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full screen December was a tough month for the entire railway industry, according to Anna Ericsson, operational area manager at the Swedish Transport Administration. Archive image. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT
Snow and cold continued to hamper the punctuality of trains in December.
Just over 83 percent of the trains kept on time – probably the lowest figure in the whole of 2023, according to the Swedish Transport Administration.
In total, 73,225 out of 87,772 passenger trains reached the final station on time during the last month of the year, corresponding to 83.4 percent, according to the authority’s preliminary statistics. A figure that can be compared with November’s 85.9 percent.
“Despite bright spots such as a new train schedule and the opening of new tracks, December turned out to be a tough month for the entire railway industry and thus also for travelers in the form of delayed trains and canceled departures,” says Anna Ericsson, head of the Traffic business area, in a press release.
Of the long-distance trains, which always fare the worst in terms of punctuality, just under 62 percent arrived on time in December.
In addition to the wintry weather, game also often sought out the tracks, which made it difficult for punctuality.
The average delay for all trains in December was 3.4 minutes and for delayed trains 9 minutes.
The Swedish Transport Administration has not yet published the aggregated statistics for the full year 2023.
FACT Punctuality of trains in December
Short-distance trains (commuter and flight trains): 89.7 percent.
Medium-distance trains (regional trains): 79 percent.
Long-distance trains (long-distance and high-speed trains): 61.6 percent.
Overall: 83.4 percent.
The highest punctuality was achieved on Sunday 31 December: 95 percent.
Punctuality was worst on Monday, December 4: 71.5 percent.
The definition of punctuality is that the train reaches its final station within five minutes of the timetable.
Source: Swedish Transport Agency
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