[SE/FI] Helsinki - Haparanda trains expected to start December 2024

[jamesontheroad]

A paywalled article in the Swedish
Norrbottens kuriren newspaper yesterday quoted traffic developer of Norrtåg Martin Högqvist saying that plans are being made for two daily connections Luleå- Haparanda - Helsinki from December 2024.

Although the newspaper headline says “direct train to Helsinki” the article correctly confirms that Norrtåg is actually planning to adjust schedules of the Luleå- Haparanda train on the Swedish side so that they connect with new VR departures from Haparanda to Helsinki. An end to end journey time of ten hours is quoted, suggesting one daytime and one nighttime train.

Electrification of the Kemi - Haparanda stretch should be complete during the coming year. On the Swedish side, the platform on the northern (Finnish gauge track) side of Haparanda station needs to be rebuilt. For some reason, probably budget, it wasn’t included in the renovations of the station before it reopened for passenger traffic in 2021.

The article also states that passenger traffic on Norrtåg’s Luleå - Boden - Haparanda trains still falls short of their targets, and that an international connection is hoped to address this.

 

[CarrotPie]

A paywalled article in the Swedish
Norrbottens kuriren newspaper yesterday quoted traffic developer of Norrtåg Martin Högqvist saying that plans are being made for two daily connections Luleå- Haparanda - Helsinki from December 2024.

Although the newspaper headline says “direct train to Helsinki” the article correctly confirms that Norrtåg is actually planning to adjust schedules of the Luleå- Haparanda train on the Swedish side so that their they connect with new VR departures from Haparanda to Helsinki. An end to end journey time of ten hours is quoted, suggesting one daytime and one nighttime train.

Electrification of the Kemi - Haparanda stretch should be complete during the coming year. On the Swedish side, the platform on the northern (Finnish gauge track) side of Haparanda station needs to be rebuilt. For some reason, probably budget, it wasn’t included in the renovations of the station before it reopened for passenger traffic in 2021.

The article also states that passenger traffic on Norrtåg’s Luleå - Boden - Haparanda trains still falls short of their targets, and that an international connection is hoped to address this.

Sounds interesting. It will be interesting to see how that works capacity-wise north of Oulu, as the Oulu-Kemi section doesn't have many passing loops. Assuming Haaparanta will be served by extending Helsinki-Oulu services, an extra loco+rake will be required. VR seems quite short on available stock, especially stuff that isn't routinely based at Ilmala.

In terms of night trains, in the past few months they've a second generation of the current Edm sleeper coaches, which should help, but I can't see demand for yet another sleeper train on Päärata. Even the Tornio & Kolari service only runs thrice-weekly. Perhaps it shall finally run via the three Ks (Kouvola, Kuopio and Kontiomäki), reinstating their night services. This will be something interesting to keep an eye on, especially to see if VR actually apply for track capacity next spring.

 

[dutchflyer]

Seems a nice case to have some of the EU-bordercrossing make easy subsidies to get flowing??.......
From memory and only halfway related: is not this Haappaaranttaa/Haparanda the place with a giant IKEA right by the border-so that means a cheap cafetaria whist waiting (free cf if you have that membercard-works all over the world) and another source of potential mney sourcing. But I may have this wrong-sorry then.

 

[jamesontheroad]

From memory and only halfway related: is not this Haappaaranttaa/Haparanda the place with a giant IKEA right by the border-so that means a cheap cafetaria whist waiting (free cf if you have that membercard-works all over the world) and another source of potential mney sourcing. But I may have this wrong-sorry then.

Yes, Haparanda has a very big IKEA, but it’s about 20-30 minutes walk from either station. It’s maybe 5-10 minutes walk from the bus station which sits across the border.

I visited a few years ago. It’s notable because the labels and posters are bilingual Swedish/Finnish, but the building’s signage adds Russian. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many Russian tourists from the Murmansk region came to Haparanda for shopping.

 

[rf_ioliver]

In terms of night trains, in the past few months they've a second generation of the current Edm sleeper coaches, which should help, but I can't see demand for yet another sleeper train on Päärata. Even the Tornio & Kolari service only runs thrice-weekly. Perhaps it shall finally run via the three Ks (Kouvola, Kuopio and Kontiomäki), reinstating their night services. This will be something interesting to keep an eye on, especially to see if VR actually apply for track capacity next spring.

