Greetings readers. Welcome to another brief FR, this time including a swift domestic hop from Trollhättan to Stockholm BMA in Sweden towards the end of October 2017. A selection of possible readers may know I live in Stockholm, therefore it could be interpreted as odd that there is no FR from Stockholm to Trollhättan being posted. The cause for this scenario is rather simple, I traveled by train to Trollhättan , hence the omit of a separate FR covering an outbound flight. However, an inclusion of the train ride will be made as a separate bonus before the actual FR for those who are interested :).
Background:
During the summer months frivolous talks regarding a family trip in late-October were presented. Unfortunately we were unable to book a trip at this time, due to our move to a new part of town at the end of July 2017. Costs involved with the move were of higher importance than the costs of a hypothetical family trip, the trip was put on hold. When the situation with the new home had stabilized, we were too late to the booking party. The plan was to leave Stockholm for a warmer place during my school holidays, but many other inhabitants have similar if not identical plans during these school holidays. Fares to most international destinations were high and the hopes for a family trip faded away. The trip was not entirely cancelled, but postponed for 2018 instead. As a result, my week of school holidays was free. A week or two prior to the start of the holidays, I asked my parents if I could head out on two quick day trips within Europe. They agreed rather quickly after I presented the planned destinations and after the oral confirmation I proceeded to book the quickies. The first day trip involved Trollhättan, but why Trollhättan you may (or may not) wonder? BRA (local Swedish airline) decided to lease Fokker 50 aircraft from Amapola flyg in order to operate certain routes, including Stockholm - Trollhättan. I opted for an outbound journey by train as a return trip by plane would have cost too much for my budget, in the end I would still be able to fly with a Fokker 50, an aircraft I never believed I would be able to try out before getting retired. Thank you mother and father for letting me go on these quick trips!
Note: Pictures used in this report were taken with my camera and phone.
Itinerary:
TF807, Braathens Regional Airlines BRA, Fokker 50, SE-LEB - You are here
Train bonus Stockholm to Trollhättan:
A basic breakfast consisting of crispbread with cheese, a slice of bread with cheese accompanied by a glass of milk. We were out of butter so cream cheese would have to suffice.
When going to the station I have two options, either I could walk to the station or catch a bus departing ten minutes prior to the departure time of the train. I am quite certain you will understand which option I opted for, by analysing the contents of the next picture.
04:50 AM.
The Volvo 8900 bus that took me to the station. It arrived at my local bus stop with a delay of two minutes but managed to pull up to the station on-time.
Southbound commuter train slowing down at my local station at 04:57 AM.
Towards the central station.
The X60B train arrived at the central by 05:32 AM, they have since July 2017 received a new separated section/station known as "Stockholm City". The metro section is known as "T-Centralen" while the section with long-distance trains is called "Stockholm Central". Many locals including myself refer to all of these sections of the central station area as "Centralen", meaning "The central" in English.
Time to continue towards the section from which long-distance trains depart from.
The commuter train I recently traveled on would continue towards Nynäshamn.
Escalators to track 3-4.
A few more pictures from the rather new station/section for commuter trains. Since our recent move, I have began commuting through the central five times a week when going to school.
Up towards the central hall where long-distance departures can be found.
Metro to the left or railway station to the right (long-distance trains and Arlanda Express trains, buses as well although in separate sections).
On the walkway towards the central hall.
Several closed shops on both sides of the walkway, only a handful of cafeterias and convenience stores were open.
Continuing straight would have left me by tracks 11-19, my train was assigned to track 10 which required me to continue to the right.
Towards track 10.
TIDS?
My ride to Gothenburg Central on track 10, an X2000 (X2) high-speed train.
Better to check if this was the correct train, especially considering the fact that there was another departure to Gothenburg shortly after this departure.
These X2000 (X2) trains were originally produced by Kalmar Verkstad in Kalmar, Sweden. They were built between 1989 and 1998, making these one of the older train models used by SJ. Trivia: I had one of my first train rides onboard one of these, when I was 24-25 days old 17 years ago.
Settled on seat 30 in carriage 4.
At 05:50 the driver announced doors would be closed in 20 seconds. The exact moment the clock in my mobile device switched from 05:50 to 05:51, the train started rolling out from the central station. Basic departure information was also announced in English.
Legroom was more than fine for my standards.
The 4G Wi-Fi network worked flawlessly for the majority of the journey.
Power ports were available, one of them were used to charge my phone throughout the ride.
Overall the train was clean and comfortable enough for the roughly 3-hour non-stop trip to Gothenburg.
Standard forest scenery, at this point in a slightly brighter setting.
A sandwich I had brought with me from home.
