Sweden: nearly all ticket windows now closed

nltrainer
Traveller
1404 comments

Posted 10 years ago

Just a warning/explanation for the IR-users in this country; as labour is extremely expensive- or well paid, you will note that its mostly self-service you have to deal with. This now also applies to about all of SJ (=the state'iron ways) as they think people can get tickets on the www. Since 1/4/14 all ticket windows with real people, have been closed, except in the main 3 cities; Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö and also Gävle. Even there their hours are quite limited.
This effects IR-users, as only there it is possible to reserve trains, this cannot (or maybe could not?) be done via www. So preplan if this is needed. Most long-distance trains MUST be reserved-most are by hi-speed X2000 trainsets.
Also be aware that even though IR covers about all local trains (named InterCity-this should not freighten Germans) and the long-distacne trains run by SJ and some other companies on some routes (to the far north-Lappland), there are also now a fair lot of independent commercial trains on the main routes from Stockholm to Góteborg and to Malmö, and these are NOT covered by IR, though some give a discount. It seems that more comapnies plan to start service on those routes.