Tonight - I'll be riding Sweden's incredible sleeper train, right up to the far north.
Passing through stunning wintry conditions, from the comfort of my deluxe cabin with en-suite.
We'll see what it's like to travel on this brutal railway, on a trip up to Luleå, and
explore the locally inspired on-board experience. Join me, as I ride the Norrland night train.
Hello-ho-ho, and welcome to a very festive Stockholms Centralstation.
With that live performance over, let's make our way inside.
The station here first opened in the summer of 1871, and has
remained the capital's main station ever since.
Now I don't know about you, but I think the christmas decorations here look fantastic,
with christmas trees and lights dotted around the already impressive main concourse.
If there was ever a competition for the best christmas decorations in a station,
then this would easily win it!
Scattered throughout the station, you can find various shops and food outlets,
with a greater selection found on the lower level.
Down here is also where you can find a supermarket.
And of course, beneath the arches of the station roof, you can find a pair of golden arches too.
So my train today will be number 92, the 22:25 Vy Nattåg service to Umeå and Luleå.
As the main station in Sweden's capital, Stockholms Centralstation is very well served.
You can see high-speed X2 trains operating to Malmö and Göteborg,
as well as privately operated long-distance trains to those same destinations.
Some regional trains stop here too,
but most commuter routes now depart from the underground platforms instead.
My train will depart from track 12, so let's head down there and await its arrival.
Here comes the train from the depot.
Leading the formation today is a Swedish type Rc6 electric locmotive,
dating back to 1983, already having some 40 years experience on this route.
The carriages are of a similar vintage, and as you can see; they're built like a tank!
But as you'll see when we get on-board, the interiors are really nice!
For this trip, I'll be travelling in a Deluxe First Class sleeper cabin,
which I'm really excited to try out for tonight's long journey up to Sweden's far north.
But first, we need to check in.
This is done on the platform beside the train, and takes just a few seconds.
So with that out of the way, let's get on-board!
I'm travelling in Coach 21, Bed 34.
Interestingly, this is the wheelchair accessible room, being situated next to the door and having
additional space when compared to the compact design of regular compartments.
We'll have a look around this fantastic room a little later on, but first let's get a drink.
The restaurant carriage is situated in the middle of the train, serving both food and drink.
On the way there, we pass through the seated carriage, and whilst this is certainly cheap,
I can't imagine it would be a very pleasant way of travelling this route...
And here we are at the modern and pleasant restaurant carriage.
There's a good selection on offer here, and I'll link the current menu in the description.
Many of the products on offer here are local to the northern
section of the train's route - there's even some reindeer stew.
As I've already eaten today, I decided just to get a hot drink,
in this case a hot chocolate, which cost me 22 Swedish krona.
Which, to be honest, was very reasonably priced.
Something I found rather amusing was the presence of the SJ logo on the route map,
a sign of this service's complex history.
The story begins in 1999, with Tågkompaniet operating the
service. This was a company formed of former railway employees, and an investment company.
Come 2003, the service was taken over by Connex, a privately owned French company.
This lasted until 2008, when the service came under control of SJ,
the Swedish national railway company.
Meanwhile, Tågkompaniet had changed ownership,
its previous owners being bought out by the Norwegian national railway company, Vy.
From 2019, the service was once again operated by Tågkompaniet,
but now branded as Vy, who continue to operate the service today, and will until 2024.
Anyway, as the train makes an on-time departure from Stockholm,
let's take a look at today's route.
From Stockholm, we'll be travelling north to Gävle, before running along the Bothnian Sea
as far as Umeå, to then head inland for the final stretch into Luleå. Tonight's trip is
scheduled to take 13 hours and 15 minutes, to cover the 1065 kilometres, or about 662 miles.
As tonight's departure is very late in the day,
there's not going to be a lot to see outside until morning.
However, if you look out the window at the right time, you may catch a glimpse
of a late night commuter train. I know which train I'd rather be on.
Speeding through Stockholm's suburbs and surroundings,
we pass many local stations, such as Sollentuna.
One of our station stops before bedtime is Uppsala Centralstation.
Uppsala is the fourth largest city in Sweden, and is also home to Sweden's oldest university,
as well as the country's largest cathedral.
But
as there's little else to see tonight, let's take a look at what you get in a First Class cabin.
My First Class room today is equipped to carry two passengers,
with all rooms having an en-suite and shower that we'll check out in the morning.
Whilst these carriages aren't the newest on the tracks,
they certainly offer a cosy and comfy travel experience.
This was helped by the warm lighting in the compartment, with various options available,
including a table light and a reading light.
Though what really helped the carriage feel warm was the heating controls - literally!
The maximum setting here was almost as toasty as a good Swedish sauna.
As a long-distance night train,
plenty of luggage space is available, with room beneath the lower bunk.
There's also space above the corridor.
For smaller items, various storage pockets can be found next to the bed.
Also next to the bed, you can find the room's two European style power sockets,
but be warned that bulkier plugs may result in you only being able to use one of these.
