Finland and Sweden have resumed rail services after a decades-long break, as reported by infohub.kz.
Finland uses the same track width as Russia, which is wider than the European standard - a legacy from when the country was part of the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Finland is currently updating its tracks to match the European standard.
The new service runs twice daily and takes 100 minutes to reach Haparanda in Sweden, hugging Finland's west coast before crossing the border. Passengers traveling onward from Haparanda must transfer to another train to continue south.
However, this service makes it possible to travel about 5,000 km by rail from Portugal's Algarve to Finland's northernmost station, Kolari - potentially the longest train route in Europe. It also enables a 24-hour rail journey between the capitals Helsinki and Stockholm.
Finland's transport minister said the return of the cross-border service shows growing cooperation between the two countries. Elisa Markula, CEO of Finland's state-owned railway operator VR, expressed hope that the service will benefit from a "renaissance" in rail travel across Europe. "Train travel across Europe is having a renaissance. In Finland, our passenger numbers are increasing a lot," Markula told AFP.