For the first time in almost forty years, it is again possible to travel by train across the border between Sweden and Finland. I have decided to try taking the train all the way from Stockholm to Helsinki - a distance of just over two hundred miles.
Even before I get on the train in Stockholm, I come across a patrol.
The first destination is Haparanda. There are two train changes on the way there, I have an hour to spare at each change, so it felt quite safe when booking.
Before the train leaves the platform in Stockholm, we are two hours late. If that's the case, I'll miss the train change in UmeÄ.
In the sleeping compartment we are three men of different ages. The thermostat doesn't work so we open the window. It drags a little on the feet. Sleeps restlessly.
At six o'clock the SJ app shows that just over an hour of the delay has arrived. Can make it to UmeÄ in time. Falling asleep again.
The next time I wake up, it looks worse again. Is a little thirsty, but there is no water in the compartment.
I had been looking forward to having breakfast in peace and quiet on the train to Boden, while towns such as BastutrĂ€sk, Jörn and Ălvsbyn pass by outside the window.
Now I rush off to the night train's bistro instead. There is a small kiosk with a limited selection. I buy a coffee and get two free slices of rye bread without toppings that I spied. In the loudspeakers I hear that there will be a bus from UmeÄ.
When we waited for a while outside the station, a new message arrived: taxi to Boden. I sneak in and buy a can of water and a hard bread sandwich from the vending machine at the station.
The taxis start to appear and we are divided about who will go where and which cars we will go in.
When I say Haparanda, I myself am asked to contact SJ.
In the phone queue for SJ, I see that my phone is almost out of power. Finds an electrical outlet inside the station. SJ tells me to take a taxi to Boden. From there transport can be arranged to Haparanda.
At the same time, one of my compartment mates from the night train comes hurrying over and tells me that there is a taxi to LuleÄ and that there is a seat for me there. He has also checked that I will catch a bus from there to Haparanda.
I politely decline the SJ man's offer and jump into the taxi. There are three of us in the back seat. The young man in the middle sits mostly leaning forward to make room for the other two of us.
We have thirty miles and four hours ahead of us and sit in silence in the car. P4 VĂ€sterbotten is played from the speakers at low volume.
After an hour or so, I dare to ask a couple of questions to my traveling companion.
The woman in the front seat is traveling by train the 160 miles from Helsingborg to LuleÄ for a job meeting later that evening.
My fellow traveler from the night train lives in PiteÄ and has been to a work meeting in Stockholm. Since there were so few hotel rooms there, he took the night train.
Both have traveled a lot by night train. They don't think that delays are that much to worry about. "You always get there somehow," they say flatly.
So who am I to complain. I have never ridden the coastal road between UmeÄ and LuleÄ before. It's a beautiful journey, albeit with several slow passages through dusty roadworks.
In LuleÄ, I just have time to eat lunch before the Haparanda bus departs.
Three hours later I arrive. My eight hours in Haparanda have now shrunk to four. There is still a good margin for the evening train to Finland.
What do you do with four hours in Haparanda? I look into the magnificent city hotel and feel a little sad that I won't be staying a night here.
Then end up at HM Hermanson's trading house on Storgatan. The shop has been intact since 1905. With a little luck, you can find clothes and shoes from the sixties picked from the warehouse.
When the last trader in the Hermanson family passed away, the property was bought by KĂ„re and Kristina Mogemark in 2012.
- The buildings were almost ready for demolition, but contained so much stuff and history. We wanted this to live on, they tell me as they show me around.
Mogemarks has invested a lot of money in renovating the 19th-century farm to its original condition.
This year they keep the shop open during the weekends and hope that the train traffic across the border can bring more visitors to Haparanda.
In good time, I head to Haparanda's beautiful station. From there, the Finnish train will take us across the border to Finland on the newly renovated bridge over the Torne River.
The Swedish trains stop on the south side of the station building, the Finnish ones on the north. The trains cannot run further than that because Sweden and Finland have different track widths.
The Finnish train leaves at exactly the right time at 20.45. Darkness has set in and nothing can be seen of the Torne river when we cross the border with Finland.
In the city of Kemi, I change to the night train to Helsinki. It is as new and modern as the train I just got off. My sleeping compartment is upstairs and has only two beds. I have the entire cabin to myself. That's how it was automatically when I booked a single seat.
Nevertheless, this ticket is cheaper than the night through Sweden in a three-part compartment. (See fact box)
Before I fall asleep, I think about why I feel more cared for here than on the Swedish night train. It's not about the staff, but that I experience a greater concern that I should be well from the train company, yes the whole society.
On the floor is a bowl. In it is a small towel and a water bottle. It's for the dog. I have ended up in a compartment for travelers with pets.
On the bed is a water bottle on the towels and a welcome letter to me. In the Swedish sleeping compartment there was no drinking water at all.
The restaurant wagon offers a wide range of food. Beer on tap. The salmon salad I ordered is prepared to order in the small kitchen behind the counter.
Naturally, the delay and its consequences create frustration. Where to turn with it? To SJ who drove the train? The Swedish Transport Administration responsible for the tracks? The politicians who don't push enough funds to keep the trains running?
In Sweden, the night trains to the north seem to be a necessary evil that both train companies and politicians would like to get rid of. In Finland, they run their night trains with pride.
After a shower and breakfast in the restaurant car the next morning, I feel ready for Helsinki. The train rolls into the beautiful station on time.
