Narvik to Kiruna 6 August

[SteelWeelApeal]

Hi everyone.

I‘m needing to travel from Narvik to Kiruna on the afternoon train on the 6th August, for a flight the next day. However, for the three days from 4 to the 6, this doesn’t seem to be possible. On every other day it shows two trains a day (and I’ve successfully booked the sleeper up from Stockholm on 22 July), but not for these three days.

Is this likely to change? Are there planned engineering works (and possibly a link to info about these)? If so, is there likely to be a replacement bus? If not, what’s the best way to get to Kiruna from Narvik without a car?
Many thanks, any help would be appreciated.

 

[Gloster]

I have to say that having fought my way through the horribly designed websites, I can’t find anything on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6. It definitely looks very doubtful, but I can’t find out why.


EDIT: I finally managed to find my way by a convoluted route to some information the .vy.se site that says that some trains over the line will be cancelled in August. They don’t give any hint as to which ones.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

After the derailment earlier in the year, which caused extensive damage, they have been giving priority to getting the iron ore traffic moving again. The passenger service seems to get cancelled at short notice much to the consternation of the locals and tourist trade. There doesn't appear to be any RRB unfortunately.

 

[nwales58]

I was up there earlier this month.

Short version: on Vy you only have certainty when the train is bookable. Even when there are non-bookable preliminary times they can change or vanish.

Some days in the week of 06/06 only became bookable, and almost immediately full, only in the week beforehand.

On the day performance is awful. Vy turned its Lulea-Björkliden at Gällivare to form the return service and dumped its passengers into the 2 coach Norrtag X52 I was on then bussed them from Kiruna onwards to Abisko and beyond.

Re: engineering work, infrastructure is Trafikverket. Their works announcements currently show nothing for rail in Norrbotten, see

Trafikinformation textmeddelanden - www.trafikverket.se

www.trafikverket.se

There were interesting goings-on in Kiruna station car park with a lad taking bookings and card payments then cars turning up to pick groups up. No idea whether it was local taxi or further afield.

There are 2 buses a day from Riksgränsen to Kiruna, route 91, see

Hitta din tidtabell

lanstrafikennorrbotten.se

but nothing I am aware of on the Norwegian side.

How about a fallback plan replacing the flight? Although Evenes isn't exactly well served by buses it's more certain than Vy on Malmbanan at present!

 

[SteelWeelApeal]

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like it shouldn‘t be relied on. Originally flights for Evenes were far more expensive, but looking now, they’ve drastically reduced. I think I will try to rebook the flights from there.

 

[nwales58]

And check there is a connecting bus from Narvik, reisnordland.no is the region's journey planner. E.g. the evening Bodo arrival seemed to have a 2 hour wait for a bus so I didn't use it.