SJ's cancelled train departures continue to affect commuters in the Mälar Valley. Starting Friday, every fifth Mälar train will be cancelled, which corresponds to around 30 departures per day.

Hundreds of SJ departures across the country have been cancelled during November. The Mälardalen region has been particularly affected, with around 140 trains cancelled in the last two weeks. On Thursday, SJ announced that from Friday onwards they will cancel every fifth Mälardalen train, which corresponds to around 30 departures a day.

In Mälardalen, SJ operates on behalf of Mälardalstrafik, which is run jointly by the six regions in the area. Chairman of the board Kristoffer Tamsons (M) and deputy chairman of the board Monica Johansson (S) do not mince words against SJ.

– This is escalating. We were previously upset. We gave SJ one, two and three chances, but they will not fix the problem, it will only get worse and worse for commuters and train traffic in Mälardalen. Now the limit has been crossed, now we are not upset but holy damned, says Tamsons.

”A very difficult situation”

Mälardalstrafik is now preparing a formal request for either cancelled payments to SJ or compensation for the cancelled departures. The company's management and legal experts are reviewing the agreements with SJ to find legal support for their demands.

SJ's press manager Tobbe Lundell does not want to comment on the threat of compensation claims, but expresses understanding for Mälardalstrafik's reactions.

– We have a very difficult situation where we are currently unable to deliver what we agreed upon, and that is extremely regrettable, not least for our passengers. Of course, I also have great understanding that those who order are upset, he says.

The reason for the disruption is that SJ failed to use a new timetable system correctly, which meant that the timetables in November were incorrect. The error was only discovered at the turn of the month.

Source: svt.se