The case in summary: A fully loaded train with iron ore derailed in northern Sweden, which could cause delays for Christmas mail and foodstuffs to northern Norway. Large parts of the freight traffic to Northern Norway are affected, as many of the goods going to Northern Norway are transported via Sweden and up to Narvik. Traffic may not start again until the beginning of January, which may affect the delivery of Christmas mail and goods. The accident could also have major financial consequences for ore transport between Kiruna and Narvik, with potential losses of billions in revenue. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – When a train derailment affects almost all goods and freight north of Saltfjellet, it shows how vulnerable we are. Not least just before Christmas, says Narvik mayor, Rune Edvardsen to news. The mayor of the mining town of Narvik is worried. A dramatic train derailment in Sweden on Sunday is now paralyzing large parts of freight traffic to northern Norway. How can a train derailment in Sweden put a stick in the wheels for a part of Norway? Photo: Frida Brembo A large part of the goods to Northern Norway are transported by train from Southern Norway, via Sweden, and to Narvik by train. The line between Narvik and Kiruna is called the Ofot Line. From Narvik, the goods are sent on by car out into the country. That the fully loaded train with ten wagons derailed in the Swedish town of Vassijaure means that the goods on board must be transported back to Kiruna. There they must be picked up by trailers. It also means that the important railway line must be closed for a minimum of two weeks. – This is very serious. Edvardsen is unsure whether the increased heavy transport through central Narvik in time while Ofotbanen is kept closed can be done purely logistically. – Must be dealt with quickly – Approximately 1,000 heavy transport trailers pass through the center of Narvik every day now. It will increase drastically now if everything has to be transported by road. The Narvik mayor believes that Ofotbanen must be tackled quickly. – It must be developed much better, with more crossing tracks and double tracks. If it had, the track would still be in operation despite the derailment. Many people in northern Norway have been asking for double tracks on the Ofot line for a long time. With double track, one track would be in operation even if the other track was damaged by, for example, a train derailment. In addition to increased traffic through the city with more than 14,000 inhabitants, there is also concern for the Christmas post, which may be delayed. Several supermarket chains also send their goods north by train. And a Swedish mining company could lose one billion kroner. – It is important that we do not just “stand by” – The result will be increased transport of goods on weather-exposed and partly difficult roads, says Lars Fredrik Martinussen in NHO Nordland. NHO hopes that people in the south understand the consequences such a derailment will have for an entire part of the country. Major damage to the snow gallery after the train derailment in northern Sweden. Photo: Trafikverket Martinussen points out that people in the north are used to major challenges on the road: Sections prone to landslides Column driving Icy and snowy roads To name a few. – We take pride in “standing him off”. And we pull on the smiley face when Eastern Norway stops in 10 centimeters of snow, says Martinussen. – Towards the new national transport plan (NTP) being adopted in the Storting in the spring, it is important that Northern Norway does not once again just stand by. Lars Fredrik Martinussen in NHO Nordland. Photo: Moment Studio He goes on to say that many of those who operate transport now have to hope the weather won’t be too bad. – From now on, it will be trucks for trains. Especially on the E10 over Bjørnfjell and somewhat on the E6 through Nordland. These are sections with a standard that makes freight transport challenging enough on a summer’s day. He believes the accident shows the vulnerability of this system. – We can already be sure that this stop will also have consequences for the companies in the region. Lars Fredrik Martinussen of NHO Nordland thinks logistics is vulnerable, says that in their input to NTP they have pointed to both vulnerability and preparedness, as well as reliability. – Accidents like this clearly show how exposed and vulnerable logistics in the north are. – Now we are a winter gale and a snowstorm away from full stop. It is not the reliability that customers expect from a professional and serious Northern Norwegian business community. And it is not the predictability that companies must be expected to make investments on. NHO in Nordland therefore demands the acceleration and implementation of investments in state infrastructure in the county, concludes Lars Fredrik Martinussen. Photo: Frida Brembo – Discrepancy treatment It is not just NHO and the Narvik mayor who take the floor to upgrade the Ofotbanen. – The track is Northern Norway’s green lifeblood. It transports large parts of the groceries the region needs. This is what former group leader at the county council in Nordland, Christian Torset (SV), says. He adds that a lot of fish is also transported on the Ofot line. Without it, the fish can quickly become stuck due to bad weather. Torset is clear that the derailment clearly shows why double tracks on Ofotbanen should be a priority. – Without Ofotbanen, it is not possible to ensure security of supply and preparedness. Transport of heavy materials must also take place by train. Christian Torset believes that there is discrimination between north and south in terms of what can be tolerated. Photo: Øystein Nygård / news Now he believes that Northern Norway must have security on the same level as the rest of the country. – The consequences are described as “enormous” for a temporary outage of trains in an area where there are countless alternatives. Whereas when the lifeblood of an entire part of the country is blocked, a deafening yawn resounds over the capital. Don’t know the cause of the accident The Swedish Transport Administration says the derailment at the weekend has caused major damage to: Rails. Sleepers Track switches Contact lines In addition, there is extensive damage to the northern snow gallery (a kind of tunnel that protects the track). – We have also seen that there is damage to the rails all the way between Kopparåsen and Vassijaure. That’s what Simon Sunna says. He is acting head of the northern rail unit in the Swedish Transport Administration. The cause of the accident is not yet known. However, there was a severe storm in Norrbotten at the weekend. It will continue to snow for several days. – A very preliminary forecast is that traffic can start again at the beginning of January at the earliest. The case has been left to the state accident commission, says Sunna. He adds: – They will investigate the scene. No clearing can begin until that work is completed, says Sunna. What about the Christmas post? Press manager Kenneth Tjønndal Pettersen at Posten hopes the Christmas mail to be shipped out of Narvik will arrive by Christmas. They are working on getting vehicles and drivers north. Still, he can’t guarantee anything. – We have good faith that we will manage it, he says. At the same time: – But it presents additional challenges at the most hectic time of the year for us. But it is not just Posten that delivers mail. Haakon Nikolai Olsen at PostNord says that, like Posten, they are now working hard on restructuring. – We have to pick up the goods in Kiruna. Then there will be lorries for us. We have to enter Sweden, he says to news. And the fact that they have to enter Sweden entails an additional challenge. – Customs clearance papers must be in place. This may delay goods to our terminals in Northern Norway. The accident may have consequences for the post which is due until Christmas. Photo: Trafikverket In other words, the terminals at Stokmarknes, Harstad and Tromsø may receive mail from PostNord later than first thought. – It is not the case that all goods will not arrive before Christmas. We will be able to achieve some of that, Olsen explains and adds: – There will be a slight speed bump, but we will do everything we can to get it out on time. Could lose a billion The accident also has major consequences for the important ore transport between Kiruna and Narvik. The mining company LKAB transports every day ten trains fully loaded with iron ore from Kiruna to Narvik and on to the world. This corresponds to two thirds of all ore that is extracted from the mines in Kiruna. The ore will now remain in storage until Ofotbanen opens again. It also has major economic consequences. Acting press manager Ulrika Huhtaniska at LKAB in Kiruna elaborates: – If you don’t get started in two weeks, we’re quickly talking about billions in lost revenue. In the worst case, we have to close production.
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Creating transport chaos in the north – news Nordland
