Response to interpellation 2025/26:474 on unauthorized persons in the track area
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD plans to review the regulatory framework to allow trained railway personnel to clear tracks without always waiting for the police 1. KD argues that 15 percent of delay hours are due to unauthorized persons on tracks 1 and that today's rules are well-balanced 1. KD wants to exchange experiences with other countries to reduce track trespassing 2. S argues that something can be done about delays already now 3 and suggests looking at how Denmark and Norway allow railway personnel to assess safety themselves 3. S requests that the state provide the conditions for a changed way of working to relieve the police 4. S supports the campaign 5.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Eva Lindh has asked me about the government and I intend to review the regulatory framework to enable trained railway personnel to clear tracks without waiting for the police in all cases, what measures I plan to take to reduce delays linked to unauthorized persons in the track area, how I and the government view the need for a uniform national regulatory framework for handling unauthorized persons in the track area, instead of today's varying application between different actors, and whether I and the government intend to take the initiative to better safeguard the operational competence that exists among train drivers and other railway personnel in these situations.
I want to begin by underlining that the presence of unauthorized persons is a major problem for today's railway traffic. Approximately 15 percent of all delay hours are due to unauthorized persons on the tracks. Therefore, all types of measures aimed at reducing the proportion of unauthorized persons on the tracks are worth considering. The same applies to all measures aimed at reducing the negative effects of the unauthorized presence on the tracks that nevertheless occurs.
That trained railway personnel should be able to clear tracks without waiting for the police is, as a starting point, a matter for the rail traffic control. If the rail traffic control sees a need to call in the police, it is because it sees a need for some form of intervention measure or assessment from the police's side. In such a situation, it should be the police who lift a traffic stop so that traffic can be released again.
When it comes to which measures are planned to reduce delays linked to unauthorized persons in the track area, I would like to mention that the Government Offices recently referred the memorandum More uniform rules for public transport.
In the memorandum, it is proposed, among other things, that the rules of order for all rail traffic shall be gathered in a law. The purpose of the proposal is to increase the conditions to be able to intervene quickly and effectively against disturbances to order, including disturbances in the form of track trespassing. The consultation was concluded in May, and the proposals are currently being prepared in the Government Offices. The memorandum's proposal is that the changes shall enter into force on 1 January 2027.
When it comes to how the government and I view the need for a uniform national regulatory framework for handling unauthorized persons in the track area and whether we intend to take the initiative to better safeguard the operational competence possessed by train drivers and other railway personnel in current situations, I would like to emphasize the following:
From an overall perspective, I perceive that today's rules are well-balanced. The railway industry is now pooling its forces in a campaign for reduced track gaps, which among others Trafikverket has been involved in developing and which the railway industry's cooperation forum, JBS, stands behind. It is a national campaign that is launched in social media and through coordinated communication efforts across the entire country. I welcome the campaign.
If it turns out that there are ambiguities in today's system or if those most directly affected need clearer powers, the government will be prepared to rectify this.
Finally, I want to urge people who run across the tracks to save time to stop doing that immediately. Unauthorized persons in the track area cause thousands of delay hours every year.
Eva Lindh (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!
No one likes train delays, especially not when you are in a hurry to pick up children or get to work or when there is foul weather outside. It plays a major role in people's everyday lives.
We often speak about the need to upgrade the railway. We also did that in a previous debate here. It is of course needed. We need to invest in maintenance, in modern signaling systems, and in a robust infrastructure.
What interests me and what we are talking about here are the 15 percent that are due to track failures. There we are still in a way in agreement, if perhaps not about how and where and all that, but that is not what the debate is about now. It is about delays that we can actually do something about already now.
I have reviewed the statistics. According to Trafikverket, unauthorized persons in the track area cause around 7,600 delay hours. Furthermore, the problems have increased significantly in recent years. Safety must, of course, always come first. No one should have to risk their life on our railways, and no one wants trains to run when there is uncertainty about whether someone is on the track. That is obvious. That is why we have a safety margin, because we do not know if someone is trespassing.
It can happen that one does not brake as quickly as one had intended. It can give rise to danger to life and health when such happens. I therefore agree and really want to emphasize what the Minister said last. He urged persons who brake across the tracks to save time to immediately stop doing that. Absolutely! I really agree.