A thing to take away from this is "Norrtåg *wants* to run a service", which is very different from actually running a service. I can see a connection being made to the Kolari-Helsinki trains - not sure how the logistics of that would work - Tornio Itäinen doesn't look the best place to change, maybe Kemi or Oulu?
One possibility is using an Sm2 for a Haparanda-Kemi service? Not sure what Suomen Lähijunat's plans are for them (other than their desire to run lots of commuter services around the country).

As for a sleeper Oulu-Helsinki via Kuopio ... that would be nice, I certainly miss that service, a good night's sleep, reasonably early departure from Oulu and ordering pizza to be delivered to the train in Kajaani ( VR refused to serve food from their fully stocked and staffed restaurant car as demonstration that no-one wanted to use the service....buying ticked for that particular route was exceptionally difficult near the end).

 

[jamesontheroad]

A thing to take away from this is "Norrtåg *wants* to run a service", which is very different from actually running a service. I can see a connection being made to the Kolari-Helsinki trains - not sure how the logistics of that would work - Tornio Itäinen doesn't look the best place to change, maybe Kemi or Oulu?

Previous statements from VR indicate that they intend to have some kind of long-distance service to/from Haparanda. Once the line to Kemi is wired, it could be an entirely new train to Helsinki or some reconfiguration of the Kolari train so that it runs to Haparanda daily and has a diesel-hauled portion to Kemi on certain days.

 

[rf_ioliver]

I'm aware of VR's statements but can't find anything other than it being aspirational. I've asked around and the answers are ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . The options seem to be

1. extension of a current Helsinki-Oulu service
2. rerouting of a night-train, eg: stop at Tornio Itäinen, then Tornio, Haaparanda, then onto Kolari
3. a local service Haaparanda-Kemi/Oulu

Number 2 would make more sense if the Norrtåg service was extended to Tornio - IIRC, there is that possibility though I have no idea when the last time a Swedish train crossed into Finland

 

[CarrotPie]

One possibility is using an Sm2 for a Haparanda-Kemi service? Not sure what Suomen Lähijunat's plans are for them (other than their desire to run lots of commuter services around the country).

No matter what SLOY do to them, the won't survive that many more years, let alone out stationed at Oulu. Also, the reason VR hasn't expanded their usage area for years is because they're not wheelchair-accessible. Until the Sm7s displace Sm4s, there won't be spare EMUs.

Number 2 would make more sense if the Norrtåg service was extended to Tornio - IIRC, there is that possibility though I have no idea when the last time a Swedish train crossed into Finland

Never; there's an 89mm gauge difference.

 

[rvdborgt]

Never; there's an 89mm gauge difference.

Standard gauge reaches Tornio, see Openrailwaymap.

 

[JonasB]

Although the newspaper headline says “direct train to Helsinki” the article correctly confirms that Norrtåg is actually planning to adjust schedules of the Luleå- Haparanda train on the Swedish side so that they connect with new VR departures from Haparanda to Helsinki. An end to end journey time of ten hours is quoted, suggesting one daytime and one nighttime train.

Electrification of the Kemi - Haparanda stretch should be complete during the coming year. On the Swedish side, the platform on the northern (Finnish gauge track) side of Haparanda station needs to be rebuilt. For some reason, probably budget, it wasn’t included in the renovations of the station before it reopened for passenger traffic in 2021.

That would be great, an easy connection from Luleå to Finland is really missing today.

Number 2 would make more sense if the Norrtåg service was extended to Tornio - IIRC, there is that possibility though I have no idea when the last time a Swedish train crossed into Finland

Last time I'm aware of was in November.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Here's an update today from Väylävirasto, the Finnish Railways Agency: https://vayla.fi/-/suomen-ja-ruotsi...njoen-ratasiltaa-parannetaan-kevaasta-syksyyn

My translation of the key bits...

The Torne River railway bridge between Finland and Sweden will be subject to construction from spring to autumn [2024]​

Published 10.25 EET 8 April 2024

Construction work related to increasing the height clearance has been carried out on the Torne River railway bridge since spring. Work is being done on the entire bridge from Tornio to the Haaparanda side, and the work will be completed in the autumn of 2024. Access to the railway bridge and the railway in general is prohibited for members of the public. During the work, the Torne River rail bridge is a construction site. The contract is part of the Väylävirasto's project to electrify the Laurila–Tornio–Haaparanda railway.