07:26 AM.
Cold but quite clear morning.
Passing the city of Skövde at 07:47 AM.
Cruising towards Gothenburg. The majority of the journey was spent sleeping, listening to music or solely thinking about life in general.
Houses in the countryside.
Two cows.
Lake.
Approaching Gothenburg.
Lake Aspen.
Welcome to Gothenburg.
Västtåg X61.
Our train came to a final stop at 08:59, implying an early arrival of one minute. I had a quick look at the cabin before exiting the carriage.
Seats.
On the platform at Gothenburg C.
SJ Regional Regina X52 train towards Karlstad, the train I was taking to Trollhättan.
Västtåg X61.
Carriages of the X52 train.
Entering.
The 5-abreast layout inside the regional train. Before these units went into production, there were many discussions regarding having wider carriages or double deckers for the upcoming generation of regional train traffic in Sweden. The former was chosen, mainly because double deckers require stairs which take up space in the carriages which consequently results in longer stops at stations. Although I am not too sure how effective this decision was in terms of increased passenger capacity, these trains were designed for conditions in Sweden and are therefore mainly used here. Considering how low the population density is in this oblong country, overcrowded trains may not always be the biggest problem with railway traffic. Take my comments with a grain of salt, as I am not a regular regional/long-distance train traveler in Sweden!
Seats.
This train was scheduled to depart at 09:15 AM and the scheduled time of arrival in Trollhättan was set to 09:52 AM.
We began rolling out of Gothenburg at precisely 09:15 AM.
E20 motorway towards Stockholm.
Accelerating besides Göta Älv (river).
Legroom was decent for this regional quickie.
The X52 train arrived at Trollhättan C by 09:49 AM local time, meaning we were early by three minutes.
From here it was time to begin the short exploration of Trollhättan, before flying back to Stockholm in the afternoon. Thank you for taking your time to go through this train bonus :).
Tourism bonus Trollhättan:
Kungsgatan (street).
A quiet street.
Walking along the Göta Älv river.
Fortunately it was not rainy this day, albeit most likely experienced as cold by various individuals.
Föreningsgatan (street).
Continuing the walk next to the river.
Trollhättan church.
The central parts of Trollhättan had been left behind, noticeable by the new landscape in my surroundings.
Kopparklinten, a viewpoint on the top of the hill on the picture.
The loss of leaves continues.
A bridge connecting one end of the river to the other end.
Risk for collapse.
Progressing towards the viewpoint. Climbing through the steps realize what a terrible state my physical endurance was in.
Trollhättan, with the church on the left hand side of the picture.
Olidan hydroelectric power station.
The river, from a slightly higher altitude.
On the way back to the centre,
Orskarsbron (bridge) in the distance.
Walking on the bridge.
The centre to the right of the river.
Vänersborgsvägen (road).
Walking on spiköstigen (walking path).
A rather calm sight from the bench.
Spiköbron (bridge).
Villas in Strömsund.
Birch tree.
Railway bridge.
A street in the more central parts of Trollhättan.
Back to kungsgatan (street).
Torggatan/Gärdhemsvägen (road).
University West campus.
Residential area north of the university.
Bus and train spotting at Trollhättan C:
Solaris Urbino 12 operating line 24 towards Sylte.
Västtåg Regina X52 train.
Scania OmniExpress.
Trollhättan it is.
Volvo 8900
Scania K-series.
The OmniExpress bus operating line 1 Express towards Skövde via Lidköping.
NSB (Norges Statsbaner AS, Norwegian State Railways) BM73 train operating a departure towards Oslo.
Scania Citywide.
Solaris Urbino 15 operating line 65 towards Vänersborg.
Another Urbino 15 but assigned to line 630 towards Upphärad.
9km worth of walking distance, a short period of bus/train spotting and a quick lunch rolled by before the scheduled time of departure for the bus to the airport began synchronizing with my clock. Line 66 from Trollhättan C towards Vänersborg via Trollhättan-Vänersborg airport would, according to schedule, leave at 14:16 (2:16 PM) before stopping by the airport at 14:29 (2:29 PM) local time. Stop number 10 was assigned for this line. Previously, I had downloaded the "Västtrafik to go" app and purchased a one-way youth ticket in the Trollhättan/Vänersborg-area for 20 SEK (USD 2,37 or 2 EUR). The ticket has a validity for 90 minutes.
At 14:18, the bus pulled up hastily in front of the stop. I scanned the barcode on the phone and grabbed a seat near the middle. The Solaris Urbino 15 bus was equipped with USB ports, available along the seats.
