Tornio–Haparanda railway

Tornio–Haparanda railway
Overview
Locale
Termini
Connecting lines
History
Opened1919
Technical
Number of tracks1
Track gauge
  • 1,524 mm (5 ft)
  • 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz AC
SignallingJKV
Route map
Kolari railway
Oulu–Tornio railway
 Tornio
Kirkkopudas
to Port of Röyttä
Torne River
Torne River Railway Bridge
Haparanda
Haparanda Line

The Tornio–Haparanda railway (Finnish: Tornio–Haaparanta-rata, Swedish: Torneå–Haparanda-banan) is a railway line between Tornio, Finland and Haparanda, Sweden. The dual-gauge line opened in 1919 and is the only fixed connection between the Finnish 1,524 mm (5 ft) broad gauge and the European 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge railway networks. It crosses the Torne River using the Torne River Railway Bridge.[1]

History

The railway first reached Tornio in 1903. At the time, the Haparanda Line in Sweden reached only as far as Karungi, so in 1915 the railway was extended up to Karunki on the Finnish side. Later that year, the Riksdag decided to extend the Swedish line all the way to Haparanda. A temporary material ropeway was used to transport mail across the river between February 1917 and early 1918. The permanent railway connection was finished in 1918 and opened to passenger transport in 1919.[1]

An 8.5 km (5.3 mi) branch line to the Port of Röyttä opened in 1928.[1]

The line, along with the remaining parts of the Oulu–Tornio railway, were electrified in 2023–2025.[2][3] A bogie exchange facility was built in the Finnish end in 2022.[4]

Operations

Regular cross-border passenger traffic was terminated by the Swedish State Railways in 1991 or 1992 and by the Finnish State Railways in 1988.[1][5] Passenger train service from Boden to Haparanda on the Swedish side was restored in 2021,[5] and the Finnish government has announced €1,9 million funding for cross-border services in the 2026 budget.[6]

The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency acts as the railway infrastructure manager for the Finnish broad-gauge network, as well as for the dual-gauge track, with the Swedish Transport Administration managing the standard gauge trackage at Haparanda station.[7] The line is equipped with the Finnish JKV train protection system.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Iltanen, Jussi (2009). Radan varrella: Suomen rautatieliikennepaikat (in Finnish) (2nd ed.). Helsinki: Karttakeskus. pp. 236–239. ISBN 978-951-593-214-3.
  2. ^ Leino, Janette (17 June 2025). "Suomesta pääsisi valmista raidetta pitkin Ruotsiin, mutta kaikki on kiinni 300 000 eurosta". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  3. ^ Liedes-Kukko, Pirkko (21 March 2023). "Haaparannalle johtavan radan sähköistys pääsee käyntiin keväällä – henkilöjunaliikenne Suomen ja Ruotsin välillä voisi alkaa 2025". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  4. ^ Siponmaa, Kati (5 November 2022). "Tavaraliikenne kulkee nyt sujuvammin Suomen ja Ruotsin rajalla – raideleveyden vaihtoon löytyi ratkaisu". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  5. ^ a b Kukko-Liedes, Pirkko (28 March 2021). "Junamatka Suomen ja Ruotsin välillä on askeleen lähempänä, kun Haaparannalta avautuu yhteys Ruotsin kaukojuniin". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  6. ^ Siponmaa, Kati (20 November 2025). "Suomesta voi matkustaa junalla muualle Eurooppaan ehkä jo keväällä – valtiolta 1,9 miljoonan lisärahoitus". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  7. ^ Liikennöinti rataosuudella Tornio–Haaparanta [Traffic on the Tornio–Haparanda railway] (PDF) (Report) (in Finnish). Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. 26 September 2025. Väyläviraston ohjeita 33/2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  8. ^ Rautateiden verkkoselostus 2026, Liite 2.1: Rataosien perustiedot [Railway network statement 2026, Appendix 2.1: Line basic details] (PDF) (Report) (in Finnish). Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency. 12 December 2025. ISBN 978-952-405-359-4. Väyläviraston julkaisuja 110/2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 December 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
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