Stockholm to Narvik, maybe Helsinki, on an Interrail.

shredder1 · 14 Aug 2022

Hi Guys

Im interrail on wednesday flying into Goteborg, then train to Stockholm, hoping to get a train up to Narvik, not sure if I have to book in advance, not bothered about a bed, think one leaves after 21.00, I then wanted to go back into Helsinki, but not sure if a rail connection exists? Ive read through Seat 61 etc, so do have some information. Its my first time in Sweden, but have done Denmark and Helsinki before, are reservations compulsory in Sweden/Norway? any information would be most helpful, ideally from someone who has travelled the regions recently, many thanks in advance.

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D6130 · 14 Aug 2022

Yes, reservations are compulsory on long distance trains in Sweden and Norway. You could book them on the appropriate railways' websites.

30907 · 14 Aug 2022

Re Helsinki - the rail "connection" is via Haparanda-Tornio or vv. Not sure of its current status but @jamesontheroad probably knows.

dutchflyer · 14 Aug 2022

again: many posts and already answered on community.eurail.com
ALL these trains have mandatory REServations and the bad news is it seems this summer there is reported very high demand for all Swedish trains-often booked solid a few days advance. Plus the scarcity of trains going up north makes no viable alternatives. To Narvik-and back same way is rather a costly extra with not much really to see. To have a glimpse of Norway better go Göteborg-Oslo-STO. Reservations are easily done via sj.se-use the extra discount PRIO and click on interrail. It will ask for pass-cover-nr-this is I+ 8 digits-they do not check, but now this nr can be asked for at the interrail site if you hold the mobile pass.
There is also a missing link between Haparanda and Tornea -from there only not daily 1 VR FInnish overnight train to Helsinki-or bus it to next town-for more connections.

Gloster · 14 Aug 2022

A quick look at the Norrtåg timetable suggests there are three trains a day from Boden to Haparanda. It is then a walk to Tornio-Itäinen, whence the only southbound departure is late at night.

The Stockholm-Narvik trains are likely to be busy, even though you are over the peak domestic holiday period. (I think.)

There was a thread on Tornio recently. Try searching for the most recent entries for Haparanda.

rvdborgt · 14 Aug 2022

D6130 said:
Yes, reservations are compulsory on long distance trains in Sweden and Norway. You could book them on the appropriate railways' websites.

Interrail reservations to Narvik can be booked on sj.se.
Interrail reservations for Norway cannot be booked on any Norwegian website. The Interrail website can book them but then wants to send them via the post for an extra €9 (on top of the 2€ booking fee per person and train). That means they're best booked by phone via Entur. If you create an account there before calling them, then you just need to give them your account number and you'll get reservations by mail.
Also note that 1st class reservations in Norway are free of charge when booked via Entur (either by phone or at one of their 5 ticket offices).

shredder1 · 14 Aug 2022

D6130 said:
Yes, reservations are compulsory on long distance trains in Sweden and Norway. You could book them on the appropriate railways' websites.

OK thank you, I may be able to book them via my Interrail mobile app then.

30907 said:
Re Helsinki - the rail "connection" is via Haparanda-Tornio or vv. Not sure of its current status but @jamesontheroad probably knows.

Thank you, I cant seem to see a connection on my map.

dutchflyer said:
again: many posts and already answered on community.eurail.com
ALL these trains have mandatory REServations and the bad news is it seems this summer there is reported very high demand for all Swedish trains-often booked solid a few days advance. Plus the scarcity of trains going up north makes no viable alternatives. To Narvik-and back same way is rather a costly extra with not much really to see. To have a glimpse of Norway better go Göteborg-Oslo-STO. Reservations are easily done via sj.se-use the extra discount PRIO and click on interrail. It will ask for pass-cover-nr-this is I+ 8 digits-they do not check, but now this nr can be asked for at the interrail site if you hold the mobile pass.
There is also a missing link between Haparanda and Tornea -from there only not daily 1 VR FInnish overnight train to Helsinki-or bus it to next town-for more connections.

