It was on December 17 that a fully loaded ore train headed for Narvik derailed at Vassijaure.
An extensive effort is underway to restore the railway. The hope was that the trains would start rolling on January 31 – but the Swedish Transport Administration’s new forecast is February 4.
The reason is the expected weather conditions in the coming days.
– The safety of those who work in the area will always come first. Under optimal conditions, the previous forecast would have been reasonable, but when a lot of snow and strong winds are expected in the near future, we want to take the safe side before the uncertain, says Simon Sunna, head of the railway section at the Swedish Transport Administration.
Worked in minus 35 degrees
Between 60 and 100 people have so far worked around the clock on the repair. It is about everything from sleeper changes, rail changes, installation of new gears and repair of catenary.
– Those who have worked in the area have done a really good job based on the conditions we have had. We have been working on a long distance (15 kilometers) and the weather has changed between extremely cold with temperatures down to -35 degrees and periods of snowfall and gale force winds.