Liberal politician Jan Jönsson expresses frustration after being stranded on a delayed SJ night train to Berlin, highlighting systemic issues in Swedish rail travel. Despite paying over 5,500 SEK for a second-class cabin, Jönsson faced a nine-hour delay, unclean conditions, and lack of food services. He calls for a national rail investment and improved infrastructure, urging the government and SJ to take responsibility.
Liberal Politician Jan Jönsson Criticizes SJ After Being Stranded on Delayed Train to Hamburg
Liberal Politician Jan Jönsson Criticizes SJ After Being Stranded on Delayed Train to Hamburg
Liberal politician Jan Jönsson (L) finds himself stuck on a night train heading to Berlin, and he is not pleased—the train is nine hours late. "It's terrible," he says.
Stockholm's city councilor Jan Jönsson (L) began using SJ's night trains more frequently a few summers ago, both for work and personal reasons. He chose this mode of travel for environmental reasons and to see how the trains operated in practice. Despite hearing about delays and train issues, he wondered, how bad could it be?
Very bad, it turns out.
"Unfortunately, I have to conclude that it really is as bad as everyone says. It's sad that Swedish trains are no longer reliable," he says.
Locomotive Breakdown
Currently, he is on a train heading to Berlin, from where he plans to continue to Munich. But things are not going as planned.
The problems began at Stockholm Central. SJ's night train was supposed to depart at 17:31 but left at 19:05 due to a vehicle fault.
"It was very unclear when the train would leave. We received a late text message saying the train couldn't depart on time and that there was no further information available. There were no benches on the platform, and customer service was unresponsive. Everything was terrible," he says.
The issues continued, and in Denmark, the locomotive broke down, requiring a replacement to be sent from Sweden.
The train was supposed to arrive in Berlin at six in the morning but is currently stuck in Borup at eight o'clock, with a nine-hour delay.
"It becomes very trying if this train journey is 15 hours normally, and then you add seven, eight, nine hours while sitting in these small compartments," says Jan Jönsson.
Paid 5,587 for Second Class
Jan Jönsson paid a total of 5,587 SEK for a private second-class cabin. He says he is willing to pay a premium to save time and the environment, but rarely gets what he pays for.
Adding insult to injury, he notes that the train is quite dirty and the toilets are not cleaned.
"There are crumbs everywhere, and the toilet was a bit rebellious from the start. This cabin is also quite small. The breakfast included consists of a strange little pudding, a sandwich, and a 20-centiliter juice. It wasn't really what I paid for," he says.
Restaurant Car Disconnected
At twenty past nine, Jönsson writes that the train has started moving again, but it's unclear if it can complete the entire journey.
He also mentions that the bistro car was disconnected in Malmö, leaving no food available for purchase.
"The coffee machine is also broken, and all the tea water is gone," says Jan Jönsson.
Disappointed with SJ: "System Error"
Overall, he is disappointed that train travel to the continent works so poorly.
"We want more people to choose the train for environmental reasons, but this shows that it's not a reasonable way to travel. It's clear there's a systemic error because it happens so often. It almost always happens on the Swedish side. I actually looked into the timetable reliability for this train, and it's, to say the least, terrible," he says.
Expressen previously reported on Elis, 18, who was stranded for over six hours on a train to Hamburg in early July.
Government Should Do More
According to Jan Jönsson, the breakdown is due to poor management, poor maintenance, and both infrastructure and rolling stock being severely neglected. He argues that a national rail investment is needed.
Your party is in government, have they done enough?
"There's much left to do regarding infrastructure, and I wish the government would do more. The Minister of Infrastructure seems to be on board after this summer's problems. But SJ also needs to take responsibility. In the short term, they can ensure that carriages and toilets are cleaned, have contingency plans for breakdowns, and send extra food or staff when needed. Such simple measures would improve the experience. Additionally, communication with both train staff and passengers needs to be better."
Expressen has sought a comment from SJ.