Travelers can now cross the border between Finland and Sweden on a new passenger train service. The twice-daily journey takes 100 minutes, traveling along Finland's west coast to the Swedish town of Haparanda.
This new connection creates new routes for train travelers across Europe. Passengers can now travel about 5,000 kilometers by train from the Algarve region in Portugal all the way to Kolari in northern Finland. This journey is believed to be the longest train route in Europe. The new service also makes it possible to travel between Helsinki and Stockholm by train in 24 hours.
To make the service work, Finland had to update parts of its railway system. In the past, Finland used wider tracks from its time in the Russian Grand Duchy in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The country is currently changing the width of its tracks to match the European standard.
When passengers arrive in Haparanda, they can transfer to another train to continue traveling south into Sweden. Railway officials say passenger numbers are growing quickly across Europe as more people choose to travel by train.