The protests against the closure of the night trains between Gothenburg and Norrland are growing.
Leading politicians in both Jämtland and Västra Götaland are now demanding a meeting with infrastructure minister Andreas Carlson.
More and more private individuals are also pissed off and get involved in various ways to stop the train withdrawals.
– Of course, there are fewer of us who live here in Jämtland, but we still need to be able to get to different places easily. It is very important, says train traveler Linnea Granqvist.
Linnea Granqvist is a frequent train traveler and when she was told that the night trains between Gothenburg and Umeå and Gothenburg and Jämtland are to be cancelled, she started a protest list. In one week, 60,000 people have signed.
– I’m not really surprised by the turnout. This is a very important question for us who live in Jämtland and the rest of Norrland, she says.
The Swedish Transport Administration has given SJ the task of operating the night train service between southern Sweden and Norrland, but SJ is now canceling the night train service between Gothenburg and Umeå and between Gothenburg and Åre/Duved.
SJ: Still good availability
The train company justifies the decision by saying that these departures are not profitable to operate.
To be able to continue, a new procurement is required on the routes from the Swedish Transport Administration.
But according to the authority, it is not relevant at the moment.
– With the mission we have, we must create basic accessibility in Norrland and in all parts of the country. But we do not see that a basic accessibility of being able to get to all the different locations without having to change in Stockholm to get further. But we still think it’s a good accessibility, says Lennart Kalander, head of national planning at the Swedish Transport Administration.
Hope the protest list can save the night trains
Infrastructure Minister Andreas Carlson tells TV4 Nyheterna that he is on the same line as the Swedish Transport Administration, i.e. that Swedish rail traffic must be operated on routes where it is profitable.
Linnea Granqvist does not think that argument is valid and will continue her protests. In a few weeks, she will hand over the protest list to the infrastructure minister.
– I really hope that this will have an effect and that it can save the night trains, she says.