Every journey starts with a single step. And then, maybe a bus. Since it’s one of the new EV buses rolling around #Umeå, I’ll be able to make it all the way to Copenhagen - 1,358km - without using fossil fuel. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
#Umeå Central Station, seen from Bangatan. All trains to/from Stockholm use platform 3, on this side of the station. There is no waiting room on this side, and trains generally don’t arrive more than five minutes before departure. 🥶 #NorrlandtoNorfolk 
This being a Sunday morning, the buses are pretty infrequent. I am standing on this platform a bit earlier than I would normally like to. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Umeå’s long distance bus station is across the street from Central Station. The 09:00 bus to Haparanda on the Finnish border just set out on its seven hour journey. The northern extension to the Botniaban could - one day – make that journey possible by train. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
SJ train 575 from #Umeå to #Stockholm arrives at Central Station. SJ and Norrtåg share a depot in Västerslätt, west of Umeå city centre, where these trains are maintained overnight. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
It’s 715km from #Umeå C. to #Stockholm C. (thank you @EuropeanRailTT!). At 6h 24m, this is the longest single train journey of my trip. In twelve hours and 1,353km, I’ll be in Copenhagen. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Leaving #Umeå towards the south, a line branches off to the Port of Holmsund. The new high speed Botniaban begins here. We cross the frozen Ume River in two parts, with the little island of Stor-Sandskär in the middle. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
With an electric freight railway going to the port, it seems crazy there’s no @Norrtag_AB passenger train to the twice-daily ferry to/from Vaasa in Finland. A local developer wants to build housing in Holmsund and extend the Vännäs-Umeå train to serve it.
First stop Örnsköldsvik. If you can say that, you’re well on your way to speaking Swedish. -#NorrlandtoNorfolk
Approaching Kramfors, we cross the Ångerman River. It’s taken just over 75 minutes to cover the length of the Botniaban (Bothnia Line) at speeds of up to 200km/h. The line opened in 2010. We now slow down for most of the remainder of the trip.
The wood processing plant at (?) Väja, Kramfors. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
South of Kramfors is the first glimpse of the Höga Kusten Bridge, which carries the E4 highway over the Ångarman River. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%B6ga…
Passing the Höga Kusten Bridge. It’s 1,867 metres long, spanning 1,210 metres, with a clear height for ships 40 metres tall. The suspension towers are 180 metres tall. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
I’m well aware that #StormCaira could disrupt my trip. There are no through trains between Denmark and Germany today. All I can do is hope that things “blow over” by tomorrow. https://t.co/7V9NHj9lr8
Train 575 got very busy at Härnosänd, but as a reminder here’s what a classy Swedish intercity train looks like. Note the excellent legroom in the airline seats. Even when reclined my knees don’t touch the back of the seat in front. A sturdy cup holder is to the left of my table.
Entering the city of Sundsvall, (pop. 51,000). From the north, after passing Sundsvall Västra (West) station, there is a delightful stretch of railway that runs between two parallel streets, giving views of the town centre. Here is Västra to Central.
Sundsvall is where SJ crew change over. A pair of Norrtåg trains are alongside us, including one to the inland mountain resort of Östersund. This is also where the SJ night trains between Stockholm/Gothenburg and Duved/Luleå are separated and joined.
Approaching Hudiksvall, and the effects of Sweden’s record-breaking warm January are apparent. There’s no snow on the trees and what’s on the ground is very thin. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Söderhamn. 61°18′N and there’s no snow on 9 February.
Gävle, 182km remaining to Stockholm. Like Ö-vik, this is another Swedish place name that cannot easily be explained to beginners in the language. 🤨 https://t.co/ayRe2goPzc
Last hour of the Umeå-Stockholm leg. I’m contemplating another cup of SJ’s weapons-grade coffee. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Arlanda Airport: on time, and our last stop before Stockholm. Wouldn’t it be lovely if @flysas and @SJ_AB could interline trains and planes and agree a codeshare between Umeå and Stockholm? #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Hallå Stockholm. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Such a pretty station. Unexpectedly busy for a Sunday afternoon.