In the Torne River rail bridge contract, the current steel truss of the bridge will be increased in height, so that the electrification contract changes carried out later in the project are possible. The first preparatory works for the project have already started at the end of March, and the construction work on the railway bridge crossing the national border will last until autumn 2024. The project will be carried out by Kreate Oy.

Work on the bridge started at the end of March with scaffolding. During the summer, the bridge's steel structures are blast cleaned, which causes some noise nuisance to the surrounding area. In the contract, the railway bridge will be repainted on the Finnish side and the bridge will be patch-painted on the Swedish side.

"The project involves excavating the entire bridge from Tornio to Haaparanna, which means that the contract area also extends to the Swedish side. The costs of the contract have been shared with the Swedish Transport Agency, Trafikverket, which finances the Swedish part of the contract," says project manager Terhi Honkarinta.

During the work, the Torne River railway bridge is a construction site to which outsiders have no access. Improperly staying on the railway bridge and on the railway in general is prohibited.

The project also has other contracts underway. The electrification project for the track section between Laurila and Haaparanna in Keminmaa will proceed to the Torne River railway bridge later at the end of the year, when the project to increase the height of for the bridge will have been completed. During the current year 2024, work will also be done at the Tornio and Haaparanda railway yards.

Similar work has been done elsewhere in Finland in recent years. If you follow the link you'll see photographs of the steel truss frame bridge. Basically, the horizontal members on the top of the bride (crossing the track) will be cut out one by one and replaced by new pieces that are curved in two places to create a taller loading gauge. Then an overhead contact line can be installed.

 

[JonasB]

And slightly related, it has also been reported that Norrtåg will take over five Regina-trains (X52) from Västtrafik. That will allow them to double the amount of trains to Haparanda from december 2026.

 

[jamesontheroad]

I subscribe to updates on this project from Väylävirasto (Finnish name) / Trafikledsverket (Swedish name) - the Finnish transport agency.

Here is a summary and my translation (from Swedish) of their email update for May 2024. Note that Tornio (English and Finnish) is Torneå in Swedish (because like the Ume in Umeå, Skeleffte i Skellefteå, Pite in Piteå, Lule in Luleå, etc, Torneå is the city where the Torne river flows into the sea).

Greetings from the project managers​ The electrification project on the Laurila–Tornio–Haparanda track section has a lot of work ongoing. In March, we could continue the construction contract at Tornio railway station, which caused some changes in road traffic in Tornio near the Swedish border. During Easter, we were also able to start work on increasing the height clearance on the Torne River railway bridge, initially on the Finnish side. During the summer, the last construction contracts with the project begin when work on Haparanda railway station begins. In this newsletter we talk about the project's cooperation with Sweden, we look at the history of the railway bridge across the borders of Finland and Sweden and hear the contractor's greetings from the construction site at Tornio railway station. We wish all readers a sunny spring! Project manager Terhi Honkarinta and Jukka Päkkilä​

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The bridge over the national border​ The railway bridge from Tornio to Haparanda crosses the national border between Finland and Sweden. The railway bridge belongs to the project area and the track along it is electrified in the project. "For electrification works to be possible on the bridge, the railway bridge must first be widened [increased in height]. The height of the railway bridge is increased by making taller the bridge's steel trusses. This is done so that the electrification contractor's modification works at the bridge will be successful by the end of the year," says Jouko Aaramaa from Welado, who works as a bridge work supervisor in the project. The expansion work began in the spring, first on the Finnish side, and after Easter on the section that crossed the Swedish border. In the future, you will be able to travel across the railway bridge with electric trains. Before that, however, we familiarize ourselves with the history of the bridge. The railway bridge is a total of 415.25 meters long and was completed in 1918. Since Finland's and Sweden's track widths are different, the cross-border bridge also has special intertwined rails that are suitable for both countries' track widths. The Torne River's railway bridge is two-coloured. The Finnish side of the bridge is grey and the Swedish part is blue. In the bridge's expansion work, the entire bridge will be the same colour, as the Finnish part will also be painted blue. The Finnish side of the bridge was last painted in 1979 and the Swedish side in 1994. On the bridge, repair work was carried out on the Finnish side at least ten years ago. At that time, the railway bridge's sleepers and gang planks were renewed. After the expansion work is completed, the electrification work on the Laurila–Tornio–Haparanda section of the border bridge will begin.​

