Norwegian salmon shipment stranded in Sweden after rail closure.
A Norwegian freight train carrying frozen salmon and shellfish worth tens of millions of kroner has been stranded in Umeå since the weekend following severe flooding that closed the Botniabanan rail line, according to SVT Nyheter Västerbotten.
The operator, Onrail, has applied for permission to divert the cargo via the Inlandsbanan. The company has warned that the delay is affecting deliveries to customers and that temperatures in the chilled salmon are rising.
“We have some problems with fish customers getting in touch, at the same time as the temperature of the salmon is starting to rise. We are calling Trafikverket to get permission to run on the Inlandsbanan with a hybrid train from Oslo. This is nerve-racking,” said Onrail CEO Henning Aandal.
The Swedish Transport Administration has said the Botniabanan line is unlikely to reopen before Monday.
“For every extra day it takes to transport the salmon, the shelf life in the chilled counter decreases. We hope to be allowed to run soon, this is a socio-economically important train,” Aandal said.
