Malmo - Stockholm - Boden - Narvik (and vv) by Night Trains

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hej Richard!

Ususally the timetable change in Sweden is at end of June; you can have a look at current timetables at [u]http://flickr.com/gp/101593377@N07/277nMm/[/u] (unfortunately 2014 timetables are not online yet; I would therefore still be careful with the informations of ÖBB for next year).
Have a look at this document which contains timings and running dates for all trains in 2014: [u]http://www.trafikverket.se/PageFiles/132255/taglista_utkast_t14.xlsx[/u] (1st column: train number; 2nd c: running dates; 3rd/6th c: dep/arr time; 4th/5th c: dep/arr station; CST = Stockholm C, LE = Lulea, NO.NK = Narvik)


Flo 8)

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Oh, since I am currently updating Finnish night train informations and timetables: If possible, try to include a trip with a night train in Finland as well - definitely worth it! Peter and I travelled from Helsinki to Kemi this summer and really enjoyed the trip. You could then include also the Stockholm - Turku/Helsinki ferry, which would be possible overnight as well.

Peter
Traveller
9333 comments

I really love the Finish night trains...! :)

ardeeay
Traveller
99 comments

Hi Flo and Peter

Thanks for the info. I will just have to wait and check when new timetables for Sweden become available.

Earlier this year I took the Turku-Stockholm night ferry and really enjoyed the trip. It arrived early enough into Stockholm to have a very full day in Stockholm before catching the SJ night train to Mamlo.

I did look into the trip from Helsinki to Roveniemi then Kemi-Lulea and Narvik but couldn’t fit that into my six weeks then either!

I haven't yet been on a Finnish night train and unfortunately I don’t think I will have the time to fit it in this coming year. Maybe on a later journey?

My itinerary for the Summer Solstice period is shown below. As you can see it is dependent on the Swedish June 2014 timetables being the same or similar to the May timetables.


Copenhagen-Malmo-Stockholm-Boden-Narvik and return to Malmo

Day 21 Thursday 19 June
Day in Copenhagen (11:45)

  Koebenhavn H 19.06.2014 dep 21:52    
    Malmö Central   arr 22:26      
   
THIS TIMETABLE IS FOR MAY 2014 (LATER DATES NOT YET RELEASED)
  Malmö Central 08.05.2014 dep 22:37    
    Stockholm Central 09.05.2014 arr 06:09      

Day 22 Friday 20 June
Day in Stockholm (11:46)

THIS TIMETABLE IS FOR MAY 2014 (LATER DATES NOT YET RELEASED)
  Stockholm Central 09.05.2014 dep 17:55    
    Boden Centralstation 10.05.2014 arr 05:52      
   
Day 23 Saturday 21 June
Part Day in Boden (5:16)

THIS TIMETABLE IS FOR MAY 2014 (LATER DATES NOT YET RELEASED)
  Boden Centralstation 10.05.2014 dep 11:08    
    Narvik   arr 17:56      
   
SUMMER SOLSTICE (SUMMER) JUNE 21 2014 10:51 GMT.

Day 24 Sunday 22 June
Parts of two days in Narvik (16:47)

THIS TIMETABLE IS FOR MAY 2014 (LATER DATES NOT YET RELEASED)

  Narvik 11.05.2014 dep 10:43    
    Boden Centralstation   arr 17:29      
   
THIS TIMETABLE IS FOR MAY 2014 (LATER DATES NOT YET RELEASED)
  Boden Centralstation 11.05.2014 dep 17:45    
    Stockholm Central 12.05.2014 arr 06:30      
   
Day 25 Monday 23 June
Day in Stockholm (14:55)

THIS TIMETABLE IS FOR MAY 2014 (LATER DATES NOT YET RELEASED)
  Stockholm Central 12.05.2014 dep 21:25    
    Malmö Central 13.05.2014 arr 05:45      
   
Day 26 Tuesday 24 June
Day in Malmo /Copenhagen (12:08 total)


Best Wishes to you both (and to all other railccs)

Richard

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Humm...well, with the current timetable it would be possible to include a trip with a Finnish night train like this:

1) Stockholm and night ferry to Helsinki
2) Helsinki dep 1852 to Kemi
3) 0627 arr Kemi dep 0705 - 0650 arr Haparanda dep 0650 - 0945 arr Lulea dep 1010 - 1812 arr Narvik

Two days longer than the direct route... :|
But have a look at the pictures of the night train: [u]https://rail.cc/en/night-train/helsinki-rovaniemi-p-273/171[/u] If you dont know them yet. ;)

About your initial route...personally I would prefer to stay in Gällivare or Kiruna instead of Boden...I think in both these cities there is more to do/see than in Boden. Although for just a few hours Kiruna probably is even the better choice than Gällivare. Another option could be Abisko to just enjoy the beautiful scenery.
I also uploaded a few pics of this route: [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/stockholm-to-narvik[/u]

ardeeay
Traveller
99 comments

Hej Flo

Thanks for your thoughts and the links to your photos. It all makes me very envious of you Europeans when I think how easy it is for you to get to all these places instead of sitting on two or three aircraft for 24-36++ hours.

