The speed of trains to and from Stockholm will be reduced to a maximum of 70 km per hour in the near future, starting on the night of Thursday. It is done for security reasons, something The evening paper was the first to report on. This when inspection remarks on the railways must be rectified.
– What we have discovered is damage to the rails, says Örjan Eriksson, head of unit at the Swedish Transport Administration, to SVT Nyheter.
“Record number of comments”
Twice a year, an inspection is carried out with a special ultrasonic train that measures the rails, i.e. the rails that make up a railway or tram track. After the last run, as many as 156 cracks were found.
– There are probably a record number of remarks. We have never seen this many at the same time, says Eriksson.
What this is due to is more difficult to say.
– This is a rail that all trains run on. The commuter train tracks are more exposed, we can state that.
Will take a few weeks
The many remarks, combined with the cold weather during November and December, have meant that they have not had time to fix them in time – and then, according to the regulations, the speed must be reduced.
It is above all the commuter trains that are affected. The stretch Älvsjö-Södertälje harbor is already affected from Thursday. On Friday, the speed will also be reduced on the sections Älvsjö-Tungelsta and Segersäng-Nyäshamn. But also the regional trains that pass the routes are affected.
It will probably take a couple of weeks for the work to be completed. And the Swedish Transport Administration cannot rule out that more lanes will be affected.
– It depends a little on the weather and it depends on how many work teams we can man now, says Örjan Eriksson.
According to the Swedish Transport Administration, there is no cause for concern. However, any associations that the situation causes are regretted.
– We can be sure that there will be some kind of delay, but I cannot say how much.