STOCKHOLM, April 17 (Xinhua) -- More than 80 percent of the commuter trains scheduled for Monday evening's rush hour in the Swedish capital were canceled due to a strike by train drivers, local media reported.
Nearly 64 percent of the departures between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Monday were also canceled, Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper reported.
"Many of the train drivers who participated in Monday's strike did not inform us about their participation. (Instead), they simply did not appear for work. This makes it difficult to plan the schedule," Erik Soderberg, head of press at MTR which operates the commuter trains in Stockholm, told DN.
Spokespersons for the striking train drivers have told journalists that the strike would last for days and Soderberg said that it was impossible to say to what extent train traffic would be affected in the coming days.
Many of the train drivers have complained about the decision to remove conductors from the commuter trains, saying it would jeopardize safety as train drivers would have to monitor that all doors are clear before closing them.
Politicians in the Stockholm region, which is responsible for providing public transport in the county, have told local media that the new system is safe, whilst saving the region up to 150 million kronor (14.5 million U.S. dollars) annually.
