Hundreds of passengers were left stranded for over five hours on a train from Malmö to Stockholm due to technical problems. The situation, described as chaotic, involved elderly passengers and children, with limited information provided by SJ. An additional train was dispatched to assist the remaining 600 passengers.
Chaos as 800 SJ Passengers Stranded Due to Technical Issues
Chaos as 800 SJ Passengers Stranded Due to Technical Issues
Hundreds of frustrated passengers found themselves stuck on a Sunday evening aboard an SJ train that encountered technical difficulties. The train, traveling from Malmö to Stockholm, has been stationary for over five hours in Hästveda, Skåne.
"There are elderly people and children here; it's chaotic," said passenger Soheila Fathejalali, 60, from Stockholm.
The northbound SJ train, carrying 800 passengers, departed Malmö at 3:16 PM on Sunday and was scheduled to arrive in Stockholm at 9:21 PM. However, it only managed to travel about 100 kilometers before experiencing technical issues, leaving it stranded at Hästveda station for more than five hours.
There are 600 passengers still on board after 200 people, primarily families with children, were transferred to an X2000 train, according to SJ's press office.
"Difficult for Many"
"I need to be at work tomorrow morning. It seems uncertain if I'll make it. The information has also been very poor," said Love Brandt, 22, a dockworker from Norrköping.
"I boarded in Lund, and shortly after, we were informed that the locomotive was broken. There are elderly people and children here; it's difficult for many," he added.
Harald Eliasson, 28, a sound technician from Uppsala, is also concerned about not making it home on Sunday evening.
According to SJ, an additional train was on its way to accommodate the 600 passengers who couldn't fit on the X2000 train. The new train was expected to arrive at 10 PM on Sunday, as per SJ's press office.
"It's chaotic here. There are families with children and elderly people. It's very disorganized, and the information from SJ has been poor," said Soheila Fathejalali, 60, an employee at an insurance company in Stockholm.
New Train Problems Arise
SJ's press office described a situation where new problems kept arising, causing the train to be stuck for so long.
"At 4:05 PM, the locomotive broke down. The train stopped in Hässleholm, and we sent a new train there, but it didn't work either. Then the Swedish Transport Administration informed us that the train couldn't remain in Hässleholm, so it had to move to Hästveda," said Leyla Fogelholm from SJ's press office.
"200 passengers, mainly families with children, were able to board an X2000. It's not possible to arrange suitable buses for the remaining 600, so an extra train is on its way. It should arrive at 10 PM," she said.