photo: RAILTARGET/TRAVELOGUE: A Unique Nose Leads the Way to Historic Kalmar
Today, the tenth installment of the travelogue on Nordic railways is available exclusively via RAILTARGET. After a day's adventure in Lund, we're gearing up for the next leg of our journey. And how better to proceed than by train? This particular train, however, boasts a very distinctive "nose". Join us as we explore historic Kalmar.
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The RAILTARGET editors are thrilled to present the ninth volume of the Nordic railway travelogue. So, what's on the agenda today? After spending two days…
For the first time in Sweden, we encountered a rail company other than SJ. We rode with Öresundståg, which operates the route between Kalmar and Copenhagen. This company is a collaboration between the Swedish Skånetrafiken and the French firm Transdev.
We departed Lund aboard the X31 unit, manufactured by Bombardier, at 9:01 a.m. Due to a high occupancy rate, our train was made up of two of these three-car units. Each unit had a quiet compartment and a first-class compartment. However, no refreshments were provided in the first-class section. Interestingly, passengers could move between these two units while the train was in motion, a feature we found rather unique. Moreover, these units could be disconnected in under five minutes at the station.
Though the unit has a top speed of 180 km/h, which may not seem impressive, it boasts excellent aerodynamics. Similar units, featuring a 2+2 seating arrangement, operate in Belgium, Spain, and Israel. Our journey, during which we encountered three different conductors, seemed to fly by, and we disembarked at Kalmar station at 11:59 a.m.
Kalmar's main station is relatively small, encompassing just three tracks. However, each track has two platforms, labeled A and B, arranged in such a way that they effectively function as six separate tracks. Inside the station, you'll find a Chinese restaurant, a cafe, restrooms, and luggage lockers. Adjacent to the station is a Pressbyrån, a common sight at Swedish stations, which typically offers train tickets. Besides the bus terminal, there's also a bicycle garage in front of the station.
Travel Tip: In the first-class, quiet, and second-class compartments, half the seats can be reserved with seat tickets, but these reservations aren't mandatory.
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The RAILTARGET editorial team is back with another installment of the popular travelogue series about the Nordic railway. In this episode, we'll journey…