A historic passenger train service, linking Finland and Sweden for the first time in nearly four decades, commenced operations on Monday morning. The double-decker train departed from Oulu, a coastal city in northern Finland, at 05:00 local time (04:00 BST), traversing the Torne river border into Haparanda, Sweden, where it was welcomed by enthusiastic crowds waving Finnish and Swedish flags. The service's resumption ends a suspension that began in the late 1980s due to low passenger numbers and track differences between Finland and Europe. While passengers continuing southward will need to transfer onto another train, this new service enables approximately 5,000km of rail travel from Portugal's Algarve to Finland's northernmost station of Kolari - believed to be the longest train route in Europe. The journey takes 100 minutes between Haparanda and Oulu and paves the way for a potential 24-hour train journey between capitals Helsinki and Stockholm. Finland's Transport Minister lauded this development as evidence of strengthening cooperation between the two countries, while Elisa Markula, CEO of Finland's state-owned railway operator VR, anticipates a resurgence in European rail travel to benefit the service.