The Finnish night trains do look pretty good. Much the same standard as the double decker daytime express I took earlier this year from Helsinki to Turku (my first European train trip in 2013). Very comfortable and so clean!

I am still seven months away from my trip but I like to take plenty of time and consider all the options. I could fly into Helsinki as I did last time and go north from there to Kemi, then across by bus to Sweden to pick up the Narvik train from Lulea. I could also return south by way of the Inlandsbanan, perhaps going from Östersund to Trondheim and Oslo or alternatively the more direct night train from Östersund to Göteborg via Stockholm. I am trying to make maximum use of a one-month Eurail Pass!

I don't think there is a night train option on the Inlandsbanan, and as I travel light (only airline carry-on luggage in the form of a small back-pack) I won't be taking camping equipment, so I think a hostel might be the solution.

A more recent option I am considering would be to go to Bodoe for the Summer Solstice (instead of Narvik) using the night trains from Oslo-Trondheim-Bodoe. Not quite as far north but still above the Arctic Circle so I can go out standing in the midnight sun! Do you have any thoughts on the relative merits of Bodoe vs Narvik? I could of course come back via Östersund to Stockholm and Göteborg, but would miss out on both Narvik and the Inlandsbanan unless I put two or three more days in at this point.

Perhaps I am just being too optimistic about what I can fit into five weeks from leaving home to back home again! (31 days/nights on the trains)

Thanks again for your feedback. Any other thoughts would be most welcome.

Cheers

Richard

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Well...on the other hand I do not take the plane to get to Helsinki so in the end you are probably faster than I would be starting from Austria. ;)

Both the IC2 day trains and the double deck sleepers use the same bodyshell - and they of course benefit from the much larger loading gauge of the Finnish network compared to standard European coaches.

Regarding your trip...I had a route like this in mind for the past summer: Göteborg (night train) - Lulea - Kemi (night train) - Helsinki (ferry; day ferry from Turku, night ferry from Helsinki) - Stockholm (night train) - Östersund - Gällivare (overnight stay) - Narvik and then down south via Lofoten - Bodo - Trondheim
In the end Inlandsbana was left out of the plan but the initial route would include pretty much all important routes in the far north - especially if time is a bit of an issue as many overnight trips are included.

Indeed there is no overnight service on Inlandsbana, just one single day train per direction. Personally I would recommend the combination of Stockholm - Östersund night train + Inlandsbana northbound + overnight stay in Gällivare (several options available including a quite decent B&B where Peter and I stayed this summer) + onward connection to Narvik next day

Have you already been to Narvik? I would prefer it over the Bodo option (if you could only visit one place)...although I havent seen the northern lights yet I would imagine that going farther north cant be a bad idea?
Of course one should also consider a visit to Lofoten...but this would again add two days minimum to the schedule.

ardeeay
Traveller
99 comments

Hej Flo

Thanks for your ideas. There are so many options and such limited time!

I think I will stick to my initial plan and head for Narvik but work in the Inlandsbanan leg on the way north as you suggest. In Summer I hope to experience the midnight sun (but probably not the Northern Lights). I have not yet been to Narvik.

I will wait and see when the June timetables for Sweden and Norway are released.

I have been to Lofoten and Bodo in 2012 using the Hurtigruten coastal steamer from Bergen to Kirkenes and return to Trondheim. I took a bus excursion through the Lofoten Islands from Svolvaer to Stamsund. The stop in Bodo was only two hours so I don’t know the town very well. From Trondheim I caught the trains to Dombås- Åndalsnes-Oslo Airport. All told a great journey.

Cheers

Richard

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Of course, the midnight sun...sorry, it was too late yesterday... :D

OK...so maybe the Göteborg - Östersund (- Storlien) night train would be an option then as well - but since you've already been to Göteborg the train from Stockholm might do as well. I really liked Göteborg when we stopped there this summer, although just for a quick overnight stay on the way back home.

If you havent been to Narvik yet you should really go - the Malmbana runs through terrific scenery especially between Kiruna and Narvik.
To get back south you then might travel through Norway, it should be possible to take the Bodo - Trondheim night train (and still be able to enjoy the scenic ride up to Sjaltfjellet thanks to the midnight sun), day in Trondheim, afternoon train to Östersund, night train to Göteborg/Stockholm and finally to Copenhagen. Would be quicker than to go via Oslo, given that you start with the Bodo - Trondheim night train.

