The train that departs at 05.21 from Örnsköldsvik is popular with commuters who start working in Umeå before 7 o'clock. Susanne Marklund, from Hörnefors, works in Umeå and is one of those affected by the line now being withdrawn.
- Somewhere you understand that Norrtåg has to do certain things, but this particular train many people depend on to get to work on time at, for example, the hospital.
It was very upsetting feelings this morning on the train, she says.
Vehicles on maintenance
The reason behind the withdrawn line is that Norrtåg will make a major entertainment effort next year on trains that run the Norrbotnia line, which means that they have fewer vehicles on hand.
That's what Christer Berglund, business manager at Norrtåg, says.
- There is always someone who gets in trouble and we unfortunately do not have the opportunity to drive that stretch because it would knock out even more lines, he says.
"The information has been disastrous"
Susanne Marklund is critical of how Norrtåg handled communication around the withdrawn line.
According to her, passengers found out about the change of a train service.
She thinks the flow of information has been a disaster.
Christer Berglund believes that they did not try to obscure the change for passengers, but that there was a mistake in the communication.
- I apologize a lot for if the information was unclear and it has been in this case.
We can learn from this and do it better in the future, says Christer Berglund.
In December 2022, the morning train between Örnsköldsvik and Umeå will be running again.