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QUICK GUIDE: How to get to Arlanda Airport while the train isn’t running

Trains to Arlanda Airport were halted after an Arlanda Express train derailed. Here's how to reach the airport from Stockholm this week.

Published: 29 May 2023 08:20 CEST
QUICK GUIDE: How to get to Arlanda Airport while the train isn't running
A derailed Arlanda Express train. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT

An Arlanda Express train between central Stockholm and the airport derailed on May 27th. Around 70 passengers had to evacuate the train and two received minor injuries. The company operating the train said it believed traffic would be halted for five to seven days.

In the meantime, Stockholm’s SL commuter trains between Stockholm and Uppsala will travel via Märsta instead of via Arlanda C, and there will be fewer trains operating between the stations of Märsta and Ulriksdal.

Here are some of your options.

Train + bus

If you already have an SL period ticket, such as a monthly card for travelling within the Stockholm region, this is the cheapest way of travelling as it is included in your fare. If you don’t have an SL card, a single ticket costs 39 kronor (29 kronor for students, pensioners over the age of 65 and young people under the age of 20).

Take the train from Stockholm City to Märsta, then bus 583 to Arlanda. The bus will call at Terminals 2, 3 and 5, and the whole journey takes about an hour. Bear in mind that some trains on this route are cancelled due to the derailment, so plan ahead.

You can plan your journey via SL’s app.

Bus

The Flygbussarna airport express bus travels from Stockholm C to Arlanda and there are more buses than normal running due to the cancelled trains. You should still make sure you allow plenty of time for travel as it is likely more people will be taking the bus.

The bus takes about 45 minutes and costs 149 kronor or 129 kronor online.

Taxi

To avoid being ripped off, you should only use taxis that carry a yellow sign which looks like this and contains information on pricing.

Before you get in the car, ask the driver how much it is going to cost: taxis that have an official agreement with airport operator Swedavia should charge no more than 750 kronor (in a car with 1-4 people) or 1,200 kronor (in a car with 5-8 people) from central Stockholm.

Bolt and Uber also operate in Stockholm.

Own car

Take the E4 motorway north from Stockholm. Head towards Sundsvall and get off the motorway at Arlanda Airport (it’s signposted). It takes about 40 minutes depending on traffic; if you reach Knivsta, you’ve gone too far.

The cost of parking varies depending on how long you’re staying. Check your options here.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Published: 27 April 2024 07:59 CEST
Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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