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Swedish army called in to clear rail tracks

Published: 23 Feb 10 15:23 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/25166/20100223/

The Swedish Rail Administration (Banverket) has requested emergency assistance from the army as snow continues to cause havoc on the tracks.

The Armed Forces are to send a total of 300 soldiers and officers to the hardest hit areas around Hallsberg, Nässjö and Norrköping in central and eastern Sweden.

Explaining the move, Infrastructure Minister Åsa Torstensson described the current situation as the worst since the Swedish railroads were built.

"For the first time, the rail administration will receive help from the army," she told reporters at a Tuesday press conference.

Torstensson added that the army's presence would enable the 1,400 rail administration staff currently on duty to be deployed to the areas where they are most needed.

Asked why the rail administration had waited so long to call on the army, Director-General Minoo Akhtarzand replied:

"Our contractors have worked hard and tried to handle the problems, and we hoped the weather would improve but now we need some breathing space," she said.

Rail authority spokesman Clas Lundstedt said complications were likely to prevail on the rail network "for the rest of the week".

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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16:51 February 23, 2010 by Åskar
If I remember correctly you are not allowed to be on the tracks just like that. You have to have had special instructions about safety regulations and whatever you need to know to avoid being run over by a train so I wonder what soldiers ordered out to help really can do in this situation.
17:26 February 23, 2010 by Kevin Harris
It's good to see this fit, disciplined pool of labour being put to good use. The militiary is the only organisation in Sweden that can deliver hundreds of self-sufficient people to most parts of the country within a few hours.Very useful for finding lost children in the forests or helping out with natural disasters. Most senior militiary big cheeses object to their resources being used in this way; I think it's nice to see them doing something useful.
17:30 February 23, 2010 by tigger007
you are so right åskar you do need special training to clear railroad tracks. if it's a shame that sweden was caught off guard with this snowy weather. sweden should be a master at fighting winter weather and have control over their rail system. sweden has a REAL bad rail system and maintenance is poor.sweden should invest more into it's transportation system.
19:11 February 23, 2010 by Twiceshy
Åskar what a pointless comment. Is it very hard to imagine that they'll get instructions and probably even Banverket employees helping them along the way?
08:51 February 24, 2010 by karex
This situation is a national scandal. Sweden should not have been caught off guard by what is supposed to be normal winter conditions for Sacndinavia. The years and years of unusually wild winters has created complacency and the resulting lack of investment in infrastructure. Likewise, I suspect that the trains themselves are low spec to save money since it appears that the same trains run in Canada and don't freeze over and stop. Sure Sweden has a lot of older trains but here's the funny thing: I commute to work by train every day. When there is a problem it is almost always caused by an X2000 not the old reliable local trains.

I tried to get to the office this morning - first time this week. I got there and the train was on time, according to the display. When the time arrived and the train was not there we checked and it now said that it would be 5 minutes late. It kept doing that for nearly 40 minutes. I finally gave up and came home seeing as 40 minutes in temperatures of -14 degress tends to make one not be able to feel ones fingers and toes anymore.

I think that people would be a lot more understanding if they weren't lied to or treated in a condescending way.
09:21 February 24, 2010 by Åskar
@Twiceshy

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