Stockholm, the capital of the Kingdom of Sweden, is spread across fourteen main islands and thousands of smaller ones between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The challenging living conditions in the north have historically led its people to develop a deep respect for nature, and this connection is also reflected in the design of the city's railway infrastructure. Long-distance and suburban trains coming from the south cross the waters around Stockholm on the magnificent Årsta Bridges and pass by the historic Old Town before arriving at Stockholm Central, right in the heart of the city. The capacity of their shared route was doubled with the addition of two more tracks, except for the section between Södra and Central stations, where a new railway tunnel was under construction at the time of this photoshoot in 2012. Only modern trains operate in Stockholm, but our album also features some classic vehicles, along with others that have been replaced by newer generations since then.
Old Y6 converted to a maintenance vehicle - The trains of the past decades were scrapped, sent to a museum, or sold to other railways. Produced between 1953 and 1961, the Class Y6 multiple units were almost everywhere on Sweden’s unelectrified network until the 1980s, the end of their service. In their original state, only a few units survived as part of the Swedish nostalgic fleet. However, their unique style remains, as many of them were rebuilt as maintenance vehicles. “Liftmotorvagn” LMV 0987D and other LMVs are used mostly for catenary maintenance but the vehicles are suitable for any work where the lifting basket is needed. (Märsta, 13 July 2012, 7:18 CET)
A remarkably different appearance -– A suburban train departs to Södertälje, and a regional passenger train heads to Uppsala. Märsta station is by-passed by long-distance trains heading north on the new track connecting Arlanda Airport, but locomotive-hauled passenger trains are not completely gone – the hourly regional service between Stockholm and Uppsala, with Rc6 locomotives, stops at the station. (Märsta, 13 July 2012, 7:21 CET)
Commuters under the rusty roof – Commuters arrived from the northern suburbs to Karlberg station. It is July but the people wear sweatshirts or a light jacket, this is the Nordic summer. The station’s location is far not the best, the passengers need to walk quite a lot to reach the nearest metro station. After the completion of the city tunnel, the function of the good old Karlberg will be taken over by the new Odenplan station with direct connection to the green line of the Stockholm Metro. The long distance trains will simply pass here, the platforms will be closed for the passengers. (Karlberg, 13 July 2012, 8:13 CET )
On the way to the maintenance base – Mostly in the regional traffic, there are still many locomotive-hauled passenger trains consisting mainly of Rc6 locomotives and Class B7 passenger carriages. B7s are the most common carriages in Sweden, Kalmar Verkstads AB produced 171 of them for SJ between 1979 and 1990. Most of them are painted black now but a few carriages still have their previous light blue livery with a red stripe. The train in the photo runs on a track far from the platforms. It is not a commercial train, just an operational one, heading to Hagalund railway yard where the maintenance of the vehicles takes place. (Stockholm, Karlberg, 13 July 2012, 8:30 CET)
A strange composition but only for shunting - Northern Stockholm’s Tomtaboda station is for the freight traffic, serving the central post terminal and the harbour of Värtan, too. Most of the freight trains are operated by Green Cargo, Sweden’s state-owned logistics company. Because of the dense passenger traffic and the limited track capacity, during the day only a few freight trains can depart or arrive, most of these Rc4 freight locomotives are waiting for the night to get a new task. (Stockholm, Tomtaboda, 13 July 2012, 8:59 CET)
Arlanda Express from the airport to Stockholm Central -- After the completion of the Stockholm City Tunnel, the Arlanda Express trains will still remain on the surface, at least between their two termini. The yellow headed trains are interesting features of the railway in northern Stockholm, using separate platforms due to their unique platform height, but otherwise operating on the same tracks as other trains. The X3-type electric multiple units were manufactured by Alstom at their Washwood Heath factory between 1998 and 1999. (Stockholm, Karlberg, 13 July 2012, 11:40 CET)
Crossing the waterways – After the morning rainclouds have passed, we visit the southern side of the central part of Stockholm. X12 electric railcars, 1926at the time of the construction with its length of 753 meters, the truss arch bridge has a clearance of 26 meters above the waterway which connect Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea by-passing Stockholm’s Gamla Stan where the low clearance of the Central Bridge does not allow long masted sailing vessels to pass. An X12 electric railcar passes the bridge, presumably to Eskilstuna. (Stockholm, the Årsta bridges, 13 July 2012, 14:53 CET)