My question also concerns what this means for the rail traffic. When traffic stands still today, it is often in anticipation of the police, not because the person remains, but because someone must confirm that the track is clear. The police do an important job. That we agree on. But they have many other tasks and cannot always be on site quickly. The consequence is that thousands of passengers are affected by a system that has practically become sluggish.
What we have proposed in our committee motion is to look into this because we see that in our neighboring countries Denmark and Norway, which we often compare with and which are also comparable, specially trained railway personnel can to a greater extent themselves determine that the track is safe to use again. The police are naturally involved, but it is when the person remains or when a crime is suspected. This can mean that the number of delay hours decreases.
I have also received comments from professional train drivers. They describe that, historically, one has inspected the tracks from the driver's cab at reduced speed, and that such checks still occur to some extent today. But it is done somewhat differently, and it also varies between the different companies.
I know that there is a campaign and all that other stuff. It is very good, but would it be possible to look at how our neighboring countries do it?
Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Yes, it is of course important to do that.
At the same time, I believe one should look a bit deeper at how it usually looks in Sweden. This is an important issue, but the most common situation today, or what often happens, is that the vast majority of cases of unauthorized persons on the track or track trespassing are handled by traffic control, train companies, or contractors. It can involve people who are shortcutting, as seen with those who have graffitied, who pick up cans, who take photos, or who are near the track. In those cases, it is often the train drivers who report that the persons have left the scene, and then the traffic can run as usual.
The police are contacted in the event of a problem or when it is perceived that there could be a problem. It could involve sabotage, threats, trespassing, or other matters. It could also involve a risk of suicide. That is when the police are alerted, and it is in those situations where the police intervene that one needs to wait for the police to give the signal to lift the traffic stop.
What leads to the extensive delays are collisions with pedestrians, and of course, everyone wants to avoid that. Therefore, the campaign to avoid track-jumping is important, but it is also important to learn from neighboring countries where possible.
I would, however, like to point out in the debate that it is often the train drivers who report that the persons they have seen have left the scene, and they then receive a clear signal from the rail traffic control. It can look a bit different. One needs to have great confidence that those who are ultimately responsible on site, i.e., the train drivers, can judge this. When the police are involved, it is the police who lift the traffic stop.
When it comes to whether one can do more to increase efficiency and do more, I would prefer to await the Railway Industry's cooperation forum, which is now focusing heavily on track crossings together with Trafikverket, and those who work with this in their daily lives and are involved in the decision of whether or not to call the police. The question is suitable for an in-depth discussion between those who have that responsibility.
I think it is extremely positive that this issue is being raised in the Swedish Riksdag, because it is urgent. It is an issue that above all concerns life or death. It is also an issue about something that leads to extensive delays. As I said, 15 percent of the delays in Sweden are caused by track fractures.
Now we are upgrading the railway point by point. We are making historically large investments in maintenance work this year. Punctuality is now improving. We see that part of the reason for this is that there have been three times as many switch changes and that overhead line changes and rail changes have increased. Then we must, of course, address other causes of delays, and therefore this is an urgent issue.
I am happy to continue this dialogue and discussion, but above all, I think it is positive that the railway industry is now uniting. It is there that different companies can learn from one another. It is there that Trafikverket and the actors, with joint forces, can take responsibility so that we can save lives but also reduce train delays.
Eva Lindh (S)
Mr. Speaker! I want to begin with a few words about something that perhaps is not exactly what the debate is about, but which is nonetheless affected and which I really want to say something about. It is suicide, this tragic and sorrowful.
I am a social worker by profession. That is what I have devoted the greater part of my life to. When one is suicidal, one is not always capable of making the right decision, so I am not saying this to blame in any way. But I do know what this does to many train drivers who have experienced it. It is completely horrific situations that they end up in. I cannot help but say something about it, because it is truly a deeply tragic human fate when someone decides to take their own life. But it also affects train drivers for a very long time to come. Some have difficulty returning to work after having experienced something such as that.
But what we are talking about now is primarily track trespassing and removing it. I was actually a bit surprised when I heard this, even though I myself travel by train a lot and quite often hear that it is track trespassing: Every day, the speed is stopped or reduced for up to 80 trains due to unauthorized persons in the track area. Those are very many stops. That explains that it, as the Minister says, causes 15 percent of the delays.
