New train service connects Finland and Sweden for first time in decades
The service will enable rail travel from Portugal to Lapland - what is believed to be the longest train journey in Europe.
For the first time in decades, a new train service has established a connection between Finland and Sweden. This new passenger rail link marks the first time in nearly 40 years that northern Finland has been connected to southern Europe by train.
On Monday, shortly after 05:00 local time (04:00 BST), a double-decker train departed from Oulu, a Finnish coastal city, and journeyed across the border into Sweden. Crowds waving Finnish and Swedish flags greeted the inaugural service as it crossed the Torne river from Finland and arrived at Sweden's Haparanda station.
Train services between Haparanda and Oulu were previously halted from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. This suspension was attributed to low passenger demand and technical disparities in track widths between Finland and the rest of Europe. Finland's tracks are wider, matching those in Russia, a legacy from the 19th and early 20th centuries when Finland was part of the Russian Grand Duchy. The country is currently in the process of converting its track widths to align with the European standard.
The new service to Sweden's Haparanda runs twice daily and takes 100 minutes, following Finland's west coast before crossing into Sweden. Passengers continuing south from Haparanda will need to transfer to a different train. This new route facilitates what is believed to be Europe's longest train journey, spanning approximately 5,000km from Portugal's Algarve to Kolari, Finland's northernmost train station. It will also enable a 24-hour train trip between the capitals of Helsinki and Stockholm.
Finland's transport minister stated that the reintroduction of the cross-border service demonstrates the continuous growth of cooperation between the two nations. Elisa Markula, chief executive of VR, Finland's state-owned railway operator, expressed her hope that the service will benefit from a "renaissance" in European rail travel. Markula informed AFP, "Train travelling in all Europe is having a renaissance. Also in Finland, our passenger numbers are increasing a lot."