Tornio–Haparanda cross-border rail service resumes after 30 years

After more than 30 years of interruption (service discontinued in the late 1980s/early 1990s), cross-border passenger rail between Tornio (Finland) and Haparanda (Sweden) resumes on 10 August 2026. Finnish operator VR, under a public service agreement with the Traficom authority, will run trains between Oulu, Tornio and Haparanda with 28 weekly departures (two daily services each direction); travel time Oulu-Haparanda is roughly 90-120 minutes. Because of differing track gauges (Finland 1,524 mm, Sweden 1,435 mm), passengers must change to Swedish operator Norrtåg at Haparanda station; the necessary electrification of the line was completed in early 2025, and the VR-Traficom agreement was signed in June 2026. Update (10.08.2026): Service started as planned on 10.08.2026 with two daily return trips Oulu–Tornio–Haparanda; according to Yle, the earlier railbus service between Kemi, Tornio and Haparanda ended in 1988 (Yle, 10.08.2026: https://yle.fi/a/74-20231524).