FlixTrain has had to cancel trains between Göteborg and Stockholm this week due to the problem of damaged carriages. Swedish media report several wagon windows and the undercarriage have been damaged so badly that the wagons had to be taken out of service, and without enough backup vehicles, services had to be cancelled. Service will remain affected through Monday at least. 

The wagon damage is a result of excess crushed rocks on the tracks of the western main line in Sweden, a FlixTrain spokesperson told Göteborgs-Posten.

FlixTrain entered the Swedish market in 2021, the private operator’s first services outside of its home country Germany. Currently, the route Göteborg – Stockholm is the only one it runs trains on. Travellers affected by the canceled trains have been informed and can choose between getting their money back or rebooking the trip.

FlixTrain has asked the Swedish Transport Administration, Trafikverket, to “escalate the rail maintenance so that we can avoid this type of damage in the future”. According to Trafikverket’s press manager, the authority has received reports from several companies about damage to train carriages, they told the Swedish newspaper. An investigation is currently underway from the maintenance side of what can be done in the long term to minimise the risks of damaging more train carriages in he future.

Further reading: