Due to the heat and the risk of so-called sun kinks, train services are being cancelled in Kalmar County, Östergötland and Värmland until Monday morning. Affected routes can change quickly, according to the Swedish Transport Administration, which advises travelers to keep an eye on their website.
But the heat is not the only problem for train traffic. On Thursday afternoon, about ten carriages of a 600-meter-long freight train derailed in the municipality of Bollebygd between Gothenburg and Borås.
The accident has had a major impact and on Friday morning a few SJ trains from Gothenburg were rerouted via Öxnered. Other trains run between Stockholm and Borås or Alingsås, with replacement buses for the final leg to Gothenburg.
Train traffic between Gothenburg and Kalmar is also affected, with replacement services. SJ is also collaborating with Västtrafik so that passengers can travel on Västtrafik buses from Borås.
It will be the same arrangement this weekend and probably also Monday through Sunday next week, says Peter Kraméus at SJ's press office.
Will take longer
Four departures from Stockholm are cancelled due to a shortage of vehicles resulting from the accident. Otherwise, SJ expects journeys to run as normal - but take longer.
"We are running 22 trains today between Gothenburg and Stockholm. All will arrive, but it will probably take a little longer than usual," says Peter Kraméus.
According to the Swedish Transport Administration, it may take at least until next weekend to completely clear and restore the accident area.
"You need to remove some trees and build a temporary road and a ramp before you can lift the wagons that are in the worst condition," says Denny Josefsson, press communicator at the Swedish Transport Administration.
I have been told that there are twelve carriages that have derailed. It looks like it could take all of next week as well.
Drivers had warned
The derailment is believed to be due to a so-called sun kink - which train drivers had warned about just hours before the accident, local media reports.
A section of the line was examined without finding any faults, less than an hour before the derailment occurred a few hundred meters further away.
We are all upset, says Hanna Ekberg, section manager at the Swedish Transport Administration, to SVT News West.
We don't know if we missed it, but it will need to be investigated. It's not impossible that there has been another one. These are incredibly unfortunate circumstances.