Eventually we arrived at the airport, although with an increased delay of five minutes. No big deal in my situation, boarding in this tiny airport was not scheduled to commence for another 50 minutes. I hope other passengers would not get affected greatly by the delay at their respective destinations.
Parked cars.
The terminal building on the left hand side.
Some asphalt, vegetation, two benches, a waste bin, a windsock, fences, a Toyota RAV4 and a smaller selection of buildings.
The arrivals area, including a single baggage belt.
Hallway between the arrivals and the departures section, there were toilets to the right of the picture.
The principal section of the airport, including a manual check-in desk, an information desk, a handful of seats and a smaller cafe.
Power- and USB-ports located by the windows facing the tarmac.
A functioning Wi-Fi network was available in the airport.
Once the local time had moved forward by circa 38 minutes, I quit my charging sesson and began moving towards the security checkpoint.
A mobile BP would have to suffice this time.
The tiny security check was cleared in less than three minutes, when security is cleared passengers arrive at a waiting area. Both the security control and the waiting area essentially share the same room but have been divided.
A poorly taken picture of my ride to Stockholm, an Amapola flyg Fokker 50 painted in BRA colours.
Flight information:
Airline: BRA (aircraft leased from Amapola flyg)
Flight no & route: TF807 THN-BMA
Aircraft: Fokker 50
Scheduled time of departure (actual): 15:40 (15:41), UTC +1
Scheduled time of arrival (actual): 16:40 (16:38), UTC +1
Scheduled flight time (actual): 1 hour (0h 59 minutes)
Only a month prior to this moment, I would have never believed I would fly with a Fokker 50 before retirement.
SE-LEB, a frame which was delivered back in April 1988, making it approximately 29,6 years old. This particular bird used to be with LH Cityline and Airbaltic, among several other carriers.
One of the PWC PW125B units visible on the picture.
The sole FA on this flight greeted passengers with a smile upon boarding, before passengers scavenged the cabin for optimal seats suiting their respective seating desires. There was no seat selection on this flight, whichever seat you occupied could become your seat for the flight. This scenario caused minor trouble this occasion, mainly due to the light load onboard. I happened to settle at seat 10A, for unknown reasons.
Settled at row 10.
The actual seats seemed to be old while the fabric was clean and updated, most likely in order to match the look of BRA's interior design.
Interesting situation with the legroom below the seat in front.
I was given the impression these overhead bins were larger than those found in the SAAB 2000 I flew back in June 2017, then again, this cabin featured a 4-abreast layout compared to a 3-abreast layout in the SB20.
Boarding had almost been completed, we were waiting for two final passengers to arrive.
Armrest.
Seatback.
Another look at the seats from the side.
Still expecting two additional passengers.
Meanwhile a look at the safety card of this Fokker 50 couldn't hurt.
Bra koll magazine.
Wing view through seat 10A.
At last our remaining passengers arrived and the flight operation was ready for resumption, safety instructions were presented in Swedish and English before rolling out with a dimmed cabin. SE-LEB started moving at 15:37 local time (3:37 PM).
Before commencing our taxi when the FA checked all rows, she stopped at row 10 and noticed my jacket laying on the seat next to me. Kindly, the FA offered to put it up for me in an overhead locker which I thought was really nice, especially because I had not experienced anything similar formerly. Additionally, she pointed at my camera in my hand and told me what a nice camera I had, I thanked her with a smile before she proceeded to the subsequent rows.
Continuing the taxi towards the end of THN's sole runway before making a u-turn. The terminal building is visible in the middle of the picture.
Nearly set for the u-turn.
Rolling down runway 33, a runway having a length of 1 710 m (5 610 ft).
The sun was moving rapidly towards the horizon, or perhaps more correctly, the rotational movements of our planet made it look like the sun was heading towards the horizon quickly.
Lifting off at 15:40 (3:40 PM).
Stallbacka industrial area.
Ascending.
E45 (European route 45) on the bottom part of the picture.
Banking towards Stockholm.
Stora Hästefjorden (lake).
For a duration of roughly 18 minutes, our aircraft flew along Lake Vänern visible on the picture and the following pictures.
Lake Vänern is the largest lake in the European Union, overall third largest in Europe and the 26th largest in the world.
Vänern covers a surface area of approximately 5 650 km2 (2 180 sq mi).
Overhead panel onboard this Fokker 50.
14 400 ft and climbing.
Today's onboard service was conducted by the FA 13 minutes after departure. A classic Swedish Punch-roll (Punschrulle) was served with tea or coffee. Punch-rolls are also known as "Dammsugare" in Sweden which means "Vacuum cleaner" in English. The drink of choice for the passenger seated at 10A was coffee today.
