Stranded for Eleven Hours: Behar's Train Ordeal

Behar Muslija, 28, planned to attend a wedding in Kosovo this weekend. However, after being stranded on a Snälltåg train in Linköping, he missed his flight. The train remained stationary at the station for eleven hours.

"It's quite unbelievable, actually," he says.

Behar was traveling from Örebro to Karlshamn to meet his family and then catch a flight to Kosovo from Malmö early Thursday morning. He was supposed to attend a wedding there. But when he arrived in Linköping at 6 PM on Wednesday evening, the train stopped and stayed there.

"They said lightning struck and there was a signal failure, and they kept repeating the same story all night," he says.

He was traveling with Snälltåget, one of the train companies that faced significant issues overnight. Several trains from both Snälltåget and SJ were halted due to lightning strikes and signal failures.

An SJ train was stuck in the woods southeast of Örebro for several hours and eventually had to be evacuated. Passengers on that train had to walk along the tracks to be picked up by buses and taxis.

Sleeping on the Floor

No replacement travel was offered, says Behar. Passengers also received no food, and information was scarce.

"After several hours, we were told there was water and coffee. There are several children on the train who are tired and hungry; it's very tough."

He describes his fellow passengers as frustrated, with people lying on the train floor trying to sleep. He himself hasn't slept a wink all night.

Started Moving at 5 AM

Around 5 AM, the train began moving out of Linköping. It had been stationary at the station for eleven hours.

Now, Behar is unsure if he will make it to the wedding in Kosovo. He missed his flight and needs to rebook.

"It's okay if there's a delay of an hour or so, but almost twelve hours, it's quite unbelievable, actually," he says.