A historic milestone was achieved in European rail travel as a new passenger train service connecting Finland and Sweden commenced operation on Monday morning. Departing from the coastal Finnish city of Oulu, the double-decker train crossed the border into Sweden's Haparanda, marking the first rail connection between northern Finland and southern Europe since the late 1980s. The service resumption was made possible by overcoming technical differences in track widths that had previously hindered the link, with Finland, formerly part of the Russian Grand Duchy, adjusting its tracks to match European standards. This new, twice-daily route will significantly reduce travel time between the two Nordic neighbors, with the journey from Haparanda taking just 100 minutes. Passengers intending to continue southward will need to transfer onto a different train. Remarkably, this service will enable travelers to embark on an approximately 5,000km rail journey from Portugal's Algarve to Finland's northernmost train station of Kolari, believed to be the longest train route in Europe. Furthermore, it opens up the possibility for a 24-hour train journey between capitals Helsinki and Stockholm. Finland's transport minister expressed optimism about the increased cooperation between the two countries, while the CEO of Finland's state-owned railway operator VR anticipates a resurgence in European rail travel, citing an uptick in passenger numbers across the continent.