After 38 years: Trains Run Again Between Finland and Sweden in the North

On Monday, the first passenger trains were once again able to roll across the border between Finland and Sweden in the north, after more than 30 years. 

The first train towards Sweden departed in the early hours of Monday morning from Oulu, the largest city in Northern Finland, and ended in the Northern Swedish border town of Haparanda.

Going forward, there will be two daily departures in each direction between Oulu and Haparanda, and the trains include stops in the Finnish border town of Tornio and, among other places, Kemi. The journey takes about one hour and 40 minutes. 

Several decades of pause

The opening of passenger train services between Oulu, Tornio and Haparanda follows a new traffic agreement between the Finnish railway company VR and the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, and has mainly been made possible through Finnish state funding in addition to contributions from municipalities in the region. 

"The last VR train over the boarder operated in 1988 and SJ’s in 1992. After a long wait, the return of rail traffic on this route has been met with great enthusiasm," says VR’s Director for New Traffic, Juho Hannukainen, to High North News.

Great opportunities

"Yesterday’s inaugural journey attracted many rail enthusiasts, as well as passengers travelling to Sweden for work or leisure – some all the way from Helsinki with a night train," he adds.

After several decades on hold, parts of the route have now been electrified, making it possible to travel by electric train all the way from Helsinki to Haparanda, writes the Swedish publication Järnväger.

"By linking Swedish and Finnish train services, we are creating new opportunities for people to travel, work, study and visit one another across the border. At the same time, we are strengthening conditions for business and tourism throughout the region," emphasises CEO Joakim Berg of Sweden’s Norrtåg to Järnväger. 

The start of cross-border passenger train services is also an important factor in improving the connectivity of the cities of Tornio, Oulu and Haparanda, state Mayor Jukka Kujala in Tornio, Mayor Ari Alatossava in Oulu and Regional Manager Sari Moisanen of Sea Lapland in a joint press release. 

"The track connection is very significant regionally, as it will improve connections from Northern Finland to Sweden as well as to Norway," they continue. 

Different track gauges

Sweden and Finland have different railway track gauges, and the track gauge on the Finnish rail network is 90 millimetres wider than the European standard used in both Norway and Sweden. 

In the border area of Haparanda and Tornio in the north, however, the Finnish and Swedish railway networks are connected through the Tornionjoki railway bridge. There, rail traffic runs on an overlapping track that enables the use of both track gauges, according to the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.

In the Swedish town of Haparanda, a change of train is required for onward travel within Sweden, and the regional railway company Norrtåg operates services to, among other places, the university town of Luleå on the north Swedish coast. But here too, measures are being reported to improve connections in the future.

"The Finnish government and the municipalities in the region made the decision to launch and fund the [cross border, ed. note] service only last winter, by which time the Swedish timetables had already been finalized. We are working closely with Norrtåg, and as early as this autumn, passengers will have more transfer options available. When the new timetable period begins in December, the connections will improve even further," Hannukainen at VR tells HNN. 

Planning for European standard

As HNN has reported previously, a process is also under way in Finland to change the track gauge on the railway in Northern Finland to the European standard. 

The conversion has become even more relevant with Sweden and Finland's accession to NATO, and will connect the country more closely to its neighbouring countries and, among other things, support military mobility. 

In May 2026, the Finnish government announced that it has chosen to prioritise the project, which goes by the name Rail Nordica. Initially, this concerns planning a European standard track gauge between the northern Finnish towns of Tornio and Kemi. 

“A well-functioning transport infrastructure is part of Finland’s comprehensive security. Northern cross-border connections are critical not only for the Nordic countries but also for the EU and NATO. These connections must be efficient under all circumstances," emphasized Transport Minister Ranne in an earlier press release.