OK thank you, thats useful to know

rvdborgt · 14 Aug 2022

shredder1 said:
OK thank you, I may be able to book them via my Interrail mobile app then.

The Interrail app does not offer that possibility. It just forwards to some of the websites where you can book reservations, including Interrail's own website. That website is always my last choice because it charges more (sometimes much more) and sometimes only offers paper reservations (which have to be sent via the post for an extra fee of 9€), whereas the operators often offer electronic reservations.

shredder1 · 14 Aug 2022

Gloster said:
A quick look at the Norrtåg timetable suggests there are three trains a day from Boden to Haparanda. It is then a walk to Tornio-Itäinen, whence the only southbound departure is late at night.

The Stockholm-Narvik trains are likely to be busy, even though you are over the peak domestic holiday period. (I think.)

There was a thread on Tornio recently. Try searching for the most recent entries for Haparanda.

Thank you, Ill search that

rvdborgt said:
The Interrail app does not offer that possibility. It just forwards to some of the websites where you can book reservations, including Interrail's own website. That website is always my last choice because it charges more (sometimes much more) and sometimes only offers paper reservations (which have to be sent via the post for an extra fee of 9€), whereas the operators often offer electronic reservations.

Thanks thats good advice.

rvdborgt said:
Interrail reservations to Narvik can be booked on sj.se.
Interrail reservations for Norway cannot be booked on any Norwegian website. The Interrail website can book them but then wants to send them via the post for an extra €9 (on top of the 2€ booking fee per person and train). That means they're best booked by phone via Entur. If you create an account there before calling them, then you just need to give them your account number and you'll get reservations by mail.
Also note that 1st class reservations in Norway are free of charge when booked via Entur (either by phone or at one of their 5 ticket offices).

OK thank you, Ill be travelling from Stockholm to Narvic, so Ill get my reservation from the ticket office then, there is no line from Oslo to Narvic, apparently its a bus a ferry, but if I can get up there, Ill try to get back to Oslo using those services.

JonasB · 14 Aug 2022

shredder1 said:
Thank you, I cant seem to see a connection on my map.

Technically there might not be a connection as no passenger trains cross the border. But there are Swedish trains to Haparanda, a couple of regional trains per day. And some days there are Finnish night trains to Helsinki that stop at Torneå East. Two stations within walking distance, or a short taxi ride.

shredder1 said:
OK thank you, Ill be travelling from Stockholm to Narvic, so Ill get my reservation from the ticket office then, there is no line from Oslo to Narvic, apparently its a bus a ferry, but if I can get up there, Ill try to get back to Oslo using those services.

Correct. The rail line to Narvik (note the spelling) is not connected to the rest of the Norwegian network, so all the trains to and from Narvik go via Sweden.

D6130 · 14 Aug 2022

shredder1 said:
OK thank you, Ill be travelling from Stockholm to Narvic, so Ill get my reservation from the ticket office then, there is no line from Oslo to Narvic, apparently its a bus a ferry, but if I can get up there, Ill try to get back to Oslo using those services.

I believe you can travel by bus from Narvik to Fauske and then by train to Oslo via Trondheim, but I'm open to correction as always.

JonasB · 14 Aug 2022

D6130 said:
I believe you can travel by bus from Narvik to Fauske and then by train to Oslo via Trondheim, but I'm open to correction as always.

No need for correction.

The exile · 14 Aug 2022

JonasB said:
No need for correction.

Did that on my first Interrail just over 30 years ago. Was not really looking forward to a long bus ride, but wouldn't have missed it for worlds - fantastic scenery - far better than anything I remember from the train ride from Stockholm to Narvik (a lot of which was, admittedly, overnight!)

Gloster · 14 Aug 2022

You have the choice of either an early morning bus from Narvik, day train from Fauske and night train from Trondheim, or afternoon bus to Fauske, night train to Trondheim and day train on. (I think that is still the pattern.) You miss one lot of magnificent scenery unless you overnight in Trondheim.

shredder1 · 15 Aug 2022

JonasB said:
Technically there might not be a connection as no passenger trains cross the border. But there are Swedish trains to Haparanda, a couple of regional trains per day. And some days there are Finnish night trains to Helsinki that stop at Torneå East. Two stations within walking distance, or a short taxi ride.

