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🇩🇰 Denmark /Disasters & Emergencies

North Zealand train services to resume Monday after staff sickness

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Lokaltog will resume train services in North Zealand on Monday morning after a weekend shutdown due to staff sickness.
  • Trains will initially run at reduced speeds, leading to expected delays.
  • The shutdown followed a collective sick leave by employees at the Hillerød operations center after one staff member was charged in connection with an April train accident.

Lokaltog is set to resume train operations in North Zealand on Monday morning, ending a weekend-long suspension caused by widespread staff sickness. The company announced that trains will operate at reduced speeds initially, and passengers should anticipate delays.

The disruption began Thursday when employees at the Hillerød operations center took sick leave, halting all train traffic on Lokaltog's routes in the Capital Region. This led to the implementation of bus replacements over the weekend.

The collective sick leave followed news that an employee from the Hillerød operations center had been charged by police in connection with a train accident on the Gribskov line in April. This employee had informed management about the charge, and Lokaltog had been in dialogue with the individual. Police stated two people were charged, but Lokaltog was unaware of the second person's identity.

It is about safety. They also don't understand how it could end with a charge from the police. They have become very unsafe.

— Stig Allan NielsenLokaltog's operations director explained the staff's unease following the police charges related to the April train accident.

Lokaltog's operations director, Stig Allan Nielsen, expressed confusion over the charges on Friday, stating that management was working to reassure staff who felt unsafe and did not understand the basis for the charges. By Sunday evening, Lokaltog reported constructive dialogue over the weekend, with employees, union representatives, and management collaborating to ensure a safe restart of services.

The April accident involved a collision between two trains on the Gribskov line, resulting in 10 serious injuries and 12 minor ones. A preliminary report from the Accident Investigation Board indicated a human error, where one train passed a stop signal and collided with an oncoming train on a single-track section between Slotspavillonen and Kagerup stations. No technical failures were found in the signaling systems or rolling stock.

The conclusion was that one train drove past Slotspavillonen Station, where it should have stopped and waited for the other train to pass.

— HavarikommissionenThe Accident Investigation Board's preliminary report described the sequence of events leading to the collision.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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