The high-speed train operator VR is now increasing the number of journeys for Christmas and the period between Christmas and New Year by over 17,000 seats. Demand for Christmas travel has been unusually high this year as early as September, and ticket sales have so far been higher than in 2023.

– We are pleased that we can add so many tickets now that the Swedish Transport Administration has confirmed the timetable, says Filip Thunell, CEO of VR Snabbtåg Sverige. We knew we could supplement some, but this feels especially good given how many people are planning to travel by train this Christmas.

In total, there are 40 new departures and nearly 10,000 tickets released the week before Christmas, and almost as many new departures during the post-Christmas sales period.

Based on the number of bookings so far, the day before Christmas Eve, December 23rd, appears to be the most popular travel day for Christmas revellers travelling between Stockholm and Gothenburg. This year, Friday, December 20th, is also a popular travel day, as many are expected to take holiday on Monday, December 23rd, thus getting an extra-long Christmas break.

VR released the first Christmas tickets as early as the summer, and there has generally been a greater demand for buying tickets early than usual. There are still seats available on all departures, although the cheapest tickets are starting to run out on some.

VR Snabbtåg was previously called MTRX before it was bought by the Finnish operator VR. The company operates a third of the traffic on the Stockholm-Gothenburg route via Södertälje, Katrineholm, Skövde, Falköping, Herrljunga and Alingsås.

According to the press release.