Due to long distances and large volumes, many industrial companies in Sweden depend on functioning rail transport. However, according to several companies that SVT has talked to, disturbances are a recurring and growing problem. One of the companies that is often affected is Fiskarheden Trävaru, which transports wood products between Malungsfors and Gothenburg harbor.
Fredrik Bärthel, spokesperson for the company, states that 40 percent of their freight trains last year were delayed by one hour or more, and that 10 percent were canceled.
– Delays and canceled trains cost the forest industry in Västerdalarna tens of millions of SEK annually, says Bärthel and continues:
– It is about overtime and that industries must adapt when raw materials do not arrive as planned. Exports can also miss the right boat in the harbor.
Limited capacity
Swedish industry also suffers from the fact that the rail system cannot meet the demand that exists for transport.
The energy company Hitachi Energy in Ludvika has an urgent need for more train departures to meet its increasing production.
-We are growing so it is cracking and need measures that increase capacity at once, says Anna-Karin Larsdotter, transport manager at Hitachi Energy in Sweden.
A similar image appears In a report from Turn Swedish Railwaywhere every fourth company believes that problems in the rail system threaten their investment, expansion and future production.
Lost confidence in the railway
Ted Lundström at the Business Transport Council considers that the situation is very serious. Swedish industry experiences great uncertainty and loses confidence in the railway, he says.
– Ultimately, it is about Swedish welfare. In order to have companies across the country that create jobs and tax revenue, a reliable and capacity -strong railway is needed.
He feels that he has a good dialogue with the Minister of Infrastructure and the Swedish Transport Administration, but that there is no power of action.
– We do not see that the ambitions lead to better accessibility and reliability for the railway.
Jon Sundh, head of rail maintenance at the Swedish Transport Administration, says that they work to streamline railway work, but that a challenge is to minimize traffic impact.
– It is important to balance modernization with operation. We work with the industry to best perform the work.