A freight train derailed in Trelleborg’s rail freight terminal in Sweden. The derailment occurred under unknown circumstances but destroyed substantial parts of the rail track. Rail traffic to and from Trelleborg is impossible, with the Swedish Transport Administration company Trafikverket estimating that the standstill could stop on 17 May.

The derailment occurred on Tuesday, 10 May, in the morning. The incident took place on a switch while the train was leaving the terminal. The switch is completely destroyed and needs repair; however, it is not the only one. “After the first inspection on site, we can state that a lot has been destroyed during the derailment. As it looks now, a switch has been destroyed, approximately 500 meters of track damaged, and a thousand sleepers will need to be replaced, commented Annika Canaki, department manager for maintenance at Trafikverket.

Further investigation

Trafikverket’s task force is currently on the derailment site attempting to evaluate the situation and record all the damages. It is still unknown which route the freight train served and whether the cargo was also destroyed.

Regarding the incident’s causes, Trafikverket believes that it is too early to dive into the investigation since assessing the damage first is imperative. “We can not precede the investigation to find what caused the derailment yet but are waiting to begin. It’s a complicated job that takes time”, mentioned Canaki.

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