A total of 96,400 passenger trains were operated during the month. The Swedish Transport Administration emphasizes that this was the highest number of passenger trains that have run in the country in one month.
Punctuality (trains arriving less than six minutes late) is the highest for March since 2021. Cancelled trains are not included in the statistics, which has previously been criticized.
It was the warmest March in Sweden since nationwide measurements began in 1858, and several heat records were broken in Norrland, according to SMHI.
This means less ice and snow blocking railway switches - and no major storms that felled trees over overhead lines occurred either.
“At record speed”
The Swedish Transport Administration points out that the planning of train timetables and many track works have had a positive impact - and Minister of Infrastructure Andreas Carlson (KD) agrees:
"As we now catch up on neglected maintenance at record speed and more trains continue to run on the Swedish railway network, punctuality will improve," he says.
At the same time, the March figures for long-distance and express trains were more dismal - just over one in five trains in that category were at least six minutes late.
Track running worries
The goal for the railway industry as a whole is 95 percent punctuality.
"I expect punctuality to increase as we get more maintenance work out of the way," says Carlson.
A concern ahead of the summer is so-called track running, where unauthorized persons, for example, cross the tracks. Last year, 10,000 trains were delayed as a result. In March, it caused 700 delays.
"Track running primarily risks people's lives, but it also slows down both punctuality and the pace of maintenance work. 'Stop running on the track' is a very clear call from me for this summer," says Carlson.