Torne River railway bridge​

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Coordination and cooperation with the Swedish Transport Administration [Trafikverket] and the city of Haparanda​ Although the largest part of the project area is on the Finnish side, the project work also partly extends to the Swedish side. Therefore, cross-border cooperation has been important in the project. Since the project began, they have collaborated with both the Swedish Transport Administration and the city of Haparanda. Part of the project work is carried out on the Swedish side in Haparanda. In Haparanda, work is being carried out on the railway bridge over the Torne River and at Haparanda railway station. The Swedish Transport Administration contributes to the project costs for the work carried out on the Swedish side. During 2024, the Swedish Transport Administration is also having a new passenger platform built [on the north side of] Haparanda railway station. In the winter of 2022, when the project moved into the implementation phase, the collaboration with Sweden was further intensified. "The contact has been maintained at various online meetings over Teams where we have communicated in Finnish, Swedish and English. Sometimes we have also been able to meet in person," says Peter Keisu, project manager at the Swedish Transport Agency. Although the railways, infrastructure and operating methods in Finland and Sweden are very similar, there are also differences between the states. "Both countries have their own processes for building railways, and therefore in the cross-border cooperation project, a lot of coordination has to be done to ensure that the work progresses smoothly," notes Keisu. A close collaboration is important precisely because the things that need to be coordinated are highlighted in time and a solution to them is found together. Cooperation across national borders requires clear communication between the parties to be able to solve the common challenges that emerged during the project.​

Haparanda railway station​

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The construction at Tornio railway station led to changes to road traffic​ The construction at Tornio railway station began with preparatory work at the end of 2023. At the beginning of 2024, the work could continue and in March the work was already in full swing at Perämerentie [the E8 highway] in Tornio. In the contract, work is carried out on two railway bridges that cross the Perämerentie [E8]. One railway bridge, which is closer to Sweden, is completely demolished while the other railway bridge is renovated. In March, the repair work on the bridges led to sustainable traffic changes on Perämerentie [E8], which is a main route from Tornio to Sweden. Due to the repair works, a height restriction was established for Perämerentie and vehicles over 3.8 meters were directed to a detour. The height restriction has brought challenges, as several oversized trucks have gotten stuck in the underpass and caused traffic jams. The traffic arrangements have been improved and an effort has been made to make the routing of the traffic clearer. The signs have been extended further to allow drivers of tall vehicles to better notice the detour signs and to prevent the vehicles from getting stuck in the measuring gates installed on the construction site. "In April, we were also able to start the changes the work requires on the tracks in terms of superstructure and safety device works at Tornio railway station. In the spring, work continues with substructure and superstructure works as well as safety devices on the tracks to be renewed. During the summer, they also start building a new passenger platform ", says Aleksi Romppainen, project manager for the contractor Kreate.​

Changes to the traffic arrangements on Perämerentie [E8] in Tornio​

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Towards completing the entire project​ What else will happen in 2024? The project still has work to do, but the end is looming at the end of 2024. Work has progressed according to the timetable. This year, another contract will be started on the Swedish side at Haparanda railway station, but the other major construction contracts have already started or been completed. Until the end of the year, the work on expanding the Torne River railway bridge, the electrification contract for the Laurila–Tornio–Haparanda track section and the work on the Tornio railway station will also be completed. "The work has progressed well according to the timetable and no major delays or obstacles have occurred. In its entirety, the project work will be completed according to the timetable before the end of this year", explains project manager Terhi Honkarinta about how the work is progressing.​

Tornio station​

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What's happening in brief​ • The construction of the new switchgear space at Tornio railway station will be completed in autumn 2024. • The construction at Tornio railway station is ongoing and will continue until the end of 2024. The work will continue until the autumn on the railway bridges over Perämerentie [E8] in Tornio and the changes to the traffic arrangements will continue until the end of October. • Work on expanding the railway bridge over the Torne river is ongoing and will continue until autumn 2024. • At Haparanda railway station, work will begin in the summer of 2024. • The electrification contract from Laurila to Haparanda is progressing towards Haparanda at the end of 2024.

 

[doc7austin]

Thank you for the update.
Based on what I am reading - I do not think we will see any public passenger trains, operating between Tornio and Haparanda from December 2024.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Thank you for the update.
Based on what I am reading - I do not think we will see any public passenger trains, operating between Tornio and Haparanda from December 2024.

It’s tough to predict. The last time anyone from VR spoke about it, they were clear that they wanted the Finnish government to step in and procure traffic. I don’t know how far along that process is.