Two trains evacuated in Swedish cities after bomb threats
Two trains in Gothenburg and Södertälje, near Stockholm, were evacuated after receiving bomb threats on Thursday.
READ ALSO: Train bomb scare was false alarm
Police asked national rail company SJ to temporarily halt all train traffic in and out of both Gothenburg and Stockholm, a spokesman for SJ told The Local at 3pm.
"Police have asked us to stop all traffic in Gothenburg and Stockholm. This affects us heavily. There are going to be a lot of delays, some trains will be cancelled. We urge all travellers to visit our website or app to check for information," he said.
The Swedish Transport Administration confirmed shortly after 4pm that no trains were running in and out of Gothenburg central station or the Södertälje Syd train station south of Stockholm, with many trains to and from the capital's central station also affected. Commuter trains between Södertälje and Gnesta were also affected by the incident, as was tram traffic in central Gothenburg.
Both trains were operated by MTR, which runs fast trains between Stockholm and Gothenburg. It said that around 270 passengers were on the trains.
"Around 150 people were on the train that was stopped just before Gothenburg and somewhat fewer, around 120, in Södertälje," MTR Nordic spokeswoman Åsa Elm told the TT newswire.
Police arriving at the scene in Gothenburg. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT
A Stockholm police spokeswoman confirmed to The Local that the train that stopped at Södertälje, south of the capital, had received a threat earlier in the afternoon.
"All information we have is that at 1.10pm we got a threat and the train had to stop at Södertälje Syd. So, all passengers had to leave the train and now technicians are looking at it," Carina Skagerlind told The Local at around 3pm.
"We make no comment on how we received the threat."
One of the trains was travelling from Stockholm to Gothenburg when it was halted just before pulling into the train station. The other was en route to Stockholm when it was stopped at the Södertälje Syd station.
Gothenburg police confirmed that nothing dangerous or suspicious had been found when police searched the train. Cordons were lifted shortly after 5pm. It was not known if the threats were linked.
The incidents sparked traffic chaos in Gothenburg in particular on Thursday afternoon.
Many were also left waiting in Stockholm, where no southbound trains were running. When The Local was at the central station at 4.30pm the mood was calm and not much busier than normal rush hour, but it got more crowded later.
Commuters in the capital suffered further delays after an accident at the Stockholm Södra train station, which was not related to the bomb threat. Southbound traffic was expected to start running again at 7pm. However, there were knock-on delays throughout the evening in both cities, with delays ranging from a few minutes to several hours.
Passengers waiting at Stockholm central train station on Thursday. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT
Reporting by Emma Löfgren and Christian Krug
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READ ALSO: Train bomb scare was false alarm
Police asked national rail company SJ to temporarily halt all train traffic in and out of both Gothenburg and Stockholm, a spokesman for SJ told The Local at 3pm.
"Police have asked us to stop all traffic in Gothenburg and Stockholm. This affects us heavily. There are going to be a lot of delays, some trains will be cancelled. We urge all travellers to visit our website or app to check for information," he said.
The Swedish Transport Administration confirmed shortly after 4pm that no trains were running in and out of Gothenburg central station or the Södertälje Syd train station south of Stockholm, with many trains to and from the capital's central station also affected. Commuter trains between Södertälje and Gnesta were also affected by the incident, as was tram traffic in central Gothenburg.
Both trains were operated by MTR, which runs fast trains between Stockholm and Gothenburg. It said that around 270 passengers were on the trains.
"Around 150 people were on the train that was stopped just before Gothenburg and somewhat fewer, around 120, in Södertälje," MTR Nordic spokeswoman Åsa Elm told the TT newswire.
Police arriving at the scene in Gothenburg. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT
A Stockholm police spokeswoman confirmed to The Local that the train that stopped at Södertälje, south of the capital, had received a threat earlier in the afternoon.
"All information we have is that at 1.10pm we got a threat and the train had to stop at Södertälje Syd. So, all passengers had to leave the train and now technicians are looking at it," Carina Skagerlind told The Local at around 3pm.
"We make no comment on how we received the threat."
One of the trains was travelling from Stockholm to Gothenburg when it was halted just before pulling into the train station. The other was en route to Stockholm when it was stopped at the Södertälje Syd station.
Gothenburg police confirmed that nothing dangerous or suspicious had been found when police searched the train. Cordons were lifted shortly after 5pm. It was not known if the threats were linked.
The incidents sparked traffic chaos in Gothenburg in particular on Thursday afternoon.
Many were also left waiting in Stockholm, where no southbound trains were running. When The Local was at the central station at 4.30pm the mood was calm and not much busier than normal rush hour, but it got more crowded later.
Commuters in the capital suffered further delays after an accident at the Stockholm Södra train station, which was not related to the bomb threat. Southbound traffic was expected to start running again at 7pm. However, there were knock-on delays throughout the evening in both cities, with delays ranging from a few minutes to several hours.
Passengers waiting at Stockholm central train station on Thursday. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT
Reporting by Emma Löfgren and Christian Krug
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