Vagabond, which once started as a train travel magazine, is organizing an event about train travel at Stockholm Central Station on December 1st.
The trend is clear. More and more Swedes are choosing the train as their means of transport on holiday.
According to Silverrail, which manages the Swedish train booking systems and operates the inspiration and sales site Europarunt.se, the number of Interrail passes sold in 2023 is expected to reach 35,000. This is an increase of almost 20 percent compared to the previous year and basically on par with the peak figures before the pandemic.
– I guess it's mainly about the environmental aspect, but maybe also about the strained economic situation. Many people probably feel that they want to experience more, like you do on a train trip, with the money you still have, says Susanne Svensson at Silverrail.
Young and old – age does not seem to play any role when it comes to interest in traveling and vacationing by train. In Sweden, the distribution of Interrail passes sold between different age groups is relatively even: adults 35 percent, children 8 percent, seniors 22 percent and young people 35 percent. Source: Europarunt.se/Silverrail.
The interest is also reflected in the bookings for upcoming winter trips. Snälltåget, which operates direct and night trains to popular ski destinations in both Sweden and the Alps, sold out of tickets for the sports holiday weeks already in September, which is record time. To meet the increased demand, Snälltåget has expanded its traffic to Austria and extended the travel period until Easter.
Train talk at Stockholm C
Friday, December 1st is the day for the all-day event "Train Travel" for the public at Stockholm Central Station. Travel magazine Vagabond is the organizer and will be there to share its best travel tips about train travel.
– We want to inspire more people to discover the charm of traveling by train in Sweden and abroad. In addition to being climate-smart, it is also very comfortable and pleasant, and not least – often the most experiential way to travel, says Fredrik Brändström, editor-in-chief at Vagabond.
The Vagabond editorial team will be on hand all day, including train holiday expert Per J Andersson, to talk travel and answer questions. There will also be representatives from Snälltåget, SJ, Europarunt, Vy, the German Tourist Office and the Swiss Tourist Office.
According to the press release.
