I can only remember two occasions recently, says the Swedish Transport Administration's press chief Bengt Olsson and continues:
It was when the Ukraine war started and when the pandemic was at its worst, that we went up there to be able to manage the resources we had to be able to operate.
Before that?
Then you have to go back to between 2010 and 2012, when we had quite tough weather conditions in the winter. But that's a long time ago, notes Bengt Olsson.
What does it mean concretely that you are going up to national emergency mode?
It means that you set up a national organization to get a picture of what's happening everywhere and where resources are needed most right now. So that you can make faster prioritizations, and do it in parallel with the regular organization – to operate train traffic, for example. Or be out plowing and salting on other parts of the country.
Right now, there's such a huge area that's affected and risks being severely affected here on Monday and onwards on Tuesday.