Diesel on a mission -- As all of the connecting railway lines are electrified, diesel locomotives are regularly used only in shunting yards, such as Tomteboda in the north or Älvsjö in the south of the city. The T44 is the most common Swedish diesel-electric locomotive built by Nydqvist & Holm (NOHAB) and Kalmar Verkstad (KVAB), with 123 units produced between 1968 and 1987. (Stockholm, the Årsta bridges, 13 July 2012, 14:03 CET)
The real Transport Tycoon -- The X2000 trains, which were featured as X2001 monorail vehicles in the legendary 1990s game Transport Tycoon, were already at least 20 years old by the time this photo was taken. Despite their age, with 52 units in service, they remain one of the most iconic types of Swedish long-distance trains. When the service started in 1990, passengers could use the train's fax machine for free. The grey rocks in the background, in front of the houses, are also interesting. This is where one of our next photos was taken, with the old ship in the foreground. (Stockholm, the Årsta bridges, 13 July 2012, 14:14 CET)
Taurus from the South -- Stockholm Södra, If someone finds the Swedish rail scene less colorful, Veolia makes their day. Snälltåget was set up in 2006 (first departure January 31, 2007) as Veolia Transport after partial deregulation of the Swedish rail network running ad hoc services. Regular weekend services began in 2009 (expanding to weekdays in 2010), after the network was fully deregulated, running in direct competition with the state-owned operator SJ. The summer night train extension to Berlin was launched in 2012 with the network rebranding as Snälltåget in November 2013.[1] Hired Hectorrail Class 242 Taurus, behind her there is a Couchette Car BC2 bought second hand from SJ. (Stockholm-Södra, 13 July 2012, 14:38 CET)
Where is the new bridge? -- The topography of the Swedish capital is very diverse. No drone is needed just good eyes and a lot of walking to find places with the best view of the railways and its surroundings. The architect of the new (northern) bridge, Sir Norman Foster made a great work with hiding the new structure. (Stockholm, the Årsta bridges, 13 July 2012, 14:53 CET)
Interface between the railways and the city -- The station hall is the place for major departures and arrivals, an area protected from the harsh Nordic weather where fellow passengers can meet. (Stockholm Central, 13 July 2012, 15:22)
View from the tower -- The 106-meter-tall tower of the City Hall provides an amazing view over the city and the traffic. As the railway tunnel under the city center is still under construction, all trains, including the suburban trains of Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), use the old above-ground tracks. Note the low clearance under the bridges - only small boats can pass here, and tidal fluctuations in the Baltic Sea are practically non-existent. (Stockholm, 13 July 2012, 16:41 CET)
Stockholm Central -- The railway tracks divide the areas on either side, but this is not a significant issue at Stockholm Central Station, which is located on the waterfront, facing the island of Kungsholmen. Since its construction, numerous crosswalks and bridges have been built, making the area easily accessible. The Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre, visible in the left side of the photo, was also partially built over the tracks, taking advantage of the excellent transport connections. (Stockholm Central, 13 July 2012, 16:41 CET)
There are so many things to see -- The photo captures the stunning view of Stockholm's Gamla Stan, the Royal Palace, and the Houses of Parliament, with two coupled X40 electric multiple units arriving, probably from Malmö or Gothenburg. Sweden's main railway lines were upgraded to support speeds of up to 200 kph; however, traditional locomotive-hauled trains, with a top speed of only 160 kph, are unable to fully take advantage of these upgrades. (Stockholm, 13 July 2012, 16:52 CET)
The blue train -- Rc6 1405 in Blue-X livery, One of the very few blue Rc6 locomotives with elegant dark blue cars from the Class A7 and B7. One B7 Car, then B11 cars and at the end of the train an A11 car. SJ planned to upgrade A7 and B7 cars to 180 kph speed and use them as a replacement of X2000 high-speed trains but the. Rc6 is the top class, two Rc7s existed temporarily but the were downgraded back to Rc6 as it made no sense to keep them. Blue X (Stockholm-Central)
Return to the Årsta bridges -- The two hours spent here four days ago were far from enough. Depending on the location and the time of day, the place offers unlimited perspectives. This photo was taken right from the coast at Strandpromenad Arstaviken. Behind the bridge, where the new houses now stand, there used to be a railway yard with a large roundhouse, connected to the original railway line to Södra Station, before the opening of the first Årsta bridges in 1929. The train on the bridge is probably the morning train of Snälltåget from Stockholm to Copenhagen. (Stockholm, the Årsta bridges, 17 July 2012, 9:26 CET)
Well, not exactly a retro train... -- The final image in this album captures a quintessential Scandinavian scene, with characteristic rainclouds looming over the horizon. In the foreground, the iconic Årsta Bridge stands proudly, while an X2000 train approaches, symbolizing the journey we've shared. -- Stockholm, the Årsta bridges, 17 July 2012, 11:35 CET