SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

TRAVEL NEWS

Everything you need to know about Stockholm’s train strike

Commuters in Stockholm were met by travel chaos on Monday, as only about ten of every fifty trains ran due a wildcat strike. Here's what you need to know about the coming days and how to get compensation.

Everything you need to know about Stockholm's train strike
Commuters waiting for a train on a Stockholm platform. Photo: Caisa Rasmussen/TT

What happened on Monday morning? 

At 3am, a large number of the train drivers working on Stockholm commuter trains launched a wildcat strike in protest at a decision to do away with guards on the trains to check tickets and keep public order. 

According to SL, Stockholm’s municipal transport organisation, as many as 127 of the 199 trains scheduled to run between 9am and 4pm were cancelled, with disruption expected to continue on Tuesday and Wednesday if SL does not reach a deal with the drivers.  

Although SL had replacement buses in place by 6am, there were far too few to meet the demand from stranded commuters. 

“It’s hard to get enough buses,” SL press spokesperson Elin Lindström told the The Local. “To replace a single commuter train requires 25 buses with the number of travellers on board, so it’s not possible to get anything close to the same capacity. There aren’t enough buses or bus drivers.” 

She said SL was looking into hiring even more buses on Tuesday. 

“Even if we do that it will not make that much difference to commuters, because of the enormous difference in capacity between trains and buses.”

What will happen when commuters try to get home this evening? 

Lindström said that at 3.30pm, SL still did not yet have a prognosis for how many trains would operate over the evening rush hour, as MTR, the company which operates the commuter trains was still in discussions with the drivers. 

“We can’t say much about tomorrow, MTR is in dialogue with its personnel, we can expect it to be disrupted, but we have not yet had any information about that.” 

She recommended that commuters avoid travelling if at all possible. If travelling is unavoidable, she recommended getting a local bus to a Stockholm underground stop, or using trains operated by other operators such as SJ or Mälartrafiken. 

If none of those alternatives are possible, she said, travellers could take a taxi and have their costs reimbursed. 

Train drivers demonstrated outside Stockholm Central Station on Monday. Photo: Johan Jeppsson / TT

What is the background to the strike? 

The decision to strike was taken on Friday at a meeting of 150 train drivers, with the drivers deciding to override their Seko union, which wanted to continue negotiations with Stockholm Regional Council, which owns SL, SL, and MTR, the company which operates the trains and employs the drivers. 

The drivers are striking to protest against a decision to do away with the guards on trains who are there to collect tickets, keep public order and help passengers. 

“We do not believe that a single Stockholmer would want to sit on a train knowing that there is only one responsible person on board, who in the worst case of an accident might be put out of action from the very start,” the drivers wrote on a Facebook page set up for the strike.

“This could be with up to 1,800 travellers, stuck in the middle of the forest with 20km to the nearest station.” 

The drivers called out to the three regional politicians they blamed for the strike, saying Anton Fendert, the Green Party regional transport councillor, Jens Sjöström from the Social Democrats, and Kristofer Tamsons from the Moderate Party were all “ultimately responsible”. 

“No one apart from you can stop the strike right now,” they said. 

Seko, the union representing most of the strikers, has called on its members not to take part in what it called “an illegal action”. 

In a press release issued on Saturday the union warned that the planned wildcat strike “would hardly make it easy to negotiate” at a time when the union is in active talks with rail transport operators over a new collective bargaining agreement. 

Erik Söderberg, head of press at MTR, said that his company had been enacting a decision taken by the regional council, but that its assessment was that driver-only trains could be run without compromising safety. 

“It’s a political decision and it’s our mission to make it happen,” he said. 

He said that as the strike was not backed by unions, it was hard to assess how many of the company’s drivers were taking part. Many more than normal had called in sick, he said, while others had simply not turned up. 

“We have had more people than usual sick today and some people didn’t give any notice at all so we don’t know why they were not at work,” he said. “As our train drivers are not informing us about their plans for tomorrow it’s hard for us to make a schedule.”

