The trains run, but the staff are crying. This is how an employee within the Swedish Transport Administration’s train control center summarizes the week that has passed since the new planning system was introduced last weekend.
– I have never experienced anything like this. They have put the entire security system out of action – and it is getting worse day by day, says an employee who wishes to remain anonymous.
The reason is the introduction of the new MPK system, the purpose of which is to simplify train planning in Sweden.
The authority: Day D went well
An article was published on the Swedish Transport Administration’s intranet this week with the headline: “Day D for MPK went well”. But from within the authority, staff paint a completely different picture. Here are some of the comments on the intranet from the past week:
• “To say that it went well is really a slap in the face for all of us who work operationally”.
• “The education we received is, to put it mildly, useless”.
• “We are sitting in a sinking ship”.
– It is an untenable situation. If it continues to be a work situation that cannot be cured, we will soon be without staff. With hindsight, the system may not have been ready to be introduced, says Charlotte Olsson, chairman of the Seko club within the Swedish Transport Administration.
Over 400 acute errors or deficiencies
Since last Sunday, over 400 acute errors or deficiencies linked to the new system have been reported, which is a sharp increase from before. Among other things, certain information about oncoming trains has disappeared.
The shortcomings have caused staff to refuse to sign security documents, a source tells SVT.
– We have the greatest respect for the fact that it is very different from before. But our entire business rests on it being safe and secure to drive trains. We will never deviate from that, says Bengt Olsson, press manager at the Swedish Transport Administration.
The situation prompted the union to act earlier this week with demands for measures to reduce stress and workload in traffic control centres. The Swedish Transport Agency’s management has now promised that it will get better.
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