.m.
– No word on when the problem will be solved yet, says Wolffram.
MTR Mälartåg has had a staff shortage recently due to a general lack of train drivers in Sweden and a particular shortage of staff during the holidays.
In addition to that, sick leave was added at short notice, which resulted in a number of canceled departures on Sunday, mainly on the route between Uppsala and Gävle. At the moment, it looks like that problem has been solved, says Rebecca Lundin, press spokesperson for MTR Mälartåg.
– We had a couple of canceled trains this morning, but as it looks right now, we have no more canceled trains on the Uppsala-Gävle route today. It is difficult to say how it will look in the week ahead, she says.
TT: Does the staff shortage affect train traffic on other routes?
– Yes, to some extent, but we try to spread out any canceled trains throughout the transport network so that our passengers are affected as little as possible, she says.
MTR continues to deploy replacement buses to cover any future canceled trains.