Train chaos in Northern Sweden

All scheduled train services between the northern Swedish cities of Luleå and Umeå were cancelled on Monday due to damage caused by snow and ice and it is unclear when the line with be running again.

A third of train services on the Sundsvall-Östersund-Åre line were also cancelled with passengers transfered to buses.

Just over a half of the stock of the regional train service, Norrtåg, is currently in operation.

“80 percent of the trains damaged have problems with weather conditions,” said Tomas Hedenius, a spokesperson for Botniatåg.

Train traffic on the Botniabana and Ådalsbana has been hit hard by the weather since December. Snow and ice impede the brakes from working properly, and ice on the antennae can prevent the trains from receiving signals.

Train services have been disrupted for some weeks despite new trains specially designed to handle temperatures as low as minus 35 degrees Celsius.

“The new trains have not handled the winter weather so well. They were really built for the [southern] European climate and the manufacturers adapted them for us in the North. Frankly though, they’ve not done much of a job of that so far,” Norrtåg’s chief technician told Swedish Radio.

“We’re trying to thaw them out and repair them as fast as we can but I can’t say when we’ll have all the trains back in operation – hopefully during this week.”

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