[SE/FI] Updated: Haparanda - Tornio trains funded, expected to start 2026

kaspertron · 25 Jun 2026

popeter45 said:
the wording about no restaurant between Oulu and Haparanda feels weird, surely it would be better just too say there is no restaurant on this route?

Yes it all seems a bit weird. I can't believe the "differences in food and alcohol regulations" are insurmountable. They definitely manage to sell plenty of food and drink on the ferries between the two countries. And even if there was a problem it should only affect the few minutes between the border and Haparanda station, surely?

If you don't want to have a restaurant you can say so, but no need to make things up.

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Gag Halfrunt · 25 Jun 2026

Do VR restaurant cars sell alcohol?

Sir Felix Pole · 25 Jun 2026

Hopefully in due course there will be a midday-ish service as well - with suitable connections further into Sweden and Norway. As a tourist, you are effectively going to have to overnight in Haparanda or Oulu to use the proposed service unless you use the night trains.

rvdborgt · 25 Jun 2026

Gag Halfrunt said:
Do VR restaurant cars sell alcohol?

Yes they do.

JonasB · 25 Jun 2026

jamesontheroad said:
Great news!

I've been waiting years for this, but annoyingly, I'm working in Umeå on 10th August so there's absolutely no chance of me being there from day 1. Perhaps I'll wait and see if Norrtåg adjust their schedules to improve connections from the Swedish side and make a trip later in the year.

I don't think Norrtåg will change their schedule before the schedule change in December. But hopefully there are discussions between Norrtåg and VR on how to improve the situation.

kaspertron · 26 Jun 2026

Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter has an article about the new connection: https://www.dn.se/sverige/efter-paus-pa-34-ar-nu-kan-du-ta-taget-fran-sverige-till-finland/

It's probably behind a paywall. The only interesting thing in the article was that Norrtåg are quoted as saying that they're working on being able to sell tickets for the new connection. They say hopefully it will be possible by the time the service starts (seems rather optimistic).

MoominAndChips · 26 Jun 2026

Sir Felix Pole said:
Hopefully in due course there will be a midday-ish service as well - with suitable connections further into Sweden and Norway. As a tourist, you are effectively going to have to overnight in Haparanda or Oulu to use the proposed service unless you use the night trains.

I certainly hope so. Living in Oulu, I'd love to have the option of a day out in Haparanta (and a visit to Ikea) that doesn't involve getting up at silly o'clock and getting home late.

ainsworth74 · 26 Jun 2026

jpl said:
It is a brave big station like Frankfurt Hbf.

I visited last year (or maybe the year before last) and whilst it's certain big and grand Frankfurt Hbf it isn't! Just slightly less trains for a start :lol:

kaspertron said:
Yes it all seems a bit weird. I can't believe the "differences in food and alcohol regulations" are insurmountable. They definitely manage to sell plenty of food and drink on the ferries between the two countries. And even if there was a problem it should only affect the few minutes between the border and Haparanda station, surely?

If you don't want to have a restaurant you can say so, but no need to make things up.

Yeah the wording on that is a bit weird. I can't help but wonder if it isn't more that they don't want to pay for staff to run the restaurant car on that bit (presumably they might even need to hire more staff to do it!)?

JonasB · 26 Jun 2026

kaspertron said:
Yes it all seems a bit weird. I can't believe the "differences in food and alcohol regulations" are insurmountable. They definitely manage to sell plenty of food and drink on the ferries between the two countries. And even if there was a problem it should only affect the few minutes between the border and Haparanda station, surely?

I can't imagine that being a problem. And in any case, just close the restaurant when the train is in Sweden. It's not uncommon for restaurant cars to not open until a few minutes after departure anyway.

jamesontheroad · 26 Jun 2026

From the published schedule, there is no indication that these will be through trains to/from destinations south of Oulu. So, although VR will use Intercity rakes with a full-service restaurant car, they're going to be used on a publicly procured and subsidised local/regional train. There's no commercial or operational sense in stocking, staffing and opening the restaurant for such a short journey.

Watershed · 26 Jun 2026

jamesontheroad said:
There's no commercial or operational sense in stocking, staffing and opening the restaurant for such a short journey.

That makes perfect sense but that's not the explanation they have given.

ainsworth74 · 26 Jun 2026

Watershed said:
That makes perfect sense but that's not the explanation they have given.

Precisely, from VRs own annoucement:

Train restaurant services of the train are closed between Haparanda and Oulu. This is due to differences in food and alcohol regulations between the two countries.

On trains bound for Sweden, the dining car closes its doors in Oulu. There are also no on-board sales via the app between Oulu and Haparanda.

Similarly, dining services are closed until Oulu on trains departing from Haparanda. The dining car and on-board sales will reopen in Oulu as the journey continues.

