During December, 80,558 out of 90,261 passenger trains arrived on time, defined as arriving at the final destination a maximum of five minutes and 59 seconds after the timetable. With 89.2 percent punctuality, the month became the second best of the year.
The goal for the rail industry is 95 percent punctuality, but it's a long way to go. Out of a total of over one million departures, 87.2 percent arrived on time last year. The figure has not been that low since 2010.
Just like now, the year both began and ended with winter weather. Other partial explanations for last year's results are, according to the Swedish Transport Administration, that traffic volumes have increased by nearly 40 percent since 2010 and major investments in upgrading tracks, switches, and contact wires.
A third factor is track intrusions, which, according to the Swedish Transport Administration's preliminary figures, led to a record number of delays last year. Only in December, nearly 2,000 trains were delayed due to unauthorized individuals on the tracks.
