Chaos Strikes Swedish Railways Overnight – Latest Updates

Train passengers across large parts of Sweden were stranded overnight, some for up to eleven hours. Lightning strikes and signal failures are cited as reasons for the chaos. Trains are running again, but it may take a long time before all issues are resolved, according to the Swedish Transport Administration.

There were disruptions in train traffic on Wednesday evening and into the night, with several trains in southern Sweden at a standstill. Both SJ and Snälltåget trains were affected.

On Thursday morning, both SJ and Snälltåget announced that their trains have been running since early morning. SJ is operating at a reduced speed past a stop in Mjölby and taking a detour at Hallsberg, which may result in delays for passengers.

– As a passenger, you should speak with the onboard staff and check the traffic information on sj.se, says Jonas Olsson, press officer at SJ.

Forecast

The train chaos is expected to continue well into Thursday.

On the Stockholm–Malmö and Norrköping–Motala routes, "several signal failures" are affecting traffic, which is expected to be resolved by 4 PM, according to the Swedish Transport Administration. This is six hours later than the previous forecast. The problems began at 5 PM on Wednesday afternoon.

Between Hallsberg and Stockholm, there are major disruptions due to another signal failure. There is no forecast for when the issue might be resolved. The signal failure has been ongoing since 9 PM.

The signal failure in Hallsberg also affects traffic between Stockholm and Gothenburg and may cause delays throughout the day.

"Total Chaos"

In several cases, passengers have been stuck on trains for more than ten hours. Among them is Behar Muslija, who was stuck for eleven hours and missed a flight to a wedding, and Moa, who was left on a platform in Mjölby.

– We are all tired and it's getting cold. We just want to go home, says Moa.

– It's total chaos. There are elderly and sick people with heavy luggage. We've been sitting here for three hours and there's neither water nor food, says another passenger to Expressen.

Snälltåget: "We Take It to Heart"

According to many passengers, the information from the train companies has been lacking, and they have had to wait for replacement buses for several hours, sometimes in vain.

Marco Andersson, a communicator at Snälltåget, says he understands the passengers' frustration.

– We take the criticism to heart and will see what we can improve going forward.