The Swedish Transport Administration has failed to meet its goal of addressing 150 of the country's most dangerous unprotected railway crossings by 2025, according to reports from Swedish media. Only 106 of the targeted crossings have been addressed so far, leaving 44 high-risk locations still unimproved.
An average of five people die each year in such unprotected railway crossings, where there are no barriers, lights, or sound signals to warn of approaching trains. Sweden has approximately 6,000 railway crossings nationwide, with about half being unprotected.
We have come a long way, but we are not finished.
Helena Rådbo, a senior expert at the Swedish Transport Administration, acknowledged the shortfall, stating: "We have come a long way, but we are not finished." She explained that the work is often complex and time-consuming, involving planning, land issues, procurement, and cooperation with municipalities.
The safety improvement program began in 2019 on government assignment, with the goal of systematically increasing safety at railway crossings where there is risk of collisions between trains and other vehicles or pedestrians. In 2019, 184 crossings were identified as having elevated accident risk, with 150 of those prioritized for improvement by 2025.
Everything is not within the Transport Administration's control, and not everything can be solved with money,
Rådbo noted that the delays are not primarily due to funding issues but rather the complexity of the work. "Everything is not within the Transport Administration's control, and not everything can be solved with money," she said. Despite the ongoing efforts, no clear trend has been observed in the statistics regarding fatal accidents at railway crossings.