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Narvik to Northern Finland

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gordonthemoron

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Hi

Anyone done this? Seems that I need to get the train to Boden in Sweden and then a Bus into Finland to eventually connect with a train to Helsinki.

Anyone got a better idea?
 
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On went as far as Kiruna (Sweden) from Narvik. Beautiful line the Ofotenbanen.
 

Squaddie

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Hi

Anyone done this? Seems that I need to get the train to Boden in Sweden and then a Bus into Finland to eventually connect with a train to Helsinki.

Anyone got a better idea?
Unfortunately the line from Boden to the Finnish border has been closed to passenger traffic so, yes, you need to get a bus from Boden (or, perhaps, Luleå) to Haparanda/Tornio to connect with a train to Helsinki.

The line from Narvik to Kiruna is spectacular. (I haven't travelled that route since 1981, but I doubt it's lost its appeal).
 

rf_ioliver

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Bus I'm afraid, no idea of the timings. The nearest railway station with frequent services to the Swedish border is Kemi, here's the timetable:

http://www.vr.fi/attachments/aikataulut/kotimaanliikenne/newfolder_23/5s7RLdLSf/Kemi.pdf

Look for the section marked Pohjoiseen with trains to Rovaniemi and/or Kemijärvi.

There is another station: Tornio-Itäinen which really is just over the border from Haaparanda, here's the timetable:

http://www.vr.fi/attachments/aikataulut/kotimaanliikenne/newfolder_23/5s7Y0Jc3X/Tornio-itainen.pdf

However this line basically carries the overnight trains to Kolari from Helsinki so service is limited.

Alternatively you could travel down to Umeå and then ferry to Vaasa, from there train to Seinajoki and then north to Lapland

If you let me know either via forum or PM, I can give you some help regarding train travel in Finland,

t.

Ian
 

Woodburner

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It's very unfortunate that there's no rail link between Finland and Sweden. Tornio (Fin) and Haaparanta (S) are practically growing to one unity and should be tied together with (passanger carrying) rails, too.

If traveling south from the aforementioned area, why not take the eastern route via Kontiomäki, Kajaani, Pieksämäki etc. More lakes and more to see than on the Bothnia route.
 

QJ

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I managed to travel by train from Boden to Tornio and then onto Kemi just before the service was withdrawn (though not without incident as the train from Stockholm to Narvik was three hours late so I got taxi'd to Tornio from Happaranda as the VR DMU had not waited. I had to go back to travel across the border by train - fortunately there was a long lay over at Tornio for the Kemi service).

Last time I did the journey I caught a bus from Luleå to Tornio then another to Kemi in order to catch the train to Helsinki. During the summer months when the motorrail train runs to Kolari from Helsinki and return it is possible to catch that train at Tornio North (or was - not checked this for this year).

For anyone interested there is a railtour advertised to run from Boden to Happaranda/Tornio this summer (I think it is around the 1st September) with a Desperate Railtours charter around the Kiruna area linked with it should anyone be interested in riding some rare Northern Sweden track for passenger trains.
 
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