(Confession: despite hearing snow ploughs all last winter I had completely forgotten what the terrible whirring and rattling sound as of the sky falling actually meant when it woke me up this morning.)
Every year the municipalities where I live (Stockholm) and basically the entire train service south of Umeå tend to end up massively unprepared for snow.
"What? Snow? AGAIN? But we just had it last winter, surely it can't be time for more snow already..."
But marshtide has snow ploughs! Fairly soon after the snow turned up, by the looks of it. This is impressive compared to here in the west of England where last year we got cut off for two days with no electricity, the local supermarket started rationing milk and people spent the night stuck in their cars on the motorway.
She may be lucky to live in one of the few areas where they are prepared. Also they've been warning about snow coming for four days now.
But I am aware that there are places even less prepared. I guess it's just - part of Sweden lies above the polar circle. Why does even regular amounts of snow cause chaos several times a year in this country? Haven't we learned to expect it by now...?
I would definitely say that my town, despite a general inability to organise a piss-up in a brewery, has generally been pretty quick with gritting and snow ploughs. And that in comparison to my experiences in the UK it's been pretty incredible. Airports that don't close when there's a fine dusting of snow! Buses into stockholm that manage to run in terrible weather! Though sometimes no train to change onto when you get there, yeah. *laughs* Still, having spent the beginning of last winter in the UK feeling like I was taking my life into my hands to get to work every day... Sweden is better.
The trains totally are embarrassing, though. For shame. :)
Actually, I've seen jokes made about the level of snow preparedness in the UK. Along the line of - what, the bus is late again? Where do they think we are, London?
but if you want prepared for snow, go visit the university cities up north (probably others too, but I have no experience)
it was like - half a m of snow falls in the evening and the next morning it's gone. and they've scrapped away the lowest, ice-forming layer too! colour me impressed
I don't have very extensive experience with the pendeltåg, so I don't really know, but basically, the default state is running reluctantly and the slightly dodgy weather state is "you must be joking." This also applies to trains.
These are the reasons for the pendeltåg being late: Winter: There's snow! OMG! THERE IS SNOW ON THE TRACKS, IT'S A GIANT STOOOOORM HOW CAN YOU EXPECT TRAIN SERVICE TO FUNCTION PROPERLY???? (this reply btw is used both when actually is a huge snow hurricane and when we have had 3 mm of gentle fluff) Variations: - It's the cold, the signal system freezes up! - The snow is melting, we're getting water everywhere - The snow isn't actually that bad on the tracks, but we can't get our people to work because there's snow on the roads (true story!)
Autumn: There are leaves on the tracks! THEY B SLIPPERY! Variations: The slipperly leaves we had last week has wrecked the wheels of the trains, thus they are still running late :(
Summer: - Vacation - this means every other train is cancelled in the time table for some lines but the reamining ones will STILL not run on time, dammit - The heat makes the tracks bend!
Spring: Spring... spring I don't think has a unique reason yet. Slush and late snow, sometimes but I actually think a coolish Mayday is the one day on the year that the trains are optimized for.
Hee! Just like on the western side of the border, that. Except that these days, at least around Oslo, the generic excuse is, "We haven't done maintenance on the trains/tracks for the last 3-4 decades! You cannot expect the trains to run on time under these conditions! :("
It's so goddamn embarrassing. And don't even get me started on the shock and surprise, every motherloving autumn, when the white stuff appears as if by magic. Never you mind that the weather forecast has gone on about it for days in advance. OMG SNOW! HOW CAN THIS BE?! WHAT DO WE DOOOOOO? D: It's embarrassing for the entire country, but more so up here in Trondheim, which prides itself on not being a part of wimpy South Norway. But did we get war-types in the headlines two days ago? You betcha. "SNØKAOS!" they said. And it was. I despair.
"We haven't done maintenance on the trains/tracks for the last 3-4 decades! You cannot expect the trains to run on time under these conditions! :(" s You too? I suspect this is the true excuse in Stockholm too, but they try not to speak loudly about it
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no subject
Date: 2010-10-22 10:32 am (UTC)But the efficiency and preparedness of the snowploughs is impressive
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Date: 2010-10-22 02:32 pm (UTC)Ahahahaha!
I'm sorry but-
Ahahaahaha *painful gasp*
Every year the municipalities where I live (Stockholm) and basically the entire train service south of Umeå tend to end up massively unprepared for snow.
"What? Snow? AGAIN? But we just had it last winter, surely it can't be time for more snow already..."
no subject
Date: 2010-10-22 04:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-22 04:12 pm (UTC)But I am aware that there are places even less prepared. I guess it's just - part of Sweden lies above the polar circle. Why does even regular amounts of snow cause chaos several times a year in this country? Haven't we learned to expect it by now...?
no subject
Date: 2010-10-22 04:34 pm (UTC)The trains totally are embarrassing, though. For shame. :)
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Date: 2010-10-22 04:37 pm (UTC)but if you want prepared for snow, go visit the university cities up north (probably others too, but I have no experience)
it was like - half a m of snow falls in the evening and the next morning it's gone. and they've scrapped away the lowest, ice-forming layer too! colour me impressed
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Date: 2010-10-22 04:39 pm (UTC)In London the buses don't run on time even when there isn't any snow! Time tables are, as far as I can tell, some kind of speculative fiction.
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Date: 2010-10-22 04:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-22 04:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-22 04:51 pm (UTC)These are the reasons for the pendeltåg being late:
Winter: There's snow! OMG! THERE IS SNOW ON THE TRACKS, IT'S A GIANT STOOOOORM HOW CAN YOU EXPECT TRAIN SERVICE TO FUNCTION PROPERLY????
(this reply btw is used both when actually is a huge snow hurricane and when we have had 3 mm of gentle fluff)
Variations:
- It's the cold, the signal system freezes up!
- The snow is melting, we're getting water everywhere
- The snow isn't actually that bad on the tracks, but we can't get our people to work because there's snow on the roads (true story!)
Autumn: There are leaves on the tracks! THEY B SLIPPERY!
Variations:
The slipperly leaves we had last week has wrecked the wheels of the trains, thus they are still running late :(
Summer:
- Vacation - this means every other train is cancelled in the time table for some lines but the reamining ones will STILL not run on time, dammit
- The heat makes the tracks bend!
Spring:
Spring... spring I don't think has a unique reason yet. Slush and late snow, sometimes but I actually think a coolish Mayday is the one day on the year that the trains are optimized for.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-22 05:57 pm (UTC)It's so goddamn embarrassing. And don't even get me started on the shock and surprise, every motherloving autumn, when the white stuff appears as if by magic. Never you mind that the weather forecast has gone on about it for days in advance. OMG SNOW! HOW CAN THIS BE?! WHAT DO WE DOOOOOO? D: It's embarrassing for the entire country, but more so up here in Trondheim, which prides itself on not being a part of wimpy South Norway. But did we get war-types in the headlines two days ago? You betcha. "SNØKAOS!" they said. And it was. I despair.
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Date: 2010-10-23 12:22 pm (UTC)s
You too? I suspect this is the true excuse in Stockholm too, but they try not to speak loudly about it
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Date: 2010-10-24 04:54 pm (UTC)Aaw, disfunctional public transport systems of the world unite.
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Date: 2010-10-22 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 12:24 pm (UTC)I just wish we could learn to expect it sooner or later every year, so I can get to work in time...
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Date: 2010-10-22 04:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-22 12:59 pm (UTC)*sends condolences*
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Date: 2010-10-22 04:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-22 08:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-24 04:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-24 04:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-23 06:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-24 04:52 pm (UTC)