Are you travelling in the Ekstra Relaxed class?
Hot beverages and bottled water, normally available from the restaurant car, are included with your Ekstra Relaxed class ticket. Since restaurant services are closed on the section between Haaparanta and Oulu, when travelling in Ekstra Rento, you can pick up the hot beverages included in your ticket from the Ekstra Calm class.

Our trains also go to Haparanda, Sweden! Read more about cross-border travel and take the train to our western neighbor.

You can now travel by train across the Finnish-Swedish border to Haparanda. On this page, you’ll find information about passengers’ responsibilities and important practices to keep in mind when crossing the border.

www.vr.fi

I honestly think that it's absolutely the case that they don't want the faff of staffing/stocking beyond their usual terminus point for long distance services. But that isn't what they're saying...

Farigiraf · 26 Jun 2026

jpl said:
It has been officially announced today that the launch date is indeed 10 Aug 2026. The new PSO contract between VR Group and Traficom has been signed.

Tickets from Finland to Haparanda can be bought from 30 June. Interestingly the restaurant car on trains will be closed between Oulu and Haparanda.

Our trains also go to Haparanda, Sweden! Read more about cross-border travel and take the train to our western neighbor.

You can now travel by train across the Finnish-Swedish border to Haparanda. On this page, you’ll find information about passengers’ responsibilities and important practices to keep in mind when crossing the border.

www.vr.fi

Sweden will soon be reachable from Finland by train – passenger train traffic between...

VR and the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom have signed a tendered traffic agreement for passenger train services between Oulu, Tornio and Haaparanta. Daily operations will...

www.vrgroup.fi

I'm sure that if you start in Oulu, Kemi or Tornio this is quite a good connection, but frankly it's nearly useless for anything longer distance.

Onward connections on Norrtåg at Haparanda don't seem to be co-ordinated, but I'd have to assume that sorting this out is being prioritised.

On the Finnish side though, good luck. From south of Oulu, prepare for a really early start or late arrival.
Rovaniemi to Luleå remains impossible to do by train in daylight, a distance that's less than London-Manchester. I understand the constraints of the infrastructure, but I don't think such a journey would be that niche if there were good connections, so seemingly zero co-ordination at Kemi is disappointing. It's a shame, as it would complement the existing tourist routes in north Sweden/Norway quite well.

JonasB · 27 Jun 2026

jamesontheroad said:
From the published schedule, there is no indication that these will be through trains to/from destinations south of Oulu. So, although VR will use Intercity rakes with a full-service restaurant car, they're going to be used on a publicly procured and subsidised local/regional train. There's no commercial or operational sense in stocking, staffing and opening the restaurant for such a short journey.

I'd say there is an indication in the wording they use for the restaurant service. And the schedule matches IC38 and IC37 pretty well.

Gag Halfrunt · 27 Jun 2026

There's a specific warning about those services:

On trains 37 and 38, the train number changes when the train arrives in Oulu. The journey continues on the same train, so there is no need to change trains. However, be sure to check your seat number, as your seat may have changed for the remainder of the trip.

jamesontheroad · 27 Jun 2026

That’s great news. It’s a shame they can’t be marketed as through trains. Perhaps a technicality of the funding that’s been secured for them.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Jun 2026 ==

jamesontheroad said:
This week VR ran a test train to Haparanda. Sr2 locomotive 3227 is seen arriving with the first VR train to Haparanda late on the evening of 8th June 2026.

Link: https://vaunut.org/kuva/181048

Photographer: Vertti Kontinen

Note that the Finnish gauge track is numbered track 21 and features a Finnish electronic departure board (which would normally scroll between Finnish and Swedish anyway).

And early this morning, Sunday 28th June, VR repeated the process with an Sm3 Pendolino, seen here at Haparanda:

Vaunut.org - Kuva

Rautatieharrastajien oma sivusto

vaunut.org

jamesontheroad · 5 Jul 2026

Over on Postvagnen, the online forum of the Swedish Railway Club, an eagle-eyed member has spotted that Norrtåg have stopped selling tickets for the morning and afternoon trips between Luleå, Boden and Haparanda from Monday 10th August 2026, i.e. the same day that Finnish services Oulu-Haparanda begin.

Norrtåg were contacted and have not yet confirmed anything. Still, it seems that they are attempting to change the Luleå-Boden-Haparanda timetables before the next scheduled timetable change in December 2026. Removing the existing morning and evening trains from sale is a pretty convincing sign that Norrtåg want to adjust the schedules to better serve cross-border connections from day 1.

screencapture-boka-norrtag-se-sv-SE-buy-journey-2026-07-05-10_33_01.png

[SE/FI] Updated: Haparanda - Tornio trains funded, expected to start 2026

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