Beginning to leave Vänern behind us at 16:00 (4:00 PM).
The town of Hallsberg in Örebro County.
The flight on Flightradar 24.
Concluding rays of sunlight.
16:13 (4:13 PM).
Lake Hjälmaren.
Besides a handful of chatting passengers, this particular evening hop to Stockholm was rather tranquil and uneventful.
The increasing low-light situation became more apparent as we closed in the gap between our aircraft and Stockholm.
Åkers styckebruk (town).
Shortly after the previous picture was captured, announcements were made in English and Swedish regarding our landing and descent into Stockholm BMA.
E20 motorway.
Lake Mälaren between Södermanland and Stockholm County.
The northern tips of Nykvarn municipality.
Parts of Södertälje including a waterway connected to the Baltic sea.
Ritorp-Oxelgrenshagen in the city of Södertälje.
E4/E20 motorway at Salem in the southwestern outskirts. Now most of the visible surroundings were recognizable immediately, we were back in Stockholm. Although having lived on the northern side of Stockholm for my whole life meant I was slightly worse at identifying these southern sections.
County road 258 between Alby and Tumba.
Road 258, E4/E20 motorway, the southwestern suburbs of Norsborg, Hallunda, Alby, Fittja, Slagsta, Vårberg and certain parts of Ekerö were mainly spotted on this picture.
Flemingsberg, where Södertörn University and the second campus of the Karolinska Institute are located.
Huddinge.
Lake Magelungen and Ågesta bridge. The suburbs of Farsta and Farsta Strand are dominant but multiple other southern districts such as Örby, Högdalen, Rågsved, Enskedefältet, Svedmyra and other areas can be seen.
National road 73 and county road 271 at Trångsund.
Road 73 and lake Magelungen.
Drevviken (lake), road 73 and southern districts including Sköndal, Farsta, Gubbängen among others.
County road 229 towards Tyresö, road 73, areas such as Sköndal, Skarpnäck, Gamla Enskede, Tallkrogen etc.
Motorway 229 together with Sköndal and Skarpnäck. Additionally, Sandåkra football pitch can be spotted.
Bagarmossen and Skarpnäck (note that other districts are also visible on a significant amount of these pictures).
Enskededalen.
Tele2 Arena and Globen (The Globe).
226 Huddingevägen (county road 226) and several industrial buildings in Årsta.
Årsta, a district just south of the city centre.
Årsta, Västberga industrial area and the intersection between the E4/E20 motorway and national road 75.
The Årsta bridges, Årstaviken (lake) and parts of Liljeholmen.
Reimersholme and Gröndal.
The E4/E20 motorway (Essingeleden) between Gröndal and Stora Essingen.
E4/E20 motorway.
County road 275 (275 Drottningsholmsvägen) at Alvik. At this moment we were moments away from touchdown at BMA.
Short final.
Touchdown on runway 30 at 16:37 (4:37 PM) local time. Scheduled time of arrival was 16:40 (4:40 PM).
After a quick slowdown the taxi towards the terminal building was initiated.
Vacated runway 30.
Cabin lights were switched on again.
I was the last passenger to exit the aircraft, when approaching the FA she asked me if I had gotten any decent pictures throughout the flight. My reply was not the best reply in the world but I told her it was nice seeing major parts of Stockholm before landing combined with the stunning sunset in the background. Afterwards, the FA told me she was also interested in photography. When the chit-chat ended, I thanked her for a pleasant flight while she wished me a nice evening before walking down the steps.
A final look at the bird with an age of nearly 29 years that carried us from Trollhättan to Stockholm BMA.
Walking towards the terminal building at 16:42 (4:42 PM) local time.
Baggage hall. Sidenote, this was my first time using Bromma airport as an entry port. I have yet to fly out of the airport.
Through customs.
Apparently a modernisation programme was ongoing at Bromma airport, hence the messy situation.
My plan of getting home involved catching bus 152 towards Liljeholmen departing at 16:50 (4:50 PM) and get off nine minutes later at Sundbyberg station from where I would hop on the local northbound Stockholm commuter train to my local station. Pictured is a Scania Omnilink II operating line 110 towards Alvik, a departure I was not taking today.
16:45 (4:45 PM).
5 minutes to go.
Flygbussarna (Airport Coaches) Volvo 9700.
Taxis at Bromma Airport.
