{"id":15416,"date":"2024-02-27T21:27:44","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T11:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=50360"},"modified":"2024-02-27T21:27:44","modified_gmt":"2024-02-27T11:27:44","slug":"another-derailment-along-the-iron-ore-line-this-time-it-may-be-sabotage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=15416","title":{"rendered":"Another derailment along the Iron Ore Line, this time it may be sabotage"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Iron Ore Line, Europe\u2019s northernmost rail border crossing connecting Sweden and Norway, is again closed due to a freight train derailment near Vassijaure. The line had just been reopened last week after another derailment took place near the same area in December. According to the Swedish police, the latest derailment is being treated as a sabotage case.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The police also added that there are currently no suspects and it is too early to assess whether it is connected to the previous one. Swedish infrastructure manager Trafikverket explained that \u201cit is currently impossible to give any forecast for when traffic can resume on the route\u201d. Moreover, finding rerouting options is a significant hurdle as the line is a single track. The Iron Ore Line connects the port of Lule\u00e5, along the northeastern Swedish coast, to the Norwegian port of Narvik. As the name suggests, the railway is mainly used to transport ore from the mines it passes through to the two ports.<\/p>\n

The line had just reopened<\/h2>\n

The Iron Ore Line was first closed north of Kiruna on 17 December 2023 after a train filled with ore derailed and damaged the track between Koppar\u00e5sen and Vassijaure. It was reopened, only for freight traffic, on Tuesday, 20 February 2024. However, on Saturday, 24 February, an unloaded freight train derailed and damaged the section just north of the one that was recently restored, between Vassijaure and Katterjokk.<\/p>\n

An additional obstacle to cleanup operations for both events is caused by the heavy weather. The latest update provided by Trafikverket says that they can now shove the snow that is restricting access to the convoy but wagons and other material cannot yet be moved. It is not yet clear which parts of the Iron Ore Line will be closed after Saturday\u2019s derailment.<\/p>\n

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Derailed wagons near Vassijaure. Image: \u00a9 Trafikverket<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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