Travel Chaos Ensues as Lightning Strike Halts Stockholm-Alvesta Train; Passengers Stranded
A routine train journey from Stockholm to Alvesta turned into a prolonged ordeal for 18-year-old Moa and dozens of other passengers when a lightning strike near Linköping caused a widespread power outage, bringing their train to a standstill for two hours. The disruption led to a series of cascading issues, leaving passengers stranded and frustrated.Following the initial halt, passengers were informed that replacement buses would transport them to Mjölby to catch a new train. Though, the available buses were insufficient to accommodate everyone, forcing Moa and a group of fellow travelers to wait for a fourth bus. The situation worsened when only two of the replacement buses successfully reached the new train in Mjölby. Moa’s bus, along with another that had taken a wrong turn, missed the departing train, leaving approximately 50 passengers, including Moa, stranded on an empty platform.”We are all tired and it is indeed getting cold. We just want to go home,” Moa stated, expressing the collective sentiment of the stranded passengers. She also highlighted a meaningful lack of dialog from SJ, the Swedish railway company, despite repeated attempts to obtain data. Passengers reportedly received no updates until late at night. Moa was eventually able to board a train towards Malmö shortly before 1 AM.
In response to the incident, SJ stated that they were unaware of any travelers missing their trains but acknowledged the deployment of multiple replacement buses throughout the day. Jonas Olsson from SJ’s press office commented, “if you have booked a trip with SJ, we have an obligation to arrive. there can be different solutions for different individuals, such as staying in a hotel, taking a taxi or going by later train.”
This incident underscores the vulnerabilities of public transportation infrastructure to extreme weather events and the critical importance of effective communication and contingency planning during such disruptions. The reliance on replacement buses, which themselves can face logistical challenges, further complicates the passenger experience during service interruptions.