My 238th obligatory Antwerp main station appreciation post 😍 #BlankSpots

Lars at a train station so early in the morning... That means it's going to be an eventful day. 👀 #BlankSpots

The Kiel-Flensburg line provides a curiosity. Due to the construction of a new bridge across the Schlei and the poor condition of the old one, the Schlei can only be crossed on foot. The train line isndisrupted and has two terminus station on both ends of the bridge: "Rieseby Schleibrücke Süd" and "Boren-Lindaunis Schleibrücke Nord". This may be inconvenient for locals, but is randomly interesting to me. #BlankSpots

The advantage of this route is that I can change to the IC 🇩🇪 Flensburg - 🇩🇰 Fredericia, which doesn't require a seat reservation. Otherwise I would habe ended in the often crowded EuroCity Hamburg-Copenhagen. But more importantly, it is a DSB MF/IC3 also known as 'rubber nose', which is one of the most cozy train I have ever been on! #BlankSpots

Tog er fantastiske! 😍
(Trains are fantastic!) #BlankSpots

In Fredericia, I finally spot an DSB IC4 train running in the right direction. Two minutes later, I board this regional train to Odense.
The IC4 were manufactured by Ansaldo-Breda between 2005 and 2013. However, the train is considered deficient and the delivery was late. The trains are going to be replaced by the also delayed IC5. #BlankSpots

It was completely unnecessary to hunt after an IC4, since my next train was going to be an IC4 anyway. 🥴 I am surprised, though. Is it usual for the IC Fredericia-Østerport to be an IC4? Or might the temporary timetable due to construction works be the reason? I have never seen one before on this line before and it could be replaced by an electric train. #BlankSpots

I get off the IC4 at Slagelse. Unlike the regions I have just visited (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇪), I have passed through 🇩🇰 Denmark many times before. To stick to #BlankSpots, I have to try some new lines like at least. I choose the Lokaltog Slagelse-Tølløse and it's a jackpot: A Lokaltog IC2, another type of 'rubber nose train'!

The trio of rubber noses would be incomplete without the IR4, the electric version of the IC2/IC4. I take the Regionaltog from Tølløse to Copenhagen H. This train is cosy as well, but the floor is a little bit filthy and smelly. #BlankSpots

Did I say a trio of rubber noses? There is a fourth rubber nose in Denmark, approaching the country from the East. Unfortunately, I can't spend any more time in 🇩🇰 Denmark, so I board an #Øresundståg towards 🇸🇪 Sweden at Copenhagen Main Station. This time, I can choose which train I take, as there is an Øresundståg queue. I opt for the second train, which is almost empty in the front coaches. #BlankSpots

Arriving in 🇸🇪 Sweden means that it's time for a bulle! At Malmö Central Station, I even find 🌱 plant-based ones. Perfect for boarding SJ's snabbtåg. #BlankSpots

I get off the Snabbtåg at Nässjö. Two trains to Jönköping follow each other within eight minutes, so I can choose between Krösatågen and Västtrafiken! #BlankSpots

Impressions of Jönköping 😍 #BlankSpots

Jönköping has an interesting bus infrastructure. A 1.5km long two-lane "bus street" runs through the city centre. It even crosses a roundabout in the middle. #BlankSpots

There are also #BlankSpots in countries I have been to many times before. I just have to look more closely. 😁 I am doing some #Streckensammeln on #Krösatågen 's diesel network.
✅ Nässjö C–Vaggeryd
✅ Nässjö C–Eksjö
✅ Nässjö C–Vetlanda

Apparently, #Krösatågen has started to apply the new red livery to existing trains. The interior appears to be unchanged (picture taken in a Y32). The new red trains are expected to be operational by 2026. #BlankSpots

Impressions of Eksjö 😍 #BlankSpots

Fråga till svenskarna: Does anyone know why Jönköpings Länstrafik has two different dates for the timetable change, only one week apart? Isn't any timetable coordination needed for that week? Is this also the case for any other län? https://www.jlt.se/nyhetsarkiv/tidtabellsskifte-augusti-2025/ #BlankSpots

My journey continues from Nässjö on another SJ Snabbtåg (not the one in the picture). 'If you are in the right carriage and seat, we have all the information we need', so there's no ticket control! This is a convenient difference compared to the platform gates and rushed ticket controls in an underpass in other countries, but it is also an act of trust. #BlankSpots