In line with Scandinavian railway tradition,
no bins are provided per se, with a few bags attached to the wall instead.
The compartment has a small opening window, which is perfect for getting a bit of fresh air.
Though in winter, it's probably best left shut.
For privacy, you can find a blind over the window, as well as blackout curtains - these
carriages operate in the midnight sun through much of summer, so this is an essential feature.
It's nearly time to sleep, but first, some bedtime reading.
Each passenger receives a copy of the Norrland Night Train magazine,
and to my surprise, a fair bit of it was in English too.
The magazine gives details about local sights and culture,
and features a route map on the back cover.
Also on the table is two cartons of water, two cups, and two small pieces of dark chocolate.
By default, the cabin is in day mode, acting as two seats with a centrally located table.
Conversion to night mode is very simple,
you just fold away the tables and backrests, then place your pillows down.
The top bunk is a little bit more complex,
though if you need any assistance you can contact the staff.
It might not look like much, but as far as sleeper train beds go, this one is very good.
With soft fluffy pillows, and comfortable bedding, I'm sure to get a great night's sleep.
And as it's not long turned midnight, I think it's time for some rest.
I awake after a peaceful eight hours of sleep, at the station of Vindeln, in Västerbotten.
It's definitely a contrast to the city lights of Stockholm,
as now we're weaving through towns and villages here in the north of Sweden.
And believe me, I was certainly glad to be on this nice warm train,
as it's every bit as cold out there as it looks.
The scenery up here in the north is truly stunning,
and it's all topped off with a colourful sunrise.
We'll check out the en-suite and shower later, but first it's time for breakfast.
This is served in the restaurant car between the hours of 6 and 9.
The restaurant car is the same as last night's, as it stays with the train overnight.
Though it is a bit more lively in here now.
It features plenty of tables,
with a small sideways facing area in the centre of the carriage.
First Class passengers have breakfast included,
which features a hot drink and a yoghurt with honey and blueberry.
There's also a cheese and vegetable sandwich, as well as a choice of soft drinks.
It's not every day you wake up to a breakfast with this view, and I was certainly taking advantage
of the incredible sights - mostly consisting of wintry forests, but occasional frozen lakes too!
We're now approaching the station of Bastuträsk.
This station is probably quite funny to Swedish viewers, as its name translates to 'sauna swamp'.
The village of just a few hundred inhabitants also hosts the junction of the railway to Skellefteå,
population over 70,000. Surprisingly though, there are no passenger trains,
making it one of the largest cities in Sweden without a rail service.
Not long after this, we pass by the abandoned station at Storsund, which I have to say is
certainly in good condition! I've seen worse off stations in major cities in some parts of Europe.
As much of this route is single track, we do occasionally stop to wait for oncoming traffic.
This is the regional train from Luleå to Umeå, operated by Norrtåg, another service ran by Vy.
Anyway, let's take a look at the en-suite and shower.
These are found in every compartment of the First Class carriages,
with Second Class having a communal shower at one end of the carriage.
This features a sink, as well as a soap dispenser.
And of course a vacuum toilet.
I found that despite this carriage's age,
everything was perfectly clean, and in good working order.
Now on to the shower itself.
You'll be pleased to know that the shower was plenty warm enough, and had good pressure.
There were also various toiletries included, and well sized towels in the room too.
At this point, we have come so far north that we're in Sweden's Norrbotten County,
the northernmost region of the country.
Our first calling point in the county is Älvsbyn,
which translates as 'river village', sitting upon the Pite River.
Before long, we're on the approach to Boden,
one of our last calling points on this long winter journey.
This station serves as the main junction for the region,
as four seperate railway lines converge in the town.
Though as I've already covered this in detail in another video, I'll keep it brief.
Boden Centralstation is a beautiful wooden construction,
and as the sign states, we're now well over 1000 kilometres from Stockholm.
From here, the train reverses for the last part of the journey down to Luleå
So, let's take this time to look at how much this journey cost me.
For this trip, I purchased my ticket a few weeks in advance, booking a private First
Class sleeper room. This cost me 2547 Swedish krona. Whilst this is an overall great experience,
I can't help but think this is a little bit on the expensive side.
However, Sweden is a generally expensive country, so this is to be expected somewhat.
If you do wish to travel on the service at a lower cost though,
then you can purchase a ticket in the seated carriage for about 800 krona,
or in the shared couchette accomodation for around 1000 krona.
We're now just a few minutes away from Luleå, some 65 degrees north.
Despite already being nearly midday, you may have noticed the sun has barely risen.
This of course is due to how far north we are, resulting in very short periods of
daylight. In the peak of winter, true daylight lasts just three hours here.
After thirteen hours, we're now on the approach to Luleå Centralstation.
This has been an incredible and memorable journey through some beautiful winter scenery.
I really liked the compartments, as well as the included breakfast being a nice touch.
As always, let me know what you thought of Vy's Norrland night train to Luleå, and to continue
the journey even further north on their impressive arctic high-speed train, then click up here now.