The Christmas weekend, which usually means that many people travel to celebrate around the country, is expected to be extra busy this year. 

- Since Christmas Eve is on a Saturday this year, there are probably many who work on Friday and that makes the journey more concentrated than when Christmas Eve is on, for example, a Monday, says Felicia Danielsson.

At both SJ and the Swedish Transport Administration, it is stated that many of the staff are sick, but that so far it has been possible to solve this by calling in extra staff.

There is also a risk that the weather may make travel difficult, especially in the central parts of Sweden.

- The low pressure over Svealand will be able to bring rain that freezes on the roads, says SVT's meteorologist Nitzan Cohen.

Train record

Ahead of this year's Christmas celebrations, there are signs that Christmas travel has recovered from the celebrations of recent years that were affected by the pandemic.

- The Christmas weekend is the biggest travel weekend of the whole year for us and this year we are at the same level as 2019, which was a record year for travel, says Tobbe Lundell, press manager at SJ.

In addition to the fact that many of the staff are sick, SJ also sees a risk linked to the fact that the Swedish Transport Administration changed its planning system earlier in December, which caused concern at SJ.

- Right now there are no problems, but we are still worried about what could happen if there were disruptions such as severe snow storms, says Tobbe Lundell.

"Keep an eye on the weather"

The Swedish Transport Administration expects that the Christmas traffic will be felt mostly on the major roads, but still urges to choose these.

- The major roads are prioritized for anti-slip and snow removal.

So even if a smaller road can seem like a shortcut, it can still take longer due to worse road conditions, says Felicia Danielsson.

For motorists, there are several things to consider.

Keep a reasonable distance to the car in front and take many breaks are some of the advice.

- Also make sure you have enough time when you leave, then the risk of getting stressed and making risky overtakings is reduced.

Also keep an eye on the weather and keep in mind that there can be a big difference between the place you leave from and the final destination, says Felicia Danielsson, press communicator at the Swedish Transport Administration.