Track trespass caused 4,055 hours of Swedish train delays
People entering Sweden’s railway tracks without permission caused 4,055 hours of additional delays in 2025 and affected 13,353 trains.
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Trafikverket data obtained by SVT recorded 2,536 incidents nationwide. The largest effects were in Stockholm, where 1,069 delay-hours affected 4,167 trains, followed by Skåne with 971 hours and 3,343 trains. Västra Götaland recorded 528 hours affecting 1,561 trains.
When an unauthorised person is seen in a track area, traffic must slow or stop for safety, which can create knock-on delays across the network. Trafikverket says as many as 80 trains a day are stopped or slowed nationally because people enter the tracks.
The agency says a train’s emergency braking distance is about 1,200 metres. Crossing tracks anywhere other than a designated crossing, bridge or tunnel is illegal. The delay category covers unauthorised people in track areas; it excludes sabotage, police operations, suicides and collisions with people.
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