Finland and Sweden Reopen Rail Link After Forty Years

Sun Sep 06 2026 10:47:17 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

First rail link between Finland and Sweden opens after decades, reviving cross-border train travel.

A brand‑new passenger train service has started running between Finland’s Oulu and Sweden’s Haparanda, marking the first rail connection across the two countries in nearly forty years. The double‑decker train departs early Monday morning, crossing the Torne River amid cheers from locals. The route, suspended in the late 1980s and early 1990s because of low demand and differing track gauges, now runs twice daily and takes about 100 minutes along Finland’s west coast. Train operators are adjusting to the European standard gauge, and the service opens up a longer journey stretching from Portugal to Finland’s Kolari station, a potential 5,000‑km rail trip. Finnish transport officials herald the service as a sign of growing cooperation and a new renaissance for European rail travel.

Finland and Sweden Reopen Rail Link After Forty Years

A brand‑new passenger train service has started running between Finland’s Oulu and Sweden’s Haparanda, marking the first rail connection across the two countries in nearly forty years.

At 05:00 local time (04:00 BST) on Monday, a double‑decker train departed Oulu’s coastal station, its wheels chugging across the Menlies Marera border and past lush Finnish landscapes. The journey across the Torne River was greeted by waves of Finnish and Swedish flags, as crowds welcomed the inaugural crossing.

The service had been suspended between 1988 and 1992 because passenger numbers were low and track gauges between Finland and the European network differed. Finland still uses a wider gauge inherited from its time in the Russian Duchy, but the country is now converting its tracks to the standard European gauge to re‑enable cross‑border running.

The new twice‑daily journey takes approximately 100 minutes as it hugs Finland’s west coast before crossing into Sweden. Passengers arriving at Haparanda will need to transfer onto a different train for onward journeys south. Railway authorities consider this service as a critical link, enabling a potential 5,000‑km rail route from Portugal’s Algarve to Finland’s northernmost station at Kolari. It also opens up the possibility of a 24‑hour train ride between Helsinki and Stockholm.

Finnish transport minister M. Pekka Hänninen said the return of the cross‑border service showcases growing cooperation “all the time”. Elisa Markula, CEO of state‑owned VR, expressed optimism that the service will kick‑start a renaissance in European train travel, noting strong increases in Finland’s passenger numbers.