Correct. The rail line to Narvik (note the spelling) is not connected to the rest of the Norwegian network, so all the trains to and from Narvik go via Sweden.

Thank you, yes I thought so.

The exile said:
Did that on my first Interrail just over 30 years ago. Was not really looking forward to a long bus ride, but wouldn't have missed it for worlds - fantastic scenery - far better than anything I remember from the train ride from Stockholm to Narvik (a lot of which was, admittedly, overnight!)

I must try it then, thank you

Gloster said:
You have the choice of either an early morning bus from Narvik, day train from Fauske and night train from Trondheim, or afternoon bus to Fauske, night train to Trondheim and day train on. (I think that is still the pattern.) You miss one lot of magnificent scenery unless you overnight in Trondheim.

Sounds good, thank you, I do fancy that

Thank you very much for all your input guys, Im quite excited now, only two more sleeps, Im out for 8 days, so once Ive been to the top and back, I may leave Finland this trip, as Ive been to Helsinki before anyway, Ill probably drop into Denmark and try to catch up with some Nohabs, anyone know where the best location would be for these, I saw a few in a siding, possibly withdrawn a few year ago while passing on the train from Copenhagen to Hamburg, but the location slips my mind?

Gloster · 15 Aug 2022

I think that the Roundnoses are almost entirely used for engineering trains, stock transfers, etc., so there is no place that they are guaranteed to appear. It is possible that the Midtjyske Jernbaner still uses them on goods trains to Rønland, but when I last heard these were irregular. The ones in a siding were probably at Padborg, but I don’t know if they are still there.

JonasB · 15 Aug 2022

Gloster said:
I think that the Roundnoses are almost entirely used for engineering trains, stock transfers, etc., so there is no place that they are guaranteed to appear.

I honestly thing the best place in Denmark to see them is the railway museum in Odense. But MZs are still in use I believe. But you can still find some roundnoses in Sweden.

Gloster · 15 Aug 2022

DB Cargo Scandinavia still has five or six MZ IV, but I don’t think that they are concentrated anywhere nowadays.

jamesontheroad · 15 Aug 2022

Late to the thread, thanks for the mention @30907. It sounds like a great trip.

I live near Umeå around 64°N. So depending which train you take you will probably be asleep when you roll past my place

However, a few important comments.

Sweden's rail system has had a terrible summer, with surging demand for train travel, heightened demand because of this year's Interrail deals, and the usual reduction of services in the summertime due to the Swedish culture of taking long summer holidays in one block. SJ, Vy and many other rail operators have struggled to roster train drivers and crew even for the reduced summer timetable.

However today is the first day back at work for many Swedes, and most rail and bus systems are ramping back up to normal schedules.

However, many many many long distance trains into and in Sweden have been fully booked for weeks. If at any point in your trip you find yourself unable to get a reservation (and I really do recommend a private compartment on the night trains, it's worth the comfort and the better sleep quality) remember that as suggested up-thread you can piece together an itinerary using local trains. It is quite possible to travel across Sweden only using local trains, and these are always unreserved. You will have to make many more changes and you won't have such good on board dining options (but often coffee from the conductor's kiosk), but you will have a lot more freedom. This is also the only way to travel with a bicycle by train in Sweden: SJ and other long distance operators don't accept bicycles.

Regarding Haparanda / Tornio... there are three trains a day from Luleå and/or Boden to Haparanda. If you are coming from the south you can change in Boden. Haparanda station is technically capable of a cross-platform interchange between Swedish and Finnish trains, but that will still take a few more years. When you arrive in Haparanda, you can walk to Tornio-itäinen station in about 30-60 minutes, depending on your mobility. There is only limited service: namely the less-than-daily night train between Kolari and Helsinki, which goes south in the evening and north in the morning. Alternatively, you need to walk across the border and head towards the centre of Tornio to catch a bus towards Kemi or Oulu. (Most of these buses start here, not the fancier Haparanda-Tornio bus station on the Swedish side of the border). There are many many different small private bus companies in Finland, but most can be booked through the Matkahuolto website.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

XAM2175 · 15 Aug 2022

JonasB said:
I honestly thing the best place in Denmark to see them is the railway museum in Odense. But MZs are still in use I believe. But you can still find some roundnoses in Sweden.