This means a constant worry for the drivers about hitting someone. For the passengers, as mentioned, it means missed connections and delays. But it also means that the police, in cases where they are called, cannot attend to anything else, so it is also a resource issue. That is why I have asked this question.
I hear what the Minister says, and it is positive that one can look further into this. It is about reducing the delays but also finding better ways, for what I hear from the train drivers is that they do quite differently and that there are a number of differences between the different companies. I do not know, for I am not a train driver, but I trust that the pictures I have received are correct.
What can we do as a state? Yes, we shall not step in and say exactly how this is to be implemented. What I am requesting, and I interpret the government's position as that there is a possibility for it, is that we review this and provide the conditions for a changed way of working. That would allow the police to devote themselves to what they are supposed to do, that is, interventions in cases of crime or when someone is actually remaining on the track. It would reduce the delays because it can go a bit faster if one can solve this in another way oneself, also for the benefit of the train drivers. I know that there is great capacity and that it could be done either with train drivers or with other trained personnel, as it looks a bit different. From what I understand, it has been solved in somewhat different ways in Denmark and Norway.
Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I thank you for this debate.
When approaching this issue, one does so with respect for the complexity of the matter. There are many different reasons for track-jumping, and one that we have touched upon in this debate is suicide.
Of the total number of suicides in Sweden, approximately 5 percent are carried out on state railways. It is a similar proportion in other countries in Europe, but it is obviously a signal that this is a problem that we all need to take seriously.
The Government has tasked the Public Health Agency and the National Board of Health and Welfare to coordinate, support, and monitor the implementation of the national strategy in the area of mental health and suicide prevention during 2025–2028.
About twenty authorities, including Trafikverket, are involved in the assignment. A joint action plan for the authorities has been developed and will be followed up annually until 2028. I want this to be said because Eva Lindh also addresses her own commitment and her previous professional background in this. It is a commitment that I truly value and where the government has given an assignment in which Trafikverket is included.
When it comes to the question of in which situations the police should be called, it is perhaps not strange that it can look a bit different, as it can depend on the individual case. What appears to be a simple track-running incident might in fact not be. What a train driver feels anxious about and may want to alert the police about does not necessarily involve a risk of suicide; it could be something else.
This is one of the fundamental problems when it comes to whether there should be equal treatment throughout the country, because it can look different. I am, however, completely open to the fact that there is more to be done to learn from one another in the Nordic countries and within the railway industry in Sweden. I know that work is ongoing where this is focused even more than before, and I think that is reasonable.
When we are now upgrading the infrastructure and when train companies make new investments in carriages that are meant to last, it is also reasonable to effectively tackle the question of how we can reduce track spacing in Sweden. In that case, a debate like this is an important signal. It is also important that we can exchange experiences, and in my continued dialogue with Trafikverket and Järnvägsbranschens samverkansforum, I will highlight this and what can be learned from other countries – just as the members have raised in this debate. This is an urgent issue.
Eva Lindh (S)
Mr. Speaker! I would like to say thank you for the Minister showing that there is an openness to look at these issues. I shall follow this with great interest.
I want to say that our common message is: Stop straying from the tracks – out of respect for the train drivers and out of respect for people. Nobody likes delays, so stay on track!
We support the campaign, and we think this is good. If we can do more from the state level to facilitate and reduce the delay hours, even in the small – because it has increased so much – I think it would be good that we do it and that we work together on this.
Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Eva Lindh, for this debate!
I want to emphasize that this is an important and pressing issue, just as we have touched upon. I am pleased with this consensus and that we, with joint forces across party lines in the Swedish Riksdag, can agree that track springs are an important issue to prioritize.
I will follow up on the various examples that have been highlighted in this debate with the railway industry and Trafikverket, but as mentioned, work is already underway which is now being reinforced by the campaign that has been initiated to reduce the track gap.
I want to repeat what I already said in the introduction: Stop shortcutting across the tracks! Stop running across the tracks! It is a danger to one's own life, and it causes thousands of delay hours – 15 percent of the delays in Sweden – simply because one thinks they have the right to shortcut because they cannot be bothered to walk a short distance to use a safe crossing. We must put an end to this.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.