There are very extensive disruptions to train traffic after the Swedish Transport Administration's telephony stopped working.

The authority's backup system is also affected and there is no forecast for when traffic can resume.

The telephone connection between all traffic centers in Sweden and the train drivers has been down since half past five on Tuesday evening, causing extensive disruption to train traffic.

”The traffic centers cannot communicate if there is someone on the tracks, for example, and then we have to stop,” says Bengt Olsson, press manager at the Swedish Transport Administration.

The authority's backup system, which comes from another supplier, is also down and all trains are therefore automatically forced to slowly approach the nearest station.

TT: It sounds vulnerable that both systems can be knocked out and all trains stopped?

”"There is always a risk that something will happen that you have not seen or experienced before. We are pinning our hopes on our IT technicians now," says Olsson. 

The Swedish Transport Administration is now looking into whether a third alternative system can be launched, but cannot answer whether it will work.

According to Olsson, all traffic centers in Sweden are affected, which also means that in principle all trains are forced to stop. The authority is currently checking the extent and has not found any trains that are not affected.

"There are a lot of trains on the tracks now, it's right at the end of rush hour," says Bengt Olsson. 

There is no forecast for when traffic can resume.

SJ's press spokesperson Stefan Holmlund says that there is a "high focus" on helping travelers who have begun their journey and are now standing on a platform waiting to travel onward.

”"We are looking at different solutions, everything from hotels to replacement traffic in the form of buses. You should know that this is a major disruption and that we are working on many different fronts to take care of our customers as best we can," says Holmlund.

Source: TT-DI.SE