I didnt know you exact route on your previous trip to Norway but it sounds really nice! Havent had the opportunity to Andalsnes yet sadly...also we didnt manage to go to Roros, would have been to awkward to include in our route.
I dont think that Bodo is that interesting, but nearby is Saltstraumen which supposedly is a must-see.

ardeeay
Traveller
99 comments

Hej Flo

I have spent a bit more time refining my itinerary for June.

I have decided to go to Narvik for the solstice rather than Bodø, and have a short stop in Kiruna, rather than in Boden where the northbound overnight train already stops for about one and a half hours (for breakfast?). I will take your advice that Kiruna would make a better stop. I look forward to the Malmbana scenery.

Like you, I also liked Göteborg and stayed for four days at a hotel in the central area which had a glass-bottomed swimming pool projecting out over the street. Quite spectacular!

Also I took a day trip from Trondheim to Røros and back, and was intrigued by the UNESCO World Heritage Site smelter and old town. I was however a little disappointed with Åndalsnes because, being in late August, all the summer activities were over and the town was rather quiet (although the scenery both on the Fjord and the railway in was great).

Do you have any travel plans for summer 2014? We may cross paths again.

Cheers

Richard

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hej Richard,

today the new schedules for Sweden have been partly uploaded to the Tidtabeller website I linked above. :)

I think Kiruna is a good decision for a quick stop. The entire city has to be moved because its current site will be used for mining purposes in the future. The old station was abandonded just a few weeks after Peter and I were there in the summer.
Your other Scandinavian experiences sound quite interesting, and both the line to Roros and Andalsnes are on my list for future travels ;)

No definitive plans for 2014 as of now, but there'S definitely a chance that we meet again during your travels! :)

Going to have a look at the new schedules now...


Flo 8)

ardeeay
Traveller
99 comments

Hello Flo

I have received a reply from SJ Sweden that says:

[quote]We release the timetable and tickets for the night trains on January 22.
We want to inform you that there will be no night trains Malmö-Stockholm or Stockholm-Malmö this spring or summer.[/quote]

So I am revising my Itinerary to take account of this. [Back to the Drawing Board.]

I am now seriously considering your suggestion in your post on 25.10.2013 -

[quote]If possible, try to include a trip with a night train in Finland as well - definitely worth it! Peter and I travelled from Helsinki to Kemi this summer and really enjoyed the trip. You could then include also the Stockholm - Turku/Helsinki ferry, which would be possible overnight as well.
[/quote]

I think I will forego the midnight sun in Narvik and instead take the night ferry from Stockholm to Turku, day train to Helsinki, the night train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi and then the bus from Rovaniemi to North Cape to witness the midnight sun from the northernmost point in Europe (well almost the northernmost!). Then return to Stockholm on the night ferry from Helsinki.

Regards

Richard

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Yeah, sadly the night train Stockholm - Malmö will be withdrawn from April 1.

For the return, you could maybe think of going from Kemi to Lulea in Sweden :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/blog/from-kemi-to-lulea-by-bus/[/u] then by night train to Gothenburg :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/en/night-train/lulea-gothenburg-nt-91/111[/u] then Copenhagen and night train from there to Amsterdam/Prague/Basel?

ardeeay
Traveller
99 comments

Hej Flo

Yes, that is a possibility. Options are still open. I would like to spend some time in Helsinki (seeing that I am now going that way). The Night ferry Helsinki-Stockholm also looks very attractive. Early Bookers price is better than standard fare with Eurail discount.

I have just picked up the following news from the Eurail website.

[quote]Travelers can take advantage of a special Early Bird promotion which offers non-Europeans free travel days on Eurail Global Passes purchased from February 1 through March 31, 2014. Early Bird Passes have a six month pre-booking period and include 15d, 21d and 1 month validities.

This offer includes 1st & 2nd class Eurail Global Passes in all categories: Adults, Child, and Youth including Saver Passes intended for groups of two to five people with a further 15% reduction. This special campaign offers 2 extra travel days for 15d, 3 extra travel days for 21d, and 5 extra travel days for 1 month Eurail Global continuous Passes.
[/quote]

I don't have an extra 5 days to spend in Europe but my first and last days (previously point to point from Zurich Airport to Frankfurt and Cologne) will now be covered by Eurail.

Cheers

Richard

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Spending more time in Helsinki would also be a nice thing to do, as is spending two nights on finnish night trains. :)

Glad that the Eurail deal works out for you.

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Rumor has it that there is still a chance for the Malmö - Stockholm night train to survive since politics got involved who want to keep the service...