A little practicality. When passing through Stockholm Central Station, I haven’t yet found a water fountain. However the staff at O’Learys, to the side of the main station entrance, have always let me fill up bottles from their taps. 👍 #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Another tip. Stockholm is not cheap, so if you’re stocking up on train food, there’s a large Coop supermarket in the lower concourse of Central Station. Easy to miss if you’re not passing directly by it. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Over to platform 13 for SJ train 10551 to Copenhagen Østerport. As noted this morning, @SJ_AB don’t bring trains into service until just a few minutes before departure. Don’t rush to the cold, windy platform!
SJ train 10551 from Stockholm Central to Copenhagen Østerport arrives from the depot. Most trains on this route terminate at the infamous platform 26 in Copenhagen; this one continues to Østerport.
The SJ X2000 high-speed trains are getting a little old, but the first of a new generation of refurbished trains will emerge later this year. The armchairs in second class are really comfy, with nice wood armrests. Enjoy them before they are removed. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
We have left Stockholm on time. It’s 638km to Copenhagen, and the journey time is just under five hours. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
The SJ X2000 high-speed trains are older than the SJ X3000 (Bombardier Regina X55) train of this morning’s journey... but the bistro is larger and has informal banquette seating. The vegetarian noodle salad is my top tip. 👌
Nationwide suspension of all long distance trains in Germany. Note that #StormCiara is called Storm #Sabine No idea if I’ll make it to Hamburg tomorrow, or to the Hook of Holland, but I’ll give it a damn good try. #NorrlandtoNorfolk https://t.co/v1Wnl7vMLc
Meanwhile, without announcing it to passengers, SJ has cancelled this train beyond Malmö. Provided trains are still crossing the Ö/Øresund Bridge, I’m expecting to have to catch a local train over to Denmark. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Lund Central Station. If I had stayed on the SJ train to Malmö, where it will be terminated early, I risked a longer walk from the main platforms to catch the Öresundtåg over to Copenhagen. So I’m bailing here to catch the same train from the same platform.
Just a few minutes later, the half-hourly Öresundtåg to Copenhagen Østerport arrives. This train will likely pick up the rest of the disrupted SJ passengers in Malmö - provided they can make the connection. This one has come from Gothenburg. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Apologies - I realise I’ve been misspelling Øresundstog (Danish) and Öresundståg (Swedish). Not that it sounds any different. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
If that Öresundståg train looks familiar from my travel tweets, it’s because they are the last in the family line of Danish “Flexliner” trains, which have a squishy rubber face and foldable drivers can to facilitate joining multiple units together...
...they are dual-voltage electric descendants of the diesel IC3 train designed for Danish State Railways in the nineteen eighties, an example of which I will *hopefully* be taking to Hamburg tomorrow. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Malmö Central. Happily - I did not need to make that early change at Lund. Even though it was not operating beyond Malmö, SJ ran the Copenhagen train into the through platforms at Malmö so disrupted passengers had only to cross the platform. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
I love Danish trains, especially their esoteric design. But I have a serious question. Who though that putting power sockets up there was a good idea? #NorrlandtoNorfolk
For those unfamiliar or reading from afar, Öresundståg/Öresundståg is the commuter rail system that serves both eastern Denmark and southern Sweden. All trains start in one country and end in another, crossing the Ö/Øresund Bridge between Hyllie (SE) and Copenhagen Airport (DK).
So, by my calculations, in six trips with @SJ_AB on scheduled trains between Stockholm and Copenhagen since July 2019, half have been cancelled between Malmö and Copenhagen for various technical reasons. 👎
Ørestad. Last stop before Copenhagen H. Twelve hours, fifteen minutes and 1,353km since I left Umeå. #StormCiara / #Sabine is currently disrupting most trains in and through Germany, but all I can do is go to my hotel and hope that tomorrow brings better weather.
