Swedish Train Projects Aim to Minimize Summer Travel Disruptions

Summer, sun – and train delays? The Swedish Transport Administration is carrying out a number of works during the holiday season that may affect your journey. But there should be no surprises, says Jon Sundh, department manager for railway systems at the Swedish Transport Administration.

» Published: June 22 2025 at 09:21

In total, the Swedish Transport Administration will carry out no less than 1,700 projects during the year – taking a break during the summer is not an option.

And that work is being done on tracks, switch replacements and the like during the summer months is perhaps not so surprising. Many probably have the image that train travel increases when people are on vacation, but it's actually not quite like that.

The general pressure on the railway is somewhat lower in the summer. Above all, it is commuting to work that decreases. We always gear up a bit more during the summer and major holidays, because we have fewer passengers then, says Jon Sundh.

Jon Sundh explains that the Swedish Transport Administration tries to schedule the projects at night as much as possible to minimize the impact on traffic.

Most of the work we do on the tracks is done at night or on weekends when there are as few trains as possible. But some projects are of such a large nature that we need to take more time and capacity into account. Then we spend a lot of time coordinating with railway companies so that we can carry them out while still getting passengers and freight through.

The many projects will probably result in some delays, alternative routes or replacement buses on certain stretches. But no unpleasant surprises should occur.

The projects have been planned for a long time together with the railway companies. If a journey is affected in some way, that information is available when you buy your ticket. The idea is that there should be no surprises at all. When you plan your trip, there should be up-to-date information, says Jon Sundh.