The signaling system ERTMS, European Rail Traffic Management System, is to be introduced throughout the country following an EU decision, but the rollout has been greatly delayed.
When the last major railway investment, the Botnia Line, was completed in 2010, the stretch became the first in the country to be equipped with the system and therefore a so-called “pilot line” together with the Ådals Line, the Haparanda Line and the Västerdals Line. The Swedish Transport Administration tests and develops the system there before it is introduced in the rest of the country.
“Really, really bad”
But the tests also lead to disturbances. The latest train stoppage was caused by the discovery of a safety flaw during a system update on the Ådalsbanan, the section between Sundsvall and Kramfors. A new update is now needed before the system works as it should and it is expected to take around six weeks, according to the Swedish Transport Administration.
Six weeks with reduced speed and confusion for train operators and travelers along the Norrland coast.
– The system has worked well, but the problem is that upgrades are being made that we do not request. We are very tired of having to deal with things like this. It’s really, really bad, says Olle Tiderman, senior technical consultant at Norrtåg.
Refers to EU decisions
According to Norrtåg, the mess affects confidence in the train and costs money, both for passengers and the train companies.
– We are happy that we have Sweden’s most modern signaling system, but if the Swedish Transport Administration is going to try something, it would be good if they could do it on another track, says Joakim Berg, CEO of Norrtåg.
The Swedish Transport Administration refers to the fact that it is the EU that decided that the system should be introduced and that the tests must be carried out.
– It is deeply unfortunate that it has to happen and we are surprised by the error. We do tests in labs and on test tracks at night, but we also have to test with real traffic, says Christoffer Crafoord, head of department at the Swedish Transport Administration.