Very windy (and slightly terrifying) outside Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
It’s raining in Copenhagen. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m heading for one of the eleven (!) Scandic hotels. Hopefully the right one. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Update. As of a few minutes ago, the 07:26 IC393 from Copenhagen to Hamburg tomorrow is cancelled. Tomorrow is something of a big day, since I need to get to the Hook of Holland for the ferry. So an alternative is essential. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
It appears that DB have cancelled the international trains between Denmark and Germany. Good to get a proactive email from DB now, nine hours before departure, to help me plan. An earlier departure and extra changes in Fredericia and Flensburg should be viable. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Finally, goodnight from a windy Copenhagen. #NorrlandtoNorfolk continues tomorrow, in spite of #Sabine / #StormCiara 🇸🇪 🇩🇰 🇩🇪 🇳🇱 🇬🇧
Be still, my beating heart. It’s just another beautiful Scandinavian hotel breakfast buffet. Not that I have long to enjoy it... #NorrlandtoNorfolk
So, day two of #NorrlandtoNorfolk. I should still be enjoying that breakfast buffet, but out of an abundance of caution DB has cancelled the DSB/DB international train from Copenhagen to Hamburg this morning. So I’m leaving earlier than planned.
Copenhagen is as dark as when I arrived, although less blustery. Here’s the northern entrance to the station, with its distinctive LED clock. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
What a beautiful station. Although transiting through Denmark always seems to involve some kind of delay, I have a soft spot for this magnificent old station. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
So instead of the 07:26 IC393 to Hamburg, I’m catching the domestic 06:56 “InterCityLyn” (Intercity Lightning”) bound for the west of Denmark. Part of the train will divide and go west to Struer, another part will go to north to Aarhus and Aalborg. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
At Fredericia, I’ll change to another DSB train bound for Flesnburg in Germany. From there, hourly regional trains run to Hamburg. So an earlier start and a longer journey, but hopefully this will outwit #StormCiara, aka #Sabine in Germany.
Did Germany have a load of storms already this year that used up the A-R names? 🤨
Only problem with this plan is that I can’t be certain that the Copenhagen-Hamburg #IC393 has actually been cancelled. DSB departure boards say its running as scheduled, but my DB app says that it isn’t. So this could be a lot of effort for no benefit.
DSB train crew on my train say that the Hamburg train *is* running, despite DB’s advice that it wasn’t. I have a chance to catch it in Odense, where it should appear thirty minutes behind my train. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
So just as SJ get a bit shonky about crossing the border from Sweden into Denmark, it seems coordinating international trains between Denmark and Germany in times of weather disruption is also a bit of a lottery. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Visitors to Denmark may be surprised to note that that are branches of the American “7 Eleven” convenience store almost everywhere. What I didn’t expect was to see one on the train. This young fella is selling coffee from an insulated backpack.
Cross the Storebæltsforbindelsen (Great Belt Fixed Link) between Zealand and Funen. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Thank you to @Koelschlenny who offered some helpful advice on my trip yesterday. As noted, @DB_Bahn are to be commended for proactively telling me about #IC393 cancellation yesterday, but they forgot to tell me this morning when it was reinstated! https://t.co/TiiT42j6gK
Odense, Denmark. Despite appearances on Twitter, I’m not a train spotter. As a designer, I adore these esoteric nineteen eighties-era Danish trains. They’re technically unlike anything else. Note the two pairs of rubber seals where the three three-car units have been connected.
