At Gothenburg’s central station platform, a group of travelers destined for SJ’s route to Skåne are clustered together. However, during the summer season, this route will not be operational. Margareta Haglund is a frequent traveler on the SJ train between Gothenburg and Skåne to visit her grandchildren. She expresses her sadness about the cancellations and mentions that she might have to resort to traveling by bus this summer. Haglund also believes that the Öresund train stops too often and thus, is less ideal for her.
Andreas Feurst, another commuter on this route, feels similarly disappointed about the cancellations. Feurst works intermittently in Gothenburg and finds that the SJ train is a convenient option for him. Although the Öresund train operates, he believes that it is not as comfortable and takes longer. Despite his disappointment, Feurst is also considering other transportation options or reducing his travel plans this summer.
The cancelled departures come at an inconvenient time for Gothenburg, which is popular among tourists, both local and foreign, during the summer season.
On the platform of Gothenburg’s central station, the travelers who are going to SJ’s towards Skåne are standing in a cluster. During the summer, however, no trains will operate this route.
Margareta Haglund is one of those who often takes the SJ train between Gothenburg and Skåne to visit her grandchildren.
– I think it’s very sad that everything is cancelled. I visit my grandchildren about once a month.
What will you do this summer when the SJ trains are cancelled?
– Probably go by bus. The Öresund train is a milk train, it was always said in the past that it stops at every milk table. The Öresund train stops all the time.
Photo: Tomas Ohlsson
Also commuters can get awkward this summer. One of those who commutes on the route is Andreas Feurst.
– It’s sad, it’s been a surprise. I work in Gothenburg on and off, and then it’s very good to take the SJ train, it’s fast and smooth. Even if the Öresund train runs, it takes longer and is not as comfortable, so it’s a shame, he says.
How will it be for you this summer?
– I’ll be working this summer too, so I’ll have to see if it’s the car or the Öresund train, or travel less. But it’s a shame, he says.
The canceled departures also comes untimely for Gothenburg during the summer, the city is a popular tourist destination for both domestic and foreign visitors.
Photo: Tomas Ohlsson
The chairman of the municipal board, Jonas Attenius believes for its part that the government has not done enough and is too fixated on Stockholm.
– I find it extremely difficult to believe that the government would be as passive if this situation were to affect the trains from Stockholm in any direction, but now it affects the citizens of Gothenburg, and then that’s fine. I mean that you have to act.
Photo: Tomas Ohlsson
Peter Grönberg is CEO at Gothenburg and Co, which works for the development of Gothenburg in tourism and events. He thinks it is unfortunate with canceled trains ahead of a summer with many big openings and events in the city.
– It’s another fantastic summer in Gothenburg with concerts at Ullevi, the 400th anniversary celebration of the city, Way Out West and Gothia cup. So there is a dynamic in Gothenburg, and a lot of experiences in the city. And then accessibility is very important, and the trains are an important part of that accessibility, he says.
Grönberg says that it will both affect people living in southern Sweden and visitors from, for example, Denmark or northern Germany.
– It is an incredibly intense period, and there is already a lot of pressure under normal circumstances, so it is clear that this will have an impact.
Johan Trouvé, CEO of the West Swedish Chamber of Commerce, also says that the deteriorating train connections will affect business, mainly the hospitality industry.
– If you don’t have train connections, you make it difficult for people to easily and quickly get to Gothenburg, regardless of whether it’s for a longer period of time or a spontaneous trip during the day, he says.
Photo: Marie Ullnert
To meet the need when train departures are canceled this summer, SJ announced on Friday that it had signed an agreement with the bus company Vy.
– They will meet the need that exists with more bus departures. If there is a greater need, they will deploy more buses on the route, says Martina Nord, press communicator at SJ.
DN has applied for infrastructure minister Andreas Carlson (KD).
Fact.Tourism in Gothenburg 2022
In July 2022 increased the number of hotel guests by 34 percent compared to July 2019. The occupancy rate was 88 percent in the Gothenburg region compared to 65 percent in Stockholm and 77 percent in Malmö in July 2022. A total of 300,000 hotel rooms were sold in the Gothenburg region in July (compared to 267,600 in the same month in 2019 ).
Guest nights from abroad local markets increased in June 2022 compared to
2019 with: Norway 14 percent, Germany 19 percent. And decreased from:
Great Britain – 25 percent, Denmark – 12 percent.
The number of Swedish guest nights have increased and surpassed pre-pandemic levels for three consecutive months, with an increase of 11 percent in April, 6 percent in May and 18 percent in June.
Source: Gothenburg and Co.