A Travel Report From the Swedish Border Area in the North

On 17 December 2023, enormous forces are at work when a 750-meter-long ore train derailed in Northern Sweden, close to the border with Norway. 

The train was fully loaded with iron ore from the Northern Swedish town of Kiruna. It was travelling towards the port of Narvik in Norway on the Iron Ore Line, which continues as the Ofoten Line on the Norwegian side. 

In November 2026, High North News traveled to Vassijaure station in Northern Sweden.

It was in this area that the derailment took place.

To reach Vassijaure station, we take European route E10 from Narvik eastwards towards Kiruna. The road runs through wilderness, between lakes and towering mountains near the national border. 

The Ofoten Line, and the Iron Ore Line on the Swedish side, goes between Norway and Sweden in the north. It stretches from Narvik in Northern Norway nearly 500 kilometres inland towards Boden and Luleå in Northern Sweden. It was impressively constructed in the late 19th century and opened in 1902. 

At Vassijaure station, Sweden's northernmost railway station, daylight is beginning to fade and the wind has picked up considerably.

It suddenly becomes dark. Rain and sleet whip through the air, but the weather conditions are nowhere near those faced by the clean-up crews here in the winter of 2023/2024. 

High North News' journalist meets Simon Sunna at the station. He is head of the Northern Railway Unit in the Swedish Transport Administration and was involved in leading the enormous clean-up operation, which lasted until March 2024. 

In the gusts of wind, we almost have to shout to each other in Swedish and Norwegian out on the platform. 

Sunna says that the weather in the area was the biggest challenge during the restoration work. At several locations along the Iron Ore Line, temperatures dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius during this period, in addition to heavy snowfall. 

For almost a third of the days of the cleanup work, there was either a total halt in restoration work, or partial standstill, due to the cold and the wind, with elements of storm conditions in the mix.

More than 15 kilometres of damage

Sunna gives HNN a brief insight into the course of events when the derailment occurred. 

"The derailment began in Tornehamn, just south of us, and it was here in the station area that the derailment ended," he explains. 

What did you encounter when you arrived here? 

"The train had come to a stop about 100 metres ahead of us in the snow gallery. Wagons were partly out on the station, and the gallery structure had been destroyed."

"The derailment caused damage along a 15-kilometre stretch of the railway line," he continues. 

The fully loaded 750-metre train was carrying iron ore products weighing 6,800 tonnes. Ten of the train’s 68 wagons derailed. 

Once the crews had assessed the extensive damage, it became clear that more than 25,000 railroad ties had to be replaced. These are the rectangular support ties on the railway track; the foundation for the rails, and each one weighs around 300 kilograms.

There was also major damage to rails, switches and overhead lines in Vassijaure. 

"We carried out the clean-up work for around 60 days, and approximately 200 people took part in the work."

Sunna says that most of it was transported out of the area using tractors, excavators and backhoe loaders.

Replacing the railroad ties presented additional challenges because the ground was frozen. Every new tie also had to be checked to ensure that it was sufficiently secure. The snow therefore had to be cleared continuously to get a snapshot, before the track was covered with snow again. 

A cost of SEK 500 million 

About two months after the first derailment, another incident occurred in February 2024, near the same area. However, the train in question had 62 empty ore wagons and was travelling from Narvik back to the mining town of Kiruna.

Sunna stresses that the two incidents were unrelated and had different causes. This is also stated in the report from the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority. 

According to the Accident Investigation Authority, the first major derailment occurred as a result of damage on one of the wheels, which was moving along its axle.

As HNN has reported, the derailed wheel, and later both wheels on the same axle, rolled with the train over a distance of 15 kilometres before several wagons eventually derailed and the train stopped.

In the most recent derailment involving the empty ore wagons, hard-packed snow on the track and under the wagons was the direct cause of the derailment. 

Due to the two derailments, freight traffic on the Iron Ore Line was suspended for over two months. Passenger traffic resumed after approximately six months, in June 2024.

How much did the clean-up work cost? 

"Approximately SEK 550 million," Sunna replies. 

He adds that this does not include socioeconomic costs, but costs related to the clean-up, such as materials, technicians and machinery.

The mining town of Kiruna

High North News continue eastwards towards Kiruna, where mining giant LKAB has extracted iron ore for more than 100 years.

Last year, the Swedish state-owned mining company had a total turnover of SEK 33 billion. 

HNN is now inside one of LKAB's old mines, which has been a visitor mine since 1997. 

At 540 metres underground, we hear more about the extensive ore production.

The significance of the mining activity has also led to the town of Kiruna being moved 3 kilometres. As deformations have started to affect the ground, the town is being moved to ensure safety and continued mining operations.

The mining company LKAB was moreover among those most affected by the derailment on the Iron Ore Line. 

Normally, 10 to 12 trains carrying iron ore products run daily from LKAB's Kiruna mine to the Port of Narvik. From there, the products are shipped to customers worldwide. 

LKAB itself reported that during the period when rail traffic was suspended, it had an estimated loss of revenue of SEK 100 million per day. At one point, products in storage had accumulated to volumes equivalent to 400 fully loaded ore trains, LKAB press manager Anders Lindberg said.

Extensive flow of goods

The Iron Ore Line was originally built to transport iron ore from the Swedish mines in Northern Sweden to ports such as Narvik. Today, the railway corridor is also of great importance to other actors and to the flow of goods between Norway and Sweden in the north.

In addition to ore and pellets, large quantities of a.o. seafood, groceries, building materials, and other freight and passenger traffic are transported on the line. 

According to the Ofoten Line Alliance, the Ofoten Line accounts for one per cent of Norway's railway network, but carries more than 60 per cent of the country's freight volume measured by tonnage. 

LKAB and a number of other actors have long pointed to the need for double track on the currently single-track line in order to ensure redundancy and facilitate continued growth and demand for use of the railway. 

Norway's National Transport Plan (2025–2036) points to the construction of three passing loops on the railway, which will help increase capacity.

The passing loop at Søsterbekk has been identified as the most mature of these projects, but no funding was allocated for it in the Norwegian government's proposed national budget. 

In Sweden, the government presented its national infrastructure plan in April 2026, which includes measures to strengthen the railway and its capacity. 

"Many improvement measures are under way; my impression is that the Iron Ore Line is a high priority," says Sunna.

According to the Swedish Transport Administration, planned measures worth approcimately SEK 3 billion are being carried out on the Iron Ore Line this year.

These include rebuilding railway yards, replacing tracks, new road protection systems and upgrading overhead lines. 

In addition, work is being carried out on both the Norwegian and Swedish sides to increase the axle load for trains on the railway line from the current 31 tonnes to 32.5 tonnes on parts of the route, enabling heavier trains and increasing capacity as well as freight and ore transport. 

This year, the Swedish Transport Administration has also purchased new snow-clearing machines, reports Radio Sweden. They are 17 metres long, weigh 70 tonnes and are among the most powerful in the world. 

They will be able to clear 7,500 tonnes of snow per hour and keep the Iron Ore Line open.

Sunna and his colleagues now face another winter in the weather-exposed areas between Norway and Sweden in the north. 

This article was written in connection with High North News' participation in a course organised by Barents Press.