It's time for the SJ X55 Regina! As you know, I have to celebrate my favourite train. It's really cosy and comfortable to ride in. #BlankSpots

Due to track works in the Uppsala region, the Snabbtåg between Stockholm and Sundsvall (-Umeå) are deviated via Västerås this weekend. This means the journey is 100 km longer than usual!
Unfortunately, the modified timetable is not entirely realistic. Cleaning and restocking takes more than the planned 15 minutes, so we leave Stockholm 15 minutes late. #BlankSpots

The landscape changes slowly as you travel over 800 km. The #SJ Snabbtåg Regina jingle is the only thing that reminds me of home. 🔊 "Wir begrüssen Sie in der S7 nach Stadelhofen, Meilen..." Anyway, let's move on. #BlankSpots

With SJ's Snabbtåg service, you can pre-order meals. In second class, you must collect your order from the bistro. In first class, your order is served at your seat and you have a wider selection, including a full 🌱 plant-based menu. As the food does not come from the dining car, the selection of cold food is limited. I am asked when exactly I would like to receive my food on this six-hour journey. I answer around 7 pm. At exactly 18:59, my food is served. #BlankSpots

#Norrtåg usually operates with a limited number of three X11 and four X52 Reginas north of Umeå. The diagrams are optimised, but upside-down on this Sunday due to an overhead wire failure. Luckily, I still manage to take some good pictures of Norrtåg. 😍 #BlankSpots

🔊 "SJ Nattåg 93 mot Örnskoldsvik, Sundsvall, Gävle, Uppsala, Stockholm Central med avgångstid 1:44 beräknas avgå 16:45" 🤯 #BlankSpots

Unexpected freight trains somewhere near Umeå #BlankSpots

This part of the journey feels more like #Norrut than #BlankSpots, but that doesn't matter right now. Unfortunately, the train I'm taking from Umeå to Vindeln is an X62 Coradia, so I have to wait for the next one. Finally, it's my first Norrtåg X11 ride!

A passing Norrtåg X52 Regina #BlankSpots

While waiting at Vindeln station, I had a bizarre conversation in Swedish. An elderly couple drove onto the platform in a car. They asked, 'Are you Lars?' I didn't expect the question to be meant for me.
'Is your name Lars?'
'Yes. Why?'
'You resemble a student of mine called Lars. Didn't you go to school here in Vindeln?'
'No, sorry, I didn't'
'Are you sure?' 🤨
I guess I don't mistake my childhood in the Swiss suburbs for one in Northern Sweden. Besides, my Swedish isn't even fluent. #BlankSpots

The Norrtåg journey continues from Vindeln to Luleå. The X52 Regina is rather crowded. I pass endless forests and calm rivers, as well as a few villages with idyllic names, such as Älvsbyn (literally 'river village') and Bastuträsk ('sauna swamp' or 'lake'). #BlankSpots

Due to track works, the Luleå–Narvik line has a different timetable. Currently, only one #SJ Intercity train runs daily between Kiruna and Narvik. I get on this one and only Intercity train at Luleå. At Boden, many tired hikers with large backpacks get off the night train from Stockholm and board our train that is heading for the beautiful Tornedalen. Last summer, I visited some of the intersting intermediate stations on #Norrut: https://mastodon.social/@larstransportworld/112950853782011169 #BlankSpots

As I pass the small settlement and station of Riksgränsen, the 🇸🇪 Malmbanan turns into 🇸🇯 Ofotbanen. A spectacular view of a deep valley opens up. It soon turns into a fjord. The line descends to sea level until it reaches Narvik. #BlankSpots

The terminus of the Ofotbanen is located in Narvik. The line's main purpose is to transport ore from Sweden to the ice-free Atlantic port. Passenger trains here are a by-product and the network is not designed for tourists purposes primarily. So if you want to travel further north, you need to use other means of transport.
This also makes Narvik the northernmost standard-gauge terminus in Europe. #BlankSpots

My trip continues from Narvik to Tromsø by bus line 100. There are only two or three services a day that run the whole route. The journey takes you along the stunning fjords of northern 🇸🇯 Norway. This is probably the most beautiful bus journey I've ever taken! #BlankSpots