In the large depots at the maintenance depot in Hagalund in Solna outside Stockholm, SJ is preparing for the winter – and coming winters. More workshops will be built, the notification will be better, and staff will be hired.
We are not satisfied with last winter and will do more for this winter, says Arvid Fredman, vehicle director at SJ, on site in what is called the "maintenance room" at the depot.
Remember with horror
Here, the trains are cleaned, seats are washed, snacks are refilled, and it's also where icy trains come in for thawing.
Here, we have increased capacity compared to last winter, so we can do more notification and above all, shorten the time, says Fredman.
Many who took the train last winter remember it with horror. Before Christmas, a technical fault caused SJ to cancel a number of departures.
Then, a perfect storm of snow, cold, and a long winter hit both SJ, the Swedish Transport Administration, and other train operators.
The result in December and January was 11,000 cancelled trains among all train operators. The trains in war-torn Ukraine were more punctual, noted Green Party member Linus Lakso.
Trust in both SJ and the Swedish Transport Administration plummeted according to a survey by Medieakademin in March.
To make this winter better, SJ has established an action program with ten points. It involves, among other things, increased repair capacity, more new X2000 trains in traffic, better communication with passengers, and a winter-adapted timetable.
How much the program will cost, SJ cannot answer, but it will be done without raising ticket prices.
Dare not promise
According to Arvid Fredman, it is difficult to point out a single factor that led to the problems last winter, but a cold and long winter contributed.
At the same time, it's always winter, why weren't you more prepared last year?
We prepare for every winter. But you can conclude that the preparations we made last winter were not sufficient. So, we need to do more. And that's what we're doing now through this ten-point program.
Do you dare book a train ticket to Christmas?
Of course, you do. We can't guarantee that everything will be without disruptions. But we have prepared ourselves to handle it in the best possible way, so that customers hopefully won't even notice it. But it's impossible to promise that nothing will happen.
Some points from SJ's action program for the winter:
50 percent more new X2000 trains in operation.
The repair capacity for high-speed trains in the workshop in Västerås has been doubled.
The winter timetable has been adapted to reduce the number of delays and disruptions.
The facility for thawing has been updated to thaw the trains faster.
In Sweden, there is a shortage of train technicians who can maintain the trains when they arrive at the depot. SJ has therefore started a depot school to secure the skills.
Communication during traffic disruptions will be improved.
The stock of spare parts has been expanded.
Source: SJ