What compensation can travellers receive? 

SL stressed on Monday that its system of compensation for late or cancelled services was still valid despite the strikes, with Lindström recommending that travellers check the guidelines on its website.  

Under SL guidelines, travellers in Stockholm can receive compensation up to 1,315 kronor for the cost of any journey by taxi, another transport company, or even their own car if delays or cancellations of SL services mean they risk being more than 20 minutes late. 

If they do travel on an SL service and are more than 20 minutes’ late, they can be reimbursed for all or part of the cost of the trip. 

You can apply for compensation using this online form or by sending a letter, receipts and tickets marked with a case number to the address below: 

Storstockholms Lokaltrafik
20325312
110 30 Stockholm

You must claim the trip within 3 months of the delay in order to receive compensation, and submit the full claim within three years.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

VISAS

Cost for getting a short-stay Schengen visa to rise on June 11th

The fee for getting a Schengen visa will rise by 12 percent in June, the European Commission has confirmed.

Cost for getting a short-stay Schengen visa to rise on June 11th

The hike means the basic fee for a Schengen visa will rise from €80 to €90 for adults and from €40 to €45 for children. The reason for the price hike has been blamed on inflation in member states.

Schengen visas can be obtained by non-EU citizens from countries that do not benefit from the EU / Schengen area’s 90-day rule such as such as nationals of South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and China.

Schengen visas are not required for citizens of countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia who are paying short visits to the EU, since they are entitled to 90 days of visa-free travel in every 180.

Anyone who wants to spend longer in an EU country will need to apply for a long-stay visa – but these are issued by individual countries, not the EU. The cost of these visas vary depending on the country and the type of visa (eg study visa, work visa).

In addition to raising the basic fee to €90, the EU has also proposed hiking the fee even higher for those countries who are deemed not be cooperative with receiving expelled citizens back from member states.

In this case the Schengen visa fee for citizens from that country will rise from €120/€160 to €135 /€180.

In addition, the revision of visa fees impacts the maximum amount that external service providers collecting visa applications on behalf of member states can charge, which is usually set at up to half the standard fee.

This charge would increase from €40 to €45.

The fee for a Schengen visa extension will remain at €30.

Revised every three years

Every three years the EU Commission is tasked to assess whether new fees are needed, considering “objective criteria”, such as the EU inflation rate and the average of civil servants’ salaries in EU member states.

The Commission published its proposal on February 2nd, following a meeting with experts from EU member states in December, when an “overwhelming majority” supported the revision.

The Commission says that even with the increase, the visa fees for the Schengen area are “still relatively low” compared to other countries. For instance, a visa for the USA costs €185, or €172; for the UK it starts from £115 (€134); for Canada it is $100 plus $85 for biometrics, or €130; for Australia $190, the equivalent of €117.

Digital-only visa

The EU is also planning to introduce a digital-only Schengen visa. This will allow to apply online, regardless of the Schengen country applicants intend to visit, and will replace the current sticker in passports with a digital visa.

According to the European Commission website, the digital platform will start operating in 2028.

Who needs a Schengen visa

The Schengen visa allows a stay for tourism or family visits (but not for work) in 28 European countries for up to 90 days in any 6-month period. People travelling for business trips, conferences or meetings apply for a Schengen business visa.

Anyone who wants to stay longer, or to work, needs a visa from the country they intend to visit.

The Schengen visa is required for citizens of countries who do not benefit from the ‘90-day rule’, such as nationals of South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and China.

It is not needed for other non-EU nationals such as Brits, Americans, Canadians or Australians who can spend up to 90 days in every 180 in the Schengen area without needing a visa. You can see the full list of countries who need a visa here.

Schengen countries include EU member states, excluding Ireland (which opted out), Cyprus, and Bulgaria and Romania for land borders. Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Switzerland are not EU members but have also joined the Schengen Convention.

SHOW COMMENTS