Swedish Commuters Turn a Flooded Train Station into a Sudsy Splash Pad
When a storm takes the city by surprise
On Sunday, Thursday, Uppsala’s Main Station—Sweden’s #4 city—was doused in a deluge of summer rain that left the underpass and the station itself quietly waterlogged. Traffic took a hit, and folks were scrambling for exits, but a splash of Southern Swedish ingenuity brightened the day.
The “Funnest” idea: a DIY pool
- Commuters decided that soggy tracks were a perfect excuse for a quick dip.
- With snorkels, floaties, and swimsuits in tow, the traffic‑jammed underpass became a ‘floating’ lounge.
- Social‑media photos reveal a sea of commuters holding onto the rail gutter with a grin—it’s like a lake in the city, only on the rails instead of a lake shore.
Even the photographers had to dive in
Local photographer Sarah Thoren captured a family’s lake‑day, laughing all the way while “the water was really dirty! … We sure needed a solid shower after that.” Motion pictures spin the moment into a quirky throwback.
Safety takes over—bubbles out of water
Police officers eventually requested the damp crowd to leave the station, citing the risk of electrocution. The station was pumped dry over the night, and by Monday it was back to normal, so commuters can once again press the bright “start” button on their train tickets.
And then the wildfires—good news on the horizon
While Uppsala’s train station enjoyed a brief splash, wildfire threats eased in the region. By Tuesday, Swedish emergency services reported that all ten fires in the country were under control, a dramatic drop from a 45‑to‑70 count earlier in July. No casualties were reported, and weekend showers have eased new blaze‑risk for the week.
In a nutshell: when the rain turned the station into a pool, a brief splash of laughter filled the air, and firefighters turned from battling flames to cooling off the city. The return to normalcy carried a promise that whether you’re swimming in a flooded underpass or eating Swedish meatballs, the city is ready again.
