Finland restores Sweden passenger rail link after 38 years
What's new: The twice-daily Oulu-Haparanda service reconnects Finland to Europe's rail network, with transfers south to Stockholm and beyond.
A new passenger rail service between Finland and Sweden began operating on Aug. 10, restoring cross-border train travel for the first time since 1988. The twice-daily route runs from Oulu in northern Finland to Haparanda in Sweden in about 100 minutes, following Finland's west coast before crossing the border at Tornio. The link lets travelers continue by train through Sweden and onward into continental Europe, creating a route from northern Finland to southern Europe. Passengers must change trains in Haparanda because Finland's track gauge is wider than the European standard, a legacy of its time under the Russian Empire. Finland is now working to align its rail gauge with the European standard.