Gloster said:
DB Cargo Scandinavia still has five or six MZ IV, but I don’t think that they are concentrated anywhere nowadays.

There's a thrice-weekly run for the steel plant at Frederiksværk that usually runs via Helsingør with a DB MZ, but I don't have the timings to hand.

A number of MXs and MYs are still in service with smaller operators too (ContecRail being one), but these travel all over the place on odd jobs. It might be helpful to check with Danish sources, like the jernbanen.dk forum.

rf_ioliver · 15 Aug 2022

JonasB said:
Technically there might not be a connection as no passenger trains cross the border. But there are Swedish trains to Haparanda, a couple of regional trains per day. And some days there are Finnish night trains to Helsinki that stop at Torneå East. Two stations within walking distance, or a short taxi ride.

The night trains run from Torneå East, but you're probably better off getting a bus to Kemi which sees a much better service (relatively) depending upon how much time you want to spend in Torneå

Timetables here: https://assets.ctfassets.net/gshi3w...ulutaulukot_15-08-2022_10-12-2022_v220610.pdf

You want the Kolari-Helsinki timetable. *CHECK* the running days for the night train, hence the recommendation to head to Kemi which is the junction for the Kolari and Rovaniemi/Kemijärvi lines. Alternatively head on to Oulu for a much larger city slightly further south

Edit: link to the timetable page here: https://www.vr.fi/en/timetables

Tim M · 15 Aug 2022

You could try booking through Ffestiniog Travel, many years of experience with selling tickets across Europe and further afield.

Ticket Only - Ffestiniog Travel

Ffestiniog Travel's ticketing department prides itself on being a one stop shop for rail journeys throughout Europe.

www.ffestiniogtravel.com

Gloster · 15 Aug 2022

I am no longer up to date with things, but I would think that there is one MZ based east of the Store Bælt, probably at Ringsted, while the rest are most likely based on Fredericia. The private lines’ locos, other than the Midtjyske’s two, are most likely to be used on engineering trains or spot hires.

Flying Snail · 15 Aug 2022

Swedish trains can be booked for interrail reservations at sj.se

Interrail reservations for Norway can't be booked online and Finland only through the interrail website with reservations sent very slowly by post.

Finland is particularly irritating as they run trains without mandatory reservations but do not use internal displays or tickets so there is no way of knowing which seats are reserved.

shredder1 · 15 Aug 2022

Gloster said:
I think that the Roundnoses are almost entirely used for engineering trains, stock transfers, etc., so there is no place that they are guaranteed to appear. It is possible that the Midtjyske Jernbaner still uses them on goods trains to Rønland, but when I last heard these were irregular. The ones in a siding were probably at Padborg, but I don’t know if they are still there.

Ah thank you, yes Padborg rings a bell,

rf_ioliver said:
The night trains run from Torneå East, but you're probably better off getting a bus to Kemi which sees a much better service (relatively) depending upon how much time you want to spend in Torneå

Timetables here: https://assets.ctfassets.net/gshi3w...ulutaulukot_15-08-2022_10-12-2022_v220610.pdf

You want the Kolari-Helsinki timetable. *CHECK* the running days for the night train, hence the recommendation to head to Kemi which is the junction for the Kolari and Rovaniemi/Kemijärvi lines. Alternatively head on to Oulu for a much larger city slightly further south

Edit: link to the timetable page here: https://www.vr.fi/en/timetables

Oh thats great, yes I noticed a link around Kemi, so your information falls in great, thank you.

JonasB said:
I honestly thing the best place in Denmark to see them is the railway museum in Odense. But MZs are still in use I believe. But you can still find some roundnoses in Sweden.

Ill check the railway museum out, Odense thank you

jamesontheroad said:
Late to the thread, thanks for the mention @30907. It sounds like a great trip.

