Sweden prepares for railway winter maintenance

Sweden’s railway infrastructure manager Trafikverket has shown its winter maintenance arrangements covering more than 14,400 km of track, 10,600 switches, 4,600 bridges and 180 tunnels. In total, 3,200 workers and 960 vehicles are deployed to the task. Snow clearance begins when snow depth reaches three centimetres. Contractors generally have 60 minutes to respond between 05:00 and 19:00 on weekdays and 120 minutes at other times. Stricter requirements apply on selected routes, particularly around major cities. In addition to the equipment available under the 32 maintenance contracts, Trafikverket has two large snow-melting machines, ten heavy snow-clearing vehicles equipped with front or wing ploughs, and three large snow blowers used primarily in northern Sweden. One of these, the Zaugg Snow Clearing Vehicle, can remove up to 7,500 tonnes of snow per hour. The machines can be deployed to different parts of the network depending on weather forecasts and operational requirements. Heated switches and train de-icing Of Sweden's 10,600 railway switches, approximately 7,300 are equipped with heating systems. These operate automatically at temperatures of 20°C under normal conditions and 30°C in intensive mode. However, ice falling from passing trains can still obstruct switches. Trafikverket reports that an X2000 train can accumulate up to 30 tonnes of snow and ice during a journey between Stockholm and Gothenburg. Even a small block falling from a train can prevent a switch from operating. New hot-air de-icing installations introduced in 2024 can remove ice from a train in less than one hour, approximately five to six times faster than conventional hot-water treatment. The infrastructure manager also uses large snow-melting machines at major railway yards and stations, including Hallsberg and Stockholm Central, reducing the need to transport collected snow by road. Trafikverket monitors forecasts through weather services and twice-daily consultations with the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). Maintenance inspections cover tracks, switches, platforms, access roads and other railway facilities. Even switches in difficult-to-access locations must be restored to operation within two hours after a fault is detected.