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Vy Norrtåg questions

  • June 21, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 132 views
Andreas1099
Full steam ahead

I plan to travel with a interrail pass in the North of Sweden in the first half of August and then travel to Norway via the Östersund – Storlien - Trondheim line. I have not yet decided about the exact dates. On weekends in the first half of August there are two trains operated by Vy Norrtåg between Östersund and Storlien, where I can connect to a SJ Norge train. Tuesday through Friday (with the exceptions of August 1st) the only Vy Norrtåg train Östersund – Storlien is train 7510 departing in Östersund at 16.33 hours. On Friday, August 1st and on the following Mondays, August 4th, 11th and 18th in addition to train 7510 also train 7500, departure time in Östersund 7.24 runs to Storlien. That is the information one can find on the travel planners of ÖBB and DB. Looking on the travel planner of interrail.eu for e.g. Wednesday, August 6th it says train 7500 is running, no reservation needed or even possible. When trying to make a booking (and not finalizing it) on sj.se I get train 7500 is ”Not selectable” and the explanation “The journey isn't selectable at the moment. This may be due to a temporary error. Try reloading the page or choose another journey.” And finally vy.se says : “The departure is sold out.”

My first question is: Is anywhere definite information available if train 7500 is running on a specific day in August and can I board it with an interrail pass having no reservation?
(I do not have any questions about trains of other train operators running on this line.)

The FAQ on vy.se says: trains can sell out and every booking comes with a seat reservation and the seat can be selected during the booking process. On the booking page it is possible to select reservation only for Interrail/Eurail pass holders. But it seems you cannot actually select a seat when making such a reservation as well when buying a ticket. If one tries to buy a ticket on sj.se one finds that seat reservations are not possible.

Does this mean that the number of tickets sold (and the number of Interrail reservations) is limited and a train is considered sold out when this number is reached?

And is it advisable too make such a (obviously free) reservation for Vy Norrtåg trains when travelling with an interrail pass or has all this reservation stuff no meaning for Vy Norrtåg regional trains?

 

Best answer by AnnaB

I suggest that you make a free reservation through the VY app or VY website, just in case that the train should be very crowded. Also in case there are delays, you have a proof that you planed to travel with that train. 

3 replies

R
Railmaster
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  • rvdborgt
  • Railmaster
  • June 21, 2025

These trains don't have mandatory reservations, so for pass holders they can't sell out. You are always allowed to board, except when a train is dangerously overcrowded, which I think is unlikely on that line.

If you want to verify the timetable, then always check with the operator. What others say, especially interrail.eu or the Rail Planner app, is irrelevant.

vy.se indeed seems to offer pass reservations for free. Even if that may not book a seat, I believe it is a "counted place”, so it guarantees access to the train.

When I travelled there in 2019, the trains were not full and reservations were not necessary.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
A
Railly clever
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  • AnnaB
  • Railly clever
  • Answer
  • June 22, 2025

I suggest that you make a free reservation through the VY app or VY website, just in case that the train should be very crowded. Also in case there are delays, you have a proof that you planed to travel with that train. 

Please note that I don't work for Interrail/Eurail and that I don't reply to personal messages.
Andreas1099
Full steam ahead
  • Andreas1099
  • Author
  • Full steam ahead
  • July 13, 2025

As I found out that train 7500 was not the only Norrtåg train which was marked sold out not only at one day but for several weeks in the Vy app or the homepage, respectively, but this happened also for train on other routes, I suspected that Vy  Norrtåg ist working on a timetable change and ticket sales for those trains are blocked for that reason. In the last days of June the ÖBB travel planner showed some dynamics regarding train 7500: it appeared on days where it had not existed before and originated in Ånge or Bräcke instead of Sundsvall. After about one week the schedule had stabilised. In the relevant week the train runs Tuesday through Friday Ånge – Storlien and Monday Sundsvall – Storlien. Also on Vy.se and SJ.se (and their apps) now tickets were on sale and on the Vy app and website also the before mentioned free reservations (without seat assignment) were possible. As suggested by @AnnaB we did the free reservations for any Vy Norrtåg train we intend to use. Reservations worked also for a connection which required a change from a SJ train with mandatory seat reservation to a Norrtåg train and for an SJ highspeed train alone. Which was fine as we prefer paper passes. For a SJ reservation they charge on top of the SJ reservation fee 10 Swedish Crowns booking fee, which made it a little bit cheaper than on the Interrail/Eurail website. My bank finally charged €13,70 to my account for two seat reservations on an SJ high speed train, on the Interrail/Eurail site this would be €15,60.

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