Night Trains Up North

An epic journey from the metropolis of Stochholm far beyond the Arctic Circle. After crossing central Sweden during the night, this sleeper train uses the tracks of the legendary Malmbanan (Ore Line) from Kiruna to Narvik.

Tickets

All trains are operated by Vy Nattaget Norrland – a Swedish company, which is part of the Norwegian Vy-Group – under a so-called service concession, which means that Swedish national rail operator SJ sells and administers these conections under their own brand.

SJ releases tickets in batches about two to six months in advance, so tickets for travel between December and April are usually available by mid-October. Be sure to follow SJ’s social media and book early, as sleeper tickets sell fast.

When I booked tickets for this trip in February 2024 at the end of October 2023, the direct service was already sold out and I had to take a connection via Boden in Norbotten. Not that it mattered in the end, as a partical closure of the line meant all passengers had to change in Boden anyway, but more on that later.

Booking on SJ’s website was fairly straightforward up to the final step wehen I couldn’t pay by credit card on my mobile phone and had to redo everything on a PC. Sweden relies heavily on its own payment system called Swish which unfortunately isn’t available without a Swedish bank account.

The return ticket in a 2nd-class sleeper compartment cost 6.587 SEK, about 589 EUR. This included three bunk beds in a private cabin with a small washbasin and seat reservations on the connecting day train but no drinks nor meals.

Trip Report Stockholm C to Abisko Östra (February 2024)

Stockholm Central Station is the starting point of the Arctic Circle-Route with a daily direct train to Narvik in Norway via Boden and Kiruna (train #94).

There is also a night train to Lulea (train #92), which connects with a regional train to Narvik (train #96) at Boden C station.

The tracks in Stockholm are reached via an underground passage in the station building. There is a small supermarket down there. As the restaurant car on board the train closes at 11 pm, it’s a good idea to stock up there.

The station was pretty deserted when we arrived about an hour before departure. The 2nd class sleeper tickets don’t include access to the SJ lounge, so we just wandered around the main concourse and got some drinks and snacks for the journey. As the sale of alcohol is restricted in Sweden, only light beer was available for a nightcap.

We went to the platform about 20 minutes before departure, only to be told that the train would be about 25 minutes late. Updates were easily available via the SJ app, which I recommend you download before travelling.

It was fun looking at our fellow passengers as an entertaining mix of people slowly filled the platform: School groups, cross-country skiers with some serious gear like gear sleds and bivouac boxes, students on their way to a conference and tourists from all over the world including India and Korea.

When the train finally pulled in, there was some confusion as the order of the cars wasn’t displayed anywhere. This was followed by more commotion onboard the train as everyone settled into their compartments. Vy trains don’t have sleeping car attendants, so it took a while for everyone to figure out how to make the beds, where to put the big bags, etc.

We needed some time to settle into our small compartment too. Thank goodness there are luggage racks at the end of the car so we could leave our large suitcases there.

The train consisted of seating-, couchette- and sleeper cars. The sleeping compartment on our WL4 type car was fairly standard with three bunks on top of each other. The middle bunk folds away to make room to sit on the bottom bunk, folded to a couch during the day.

There also is a small washbasin with hot and cold water – hot meaning “not frozen” on this trip.

A couple of coat hooks, and two small luggage racks can be used to stow away day packs and jackets.

Bedding and a small towel per berth are provided, as well as a pack of water and a Vy company magazine. There are no other amenities, not even the menu from the restaurant car which is a bit skimpy.

Free WiFi is provided and worked very well on the outbound journey. It was brocken on the way back, however, mobile data coverage is good along the line anyway.

There is a double European 230V power outlet at each bunk, as well as reading light. Another socket is located near the washbasin.

A shower compartment and luggage racks are located at one end of the car and a toilet on the other.

The public areas showed the age of the train but were reasonably clean and functional.

There was just a brief service announcement in Swedish and English after the train departed from Stockholm Central Station in Swedish and English. The team kept a low profile anyway and only came around for a quick ticket inspection.

With the train running late there were just 20 minutes left before the onboard café closed, so almost everyone settled in for the night – a compartment of partying Brits excluded.

The first stop after some 20 minutes was Arlanda Airport followed by Uppsala. From there to Boden Central there were another eight stops, which meant the train stopped about every 90 minutes on average. I was a bit surprised by this as Sveden is so sparsely populated. Also, some of the departures times are at truly ungodly hours, such as Hörnösand at 3:40 in the morning.

Despite the train stopping relatively often, it was a comfortable and surprisingly quiet place to sleep. This was a pleasant surprise as the equipment was from the last century. It probably helps that the tracks run relatively straight in Middle Sweden and that the Rc 6 engine is smoothly electrically powered.

Regulating the temperature is a common challenge in sleeping cars. Upon departure our compartment was extremely warm, so we turned down the heating – an ended up with a frost-coated window in the morning. Finding a comfortable setting proved a little difficult throughout the trip.

The winter sun rose with a beautiful golden glow and very slowly between Umea and Bastusträsk around 7:30. It took most of the morning before it was really up in the sky.

The Vy team kept the train quiet during the night and resumed the announcements in the morning. They also invited everyone to the café car for breakfast, where we had a Scandinavian combo of thick milk with berries, a roll with cheese and coffee, which was a nice, light start to the day and cost around €10.

Arriving at Boden Central Station also meant the end of the overnight part of our journey, as direct tickets for the northbound journey had been sold out. Not that it mattered, as traffic on the Malmbanan (Ore Line) had been disrupted since December 2023, when a fully loaded ore train derailed in an avalanche shed near Vassijaure. This situation lasted until February 2024. To add insult to injury, another train derailed on February 24th, just six days after the line was reopened. Some Swedish media outlets even speculated about sabotage, while others pointed out that the huge self-unloading ore wagons have too high axle loads for the tracks, which are over 120 years old.

The track closure meant that all passengers at Boden had to transfer to a smaller train to Abisko Östra with only 2nd class coaches. The rest of the trip to Narvik was then covered by buses, but that was just a 5 minute ride to our final destination Absiko STF where we spent a delighful winter’s week.

Vy handled this very well, with email updates about 10 days before the trip and regular updates via the app and website. The temperature in Boden was around -20 degrees Celsius, so the 50 minute delay of the connecting train meant a chilly wait, spent in glorious sunshine though.

The train to Abisko Östra was also old-fashioned but comfortable, with well-padded seats and panoramic windows.

Passing through snow-covered Lapland, watching the sun change from bright gold to bronze and red as the day progressed, made this part of the journey feel like a real railcruise.

Drinks and snacks were available from a kiosk and turned out to be freshly prepared and tasty. Vy even has its own brand of lager, which was well balanced and tasty.

Getting Off at Arlanda Airport

The return trip went equally smooth. If you are flying out of Arlanda the stop at the airport is handy. Just keep in mind that there is  a special station fee of 130 SEK (about 11.60 €) which is only waived when your ticket is for Arlanda station. You can also pay at the barriers in the arrival hall.

All Things Considered

Vy may not reach the standard of more contemporary night train operations such as Öbb’s nightjets but it is a solid product throughout and more than sufficiant on this epic winter’s journey to the arctic circle.