flyttåg

Flyttåg is a railway service used to relocate railroad cars, locomotives, or entire train sets between depots, workshops, or yards. It is carried out without carrying passengers or commercial cargo and serves logistical purposes within a rail network. The primary aim is to reposition equipment in preparation for service, maintenance, or storage, rather than to convey revenue traffic.

Operation: A flyttåg is typically hauled by one or more locomotives, often at the front and sometimes at the rear to enable bidirectional movement without turning the train. The train may consist of empty or full cars depending on the relocation task, and it generally uses normal track and signaling; in busy yards it follows shunting routes and may be restricted to certain hours.

Uses: Common tasks include moving passenger carriages from a maintenance facility to a depot, transporting freight wagons to a classification yard, or assembling and disassembling train sets for regional or long-distance service. The service is usually scheduled to minimize disruption and may occur at night or during planned maintenance windows.

Regional context: In Sweden and other Nordic countries, flyttåg is a standard term for these operations and is performed by national or private operators under railway regulations. In English-language sources the equivalent terms are transfer train, movement train, or shunting train.