Since last October, BRA operates a bus line between Bromma Airport and Arenastaden on behalf of several companies in the area. Arenastaden is an area with numerous large offices, a shopping mall (Mall of Scandinavia), residential buildings and an arena known as Friends Arena. Travel time ranges from 15-20 minutes and a one-way ticket sells for 99 SEK. Less time-sensitive and more price-sensitive passengers may consider traveling by SL (local transportation company) to Solna station which is located by Arenastaden, travel time varies from 21-27 minutes (includes one connection) and a one-way ticket costs 30 SEK if purchased using an SL-Access card or 43 SEK if purchased from a ticket booth, mobile device, convenience store or a station gate. The line offered by BRA is primarily operated by Iveco Rosero Electric buses, seen on the picture below.
Bromma Airport is located right next to a shopping district. In fact, some of the stores are located inside old hangars that were once part of Bromma Airport.
My bus arrived at BMA on-time.
Inside the local bus.
Ulvsundavägen, also known as county road 279.
Approaching Sundbyberg station.
The Omnilink bus arrived at Sundbyberg station with a delay of one minute, understandable when taking the traffic on the way into consideration.
SJ Intercity train (A7 carriages operated by a Rc6 locomotive) operating an evening tour to Hallsberg via Västerås.
Shortly after the SJ Intercity train left, the local SL (public transportation company in Stockholm) commuter train I was bound to board rolled in towards the platform. Surprisingly, it was running according to schedule.
Inside the commuter train. The following picture was captured several stations after boarding, when the majority of the passengers had already left the train.
The X60 train arrived on time at my local station, a rare occurence from my past experience on this line. After arriving, there is a possibility of catching a timed bus that passes a stop in close proximity to our home, or I can walk for approximately 10-15 minutes depending on walking pace. This occasion, I opted for the latter and walked to our home from the train station. The bus I could have hopped on is visible on the blurry picture.
I made it home in nine minutes, or entered the door at 17:39 (5:39 PM) in other terms. Thank you very much for taking your time to read this FR :). Have a good one, see you later.
Hej mv! Tack så mycket för din FR! Tyvärr, min kommentar är på svenska. Förlåt..
Frukosten är så svenskt... Arla och Knäckebröd, haha.
Stockholm City är jättesnyggt!
Vaaa, ett Direktåg mot Göteborg? Jag har aldrig hörd om det. Och jag har aldrig sedd en Train Report, tack för den! Och tåget var inte i tid.... Typiskt SJ...
Trollhättan är också snyggt!
Flygplatsen i Tollhättan är så sött. Det påminner mig om FMM och FDH.
Flygplanet är litet men sött.
Du hade tur att du kunde flyga med det gamla flygplan. Hoppas att du gillade den!
Sverige är sååå snyggt. Hur kan du inte gillar det vackera land???? Förlåt mv hahaha
Jag älskar bilderna. Solnedgången är fantastiskt!!
Stockholms förorter är mitt liv. Jag vil bo i Norsborg en dag.
Flygvärdinnan är vänligt!
Det är mörkt klockan fem... Skit...
Hoppas att du gillade flyget!
Tack så mycket och ha det så bra!!!
Hej! No need to say sorry :).
“Knäckebröd“
- There is always knäckebröd in the house, even if everything else is out of stock ;).
“ett Direktåg mot Göteborg?“
- Yepp, de kommer att satsa på fler direkttåg i framtiden.
“inte i tid.... Typiskt SJ...“
- Yepp....
“Hoppas att du gillade den!“
- Det var riktigt trevligt att flyga med en gammal Fokker :).
Tack för alla dina fina och humoristiska kommentarer mv!
“Det är mörkt klockan fem... Skit...“
- Nu klockan 16 :(.
Ha det så bra!
Hi RI777
Thank you for sharing this nice FR with great aerials. I'm glad that you were able to travel with a Fokker 50 and that you received great service aboard.
See you.
Hello!
Thank you for your wonderful comments, your feedback is always highly regarded :).
Thanks for stopping by and taking your time to comment.
Have a good one, see you.
Reading your reports is always a great pleasure! Congratulations for flying this unique aircraft and for stunning shots (I know how hard is to take good pictures in the last rays of sun). Sweden looks great in autumn, especially in such a good weather - thanks for the bonus pics. Have a nice day!
Thank you very much for stopping by and commenting :).
Thank you for the absolutely wonderful comments, they are always highly appreciated.
Have a good one, see you later!
Many thanks for this (as usual) highly detailed report, both from the narrative and illustration point of view.
I spotted SE-LEB in ARN last month; she was in the cargo area opposite Terminal 2 and I was wondering if she was a freight or passenger version. Now I have the answer :)
Thanks for sharing this story, including bonuses!
PS : this is a true avgeek day trip :)
Thank you for stopping by and commenting!
Glad to know I could provide assistance in solving a question (inofficially).
Thank you for your wonderful comments :).
Have a good one, see you :).