photo: RAILTARGET/TRAVELOGUE: A Suburban Rail Adventure from Stockholm to Uppsala
The RAILTARGET editorial team is back with another installment of the popular travelogue series about the Nordic railway. In this episode, we'll journey to Uppsala, the final resting place of ancient Swedish kings. We used the suburban line for this trip.
Uppsala is just a 58-minute train ride from Stockholm City Station. We opted for the commuter trains, which make frequent stops, and boarded at Stockholm Odenplan station, conveniently located right below our hotel. We departed this station at 2:40 p.m. It's worth noting that Odenplan station is underground and features multiple doors along the platform, but the train only stops at certain ones. A green light indicates where the train will stop, while a red cross marks where it won't.
On our way to Uppsala, we traveled on an X60 train, which reaches a top speed of 160 km/h. The train was manufactured by the French company Alstom specifically for Stockholm's suburban services. It's no surprise that the train offers only second-class seating in a 3+2 layout and is electrically powered. One minor drawback is that the train doesn't have a toilet. Interestingly, Stockholm's suburban trains have dedicated tracks, separate from other services, which either run on parallel tracks or different ones altogether.
Uppsala Station features a total of 10 tracks, with tracks 2, 3, and 4 serving as terminus tracks and the others as through tracks. The concourse provides amenities like a café, food outlets, a drugstore, luggage lockers, and toilets. The station comprises two buildings: the older one now serves as a restaurant, while the newer one functions as the main station hall. A bus station is situated just a short walk from the train station, near the city center.
After an extensive tour of both old and new Uppsala, we boarded the same type of train and departed for Stockholm at 8:56 p.m. We arrived back at Stockholm City Station at 9:54 p.m.
Ticketing is a bit unique. It seems logical that tickets are checked at the entrance turnstiles. Surprisingly, we also encountered ticket inspectors on our way back. Tickets can be purchased through Stockholm's SL app or Uppsala's UL (Uppsala's public transport operator). Each region has its own fare system, and the dividing line between the two is Märsta station. Fortunately, you can buy a ticket for the entire journey to Uppsala and back using the SL app. Interestingly, this line is not operated by either SL or UL but by the multinational company MRT, which also manages, for example, the metro systems in Sydney, Melbourne, and Beijing.
Travel Tip: In Sweden, don't bother looking for gender-specific toilets; they are generally unisex.