Odense. Did someone say JERNBANEMUSEUM? 😍
Odense. In the foreground is one of the highly problematic and politically controversial IC4 trains, built in Italy by AnsaldoBreda for DSB. They entered service in 2007 but will all be withdrawn by 2024. Read the Wikipedia page for the full history: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IC4
Guten morgen from on board #IC393 towards Hamburg. I caught the train in Odense and just now crossed the border into Germany. Barring any border checks, it’s two hours non-stop to Hamburg. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Note - the preceding tweet seemed to be delayed by the rather uneven 3G signal in northern Germany. Now half an hour from Hamburg. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
We’re approaching Hamburg Hbf., 515km from Copenhagen this morning, and 1,868km from Umeå since yesterday morning. Time to check the very handy printed “reiseplan” printed by DB. Not seen these before on the Cph/Hamburg train. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Hamburg: where climate conscious Scandinavians disperse in all different directions. Our train turns here and leaves for Copenhagen within the hour. I have forty-five minutes for lunch. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Hamburg Hbf has lots of good options for food. The northern concourse is bigger than the southern concourse (under the Philips sign), so head towards it for food. The bakery in the second photo is particularly good. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
You can take the boy outta Sweden... but lunch is still at midday, no one o’clock. I’ve been converted! To Sahha for a Syrian mezze plate. €7. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
The fifth train of the trip: IC2311 is a named train, the “Nordfriesland” from Westerlund in Sylt (09:26) to Stuttgart (20:24). The storms saw it cancelled north of here, so it arrives in Hamburg empty from the depot. It’s 244km and 1h 49m to Osnabrück. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
I chose an older style intercity train (as opposed to a ICE high-speed train) for this part of the trip. The interiors are a little shabby. I’m in a mixed car of open saloon (großraumwagen) and six-person compartments. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Osnabrück. Prior to arrival at 14:35, my 15:59 connection to Amsterdam (a two-hourly intercity train from Berlin) was showing as terminating short of the Dutch border. It’s now listed as going all the way, but I have my doubts... #NorrlandtoNorfolk
...therefore, I’m using the nationwide waiver on train tickets today, and switching to an earlier local train to Hengelo, in the Netherlands. I’ll connect via Utrecht and Rotterdam, and hopefully get to the ferry a whole hour earlier than going via Amsterdam.
There are four low-level platforms at Osnabrück Hbf (for east/west destinations). At the end of platform 11/12 is this charming kiosk and cafeteria, complete with smoking room. A 0,2l draught pilsner costs €1,70. 🤩 #NorrlandtoNorfolk
I’d planned a longer layover in a Osnabrück, and would probably have spent it eating fresh pretzels and drinking cheap pils. However, with the 15:59 #IC144 Berlin - Osnabrück - Amsterdam not certainly going to A’dam, it’s time to improvise. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
I thought tomorrow would be the day I’d finally try one of @greateranglia’s new Stadler “FLIRT” trains. Instead, @eurobahn_info have the honour. I’ll ride this over the border to Hengelo. Like the Öresundståg, this is another example of an EU cross-border “local” train?
Between Rheine and Salzbergen, Lower Saxony. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
That’s quite a map. 🧐 #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Something I’m not used to seeing in Sweden: a physical ticket machine that takes physical money and prints physical tickets. Plus it’s on a train, which is both odd yet strangely sensible. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Hengelo, surely the happiest sounding place name in the Netherlands. My feet touch Dutch soil for the first time. Half an hour to wait, and then a train to Utrecht. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Let it not be said I only love weird Danish trains. Around about the same time that DSB deaigned themselves a train with a rubber face, NS came up with up with the Intercity Materieel (ICM), clearly inspired by a jumbo jet. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
The Danish IC3 and the Dutch ICM both tried to solve the same problem: how to let passengers and staff walk between two or more trains (often to different destinations) when they ran in multiple. The ICM used to have doors at the front to make this possible. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Hengelo Station. Basically a big island platform, but with a wide new void down into the concourse below. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
St. Lambertus Basiliek, Hengelo; seen through the station’s multi-storey bicycle park. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Apeldoorn, half way to Utrecht. After the great distances of Sweden and even Germany, it’s always remarkable to approach the dense megalopolis of the Randstad. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
I’m in the quiet compartment of this train. 10/10 to the good Dutch people for observing it. 🤫 #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Wowzers. Don’t know why, but didn’t expect Utrecht Central to be so huge. Quick change here to another NS Intercity train, this time to Rotterdam. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Another “koplopper” (don’t ask) will take me to Rotterdam. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
It’s a cold, wet, rainy night in the Netherlands. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Rotterdam Alexander. I realise now I could have changed to the RET metro line B to Hoek van Holland Haven here, but I’m in need of food, so will continue to Rotterdam Centraal before I head to the port. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
I’m in the leading car of a NS ICM train, and I have to say, it sounds like a washing machine going full tilt. 🤨 #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Rotterdam Centraal, recently redeveloped and mighty impressive. I should something intelligent about the architecture here, but I’m hungry and in a rush. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Without much fanfare, here is the last train of my trip from #Umeå in northern #Sweden to Schiedam in the #Netherlands. All this, since yesterday morning, for €59,90 with a DB Super Sparpreis Europa ticket.