I live near Umeå around 64°N. So depending which train you take you will probably be asleep when you roll past my place

However, a few important comments.

Sweden's rail system has had a terrible summer, with surging demand for train travel, heightened demand because of this year's Interrail deals, and the usual reduction of services in the summertime due to the Swedish culture of taking long summer holidays in one block. SJ, Vy and many other rail operators have struggled to roster train drivers and crew even for the reduced summer timetable.

However today is the first day back at work for many Swedes, and most rail and bus systems are ramping back up to normal schedules.

However, many many many long distance trains into and in Sweden have been fully booked for weeks. If at any point in your trip you find yourself unable to get a reservation (and I really do recommend a private compartment on the night trains, it's worth the comfort and the better sleep quality) remember that as suggested up-thread you can piece together an itinerary using local trains. It is quite possible to travel across Sweden only using local trains, and these are always unreserved. You will have to make many more changes and you won't have such good on board dining options (but often coffee from the conductor's kiosk), but you will have a lot more freedom. This is also the only way to travel with a bicycle by train in Sweden: SJ and other long distance operators don't accept bicycles.

Regarding Haparanda / Tornio... there are three trains a day from Luleå and/or Boden to Haparanda. If you are coming from the south you can change in Boden. Haparanda station is technically capable of a cross-platform interchange between Swedish and Finnish trains, but that will still take a few more years. When you arrive in Haparanda, you can walk to Tornio-itäinen station in about 30-60 minutes, depending on your mobility. There is only limited service: namely the less-than-daily night train between Kolari and Helsinki, which goes south in the evening and north in the morning. Alternatively, you need to walk across the border and head towards the centre of Tornio to catch a bus towards Kemi or Oulu. (Most of these buses start here, not the fancier Haparanda-Tornio bus station on the Swedish side of the border). There are many many different small private bus companies in Finland, but most can be booked through the Matkahuolto website.

Good luck and enjoy your trip.

Thank you so much, Ill mail you

Cloud Strife · 15 Aug 2022

JonasB said:
I honestly thing the best place in Denmark to see them is the railway museum in Odense.

I've been there a few days ago. A fantastic place, with really knowledgeable staff who were happy to answer my questions.

shredder1 · 15 Aug 2022

Cloud Strife said:
I've been there a few days ago. A fantastic place, with really knowledgeable staff who were happy to answer my questions.

Good stuff, looking forward to it.

Flying Snail said:
Swedish trains can be booked for interrail reservations at sj.se

Interrail reservations for Norway can't be booked online and Finland only through the interrail website with reservations sent very slowly by post.

Finland is particularly irritating as they run trains without mandatory reservations but do not use internal displays or tickets so there is no way of knowing which seats are reserved.

Thanks for the link, Ive been on the site but cant seem to work out how to book a reservation only on an interrail ticket, it just seems to insist on selling me a ticket, Im trying to book on the 21.15 night train??

Flying Snail · 15 Aug 2022

shredder1 said:
Good stuff, looking forward to it.

Thanks for the link, Ive been on the site but cant seem to work out how to book a reservation only on an interrail ticket, it just seems to insist on selling me a ticket, Im trying to book on the 21.15 night train??

search journey - click on adult 1 - Add SJ prio - card category interrail-eurail - add in pass number then it will show you the prices for IR reservations instead of full fare.

shredder1 · 15 Aug 2022

Flying Snail said:
search journey - click on adult 1 - Add SJ prio - card category interrail-eurail - add in pass number then it will show you the prices for IR reservations instead of full fare.

Ah good stuff thank you

ricohallo · 16 Aug 2022

Flying Snail said:
Finland is particularly irritating as they run trains without mandatory reservations but do not use internal displays or tickets so there is no way of knowing which seats are reserved.

I recall using the Finnish ticket machines to see which seats were reserved before boarding a train. I'm pretty sure they had a seat selection option showing the occupied seats! Maybe the VR website has this as well.

Stockholm to Narvik, maybe Helsinki, on an Interrail.

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