New interior too... in keeping with the older NS trains, blue is for second class and red is for first class. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Schiedam Centrum. Interchange between NS rail and RET metro trains to Hoek van Holland Haven. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Reminder. @StenaLineUKIE @StenaLineNL can’t post NL-originating sail and rail tickets to addresses outside the Netherlands. So I now have the most expensive part of the whole trip (per km): €4 for the 24km metro ride to the port. Exit NS platform 1 here...
...use the RET app to buy a ticket and pass through a second set of gates into the metro. RET platform 1 at Schiedam is adjacent to NS platform 1.
If you’re catching the overnight ferry to England, check departure times. The metro only runs every half hour on line B to Hoek van Holland Haven after about 18:00 or 19:00. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Hoek van Holland port is deserted tonight... #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Insert Zoolander school joke here. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Checked-in and ready to go. ⛴ #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Mind your step, everybody. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Home for the night. Round trip, Hoek van Holland to “any Greater Anglia Station” (ie Ely, Cambridgeshire) with a cabin both ways came to €164,60 or €82,30 each way... about €15 more than my hotel in Copenhagen last night.
Goedemorgen! At 05:30 UK time, the opening bars of ‘Don't Worry Be Happy’ by Bobby McFerrin play out from the speakers throughout the Stena Line ferry to wake us up. Disembarkation begins at 06:30. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
The crossing was rough, and from my inside cabin I could definitely perceive a variety of pitching fore and aft, and side to side. Woken not by the alarm call but the loud rattling of the ladder to the bunk bed as the ferry‘s engines idled. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
There is a Brexit buffet... sorry, BREAKFAST buffet available for €15,50. It is absolutely not worth that price, especially if you don’t eat meat or dairy. However it’s included in more expensive tickets and is going down well with some of the truck drivers. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
The breakfast on board is probably a necessary evil for train passengers, since Harwich International railway station did not (on my last visit) appear to have any facilities to buy food before you continue your journey. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Although the Hoek/Harwich ferry docks around 05:15, disembarkation doesn’t begin until 06:30. Last night’s sailing had around 250 trucks and less than 100 car and foot passengers. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
The arrival into Harwich for foot and rail passengers. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Emergency clean-up station on the way from the boat to customs and immigration. As we saw two days before Christmas, lots of passengers use the ferry to travel with doggies, and every cabin has a live video feed on the tv from the ship’s kennels. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
The route through the Port of Harwich for foot and rail passengers is a sequence of large empty rooms with dim lighting and lots of disused furniture. There is no longer a checked luggage service - I think this was part of the discontinued Stena HSS fast ferry. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Sunrise over Harwich, seen from the ferry terminal. The first train to London has departed, and there **should** be a train to Cambridge at 07:50. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
I previously mourned the passing of all the international trains that used to serve Hoek van Holland Haven, including for many years through coaches to Copenhagen. Likewise Harwich used to be a terminus for “boat trains” from all over England. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Today, none remain. Blame the growth in low cost airlines in the first instance, but also the fragmentation of the rail system in geographic franchises. There’s not much profit in a once-a-day long distance intercity train that connects to a boat. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
Harwich International has regular passenger trains to/from London Liverpool Street. To avoid London, you need to go via Ipswich towards Cambridge. The morning ferry has a pretty generous connection to the 07:50 train to Cambridge. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
However, it’s a once-a-day tag on to the more frequent Ipswich-Cambridge train, and for months it has been routinely cancelled between Harwich and Ipswich. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
My hunch is that the economic liability of this decision is almost nil, since most passengers are using rail and sail tickets, which cannot claim money back through the British “Delay Repay” system. It also frees up a train in the busy rush hour period. #NorrlandtoNorfolk
@threadreaderapp Unroll pleasethankyou ;)
