BlindPilot

When are the tickets available for sale? Looking at sj.se, June 28 is as far ahead as one can book. Its been like this for weeks. When will tickets for July 2 become available?

stut

That's the timetable changeover weekend, so I suspect they are still finalising details. There's also a lot of weekend work going on on part of that route (Lund-Hassleholm) although I see it's scheduled for the weekend after the one you're travelling.

BlindPilot

That's interesting that the weekend after my trip is available for booking. What's a "timetable changeover weekend"? You mentioned work going on that route. Does that mean there is a possibility that Copenhagen-Stockholm night train will not be operable on July 2? My kids are looking forward to their first overnight train but if it isn't available, I guess I should start looking at flights.

stut

Basically, it's when the timetable changes - typically happens twice a year. If there are numerous changes as well as engineering works, it may take a little longer for tickets to be released, particularly when another country is involved.

Also, note that the overnight train goes from Malmö, not Copenhagen. You'll need to take a local train over the bridge (and, in this case, it's usually cheaper to book separately).

flatlander

The train from Kųbenhavn H to Malmö doesn't need reserving, just walk up and buy a ticket for DKK 89 (single) from the ticket machinery in Kųbenhavn H station hall, then get on the train.

I expect the Swedes are still doing their bit to destroy decades of Nordic free movement, so expect a passport check towards Malmö.

ksu

Apparently, it is engineering work on the last bit into Stockholm Central between June 29 and July 9 that is the reason this train is (still) not bookable:

https://www.sj.se/sv/tagresan/fore-r...r-slappta.html

:D!

At current exchange rates buying the ticket online from SJ for SEK 111 is marginally cheaper, if this method works for you.

If wanting to use DKK cash, the ticket machines still have problems accepting banknotes

The passport check, which involves taking a photo of your passport, although instigated by the Swedes, happens in Denmark and is conducted by employees of a private Danish firm. You have to get off the train at Copenhagen Airport (which will then return in service to the Main Station) then go up and across the tracks to the other platform to reboard a train which travels empty from the Main Station. There may or may not be another passport check by Swedish police shortly before arriving at Malmoe Hyllie.

Despite this, there are no ticket barriers and ticket checks on this route only occur at random.

ksu

No photo taken of my (Norwegian) passport when I travelled from Kastrup to Malmö last month. I didn't see any other passports being photographed either.

This checking should in any case be done in the train, like it was done in international trains in pre-Schengen Europe. The current delaying and burdensome set-up is a disgrace, especially for passengers not starting their train trip at Kastrup.

helosc

The checking of passports at the Copenhagen airport station should have ceased as of last Thursday. Supposedly they'll check passports onboard the trains then.

That's what I've heard on the news but I haven't travelled between Copenhagen and Malmų since then so I can't be absolutely sure that the change has been implemented.

GUWonder

The police at Hyllie in Sweden have increased the percentage of Denmark-originating trains for which they are checking passports/ID. And the Swedish police have also increased checks on trains heading from Sweden to Denmark -- yes, Hyllie to CPH -- and that is something that I almost never had seen there during 2015/2016 and even a good chunk of this year.

GUWonder

There hasn't been any mass photographing of ID/passports at CPH for Sweden-bound passengers in quite some time. I do this train trip a lot, and I am 100% certain that 0% of my crossings this year involved a photographing of my US passports. And given how much I am around the area and my associations with the relevant authorities here, I'm pretty sure that what I've noted is more the norm than not for at least the past 10 months.

The passport checks by company contractors at CPH airport are being phased out soon or were just phased out. The passport checks at Hyllie are anything but gone (speaking even of today). It seems DSB/Skanetrafiken will see reduced ID-checking costs while the costs for such ID checks will end up being shouldered by the relevant Swedish governmental budget/taxpayers.

GUWonder

I just verified that today they are doing passport checks at Hyllie -- on the train at Hyllie and on the platform at Hyllie -- for passengers coming into Sweden from CPH.

helosc

Thank you for the confirmation.
Really nice to get a direct train to Malmų again.

:D!

Thanks for updates. I will be doing this journey again in June so good to know.

I must have passed through on one of the last days they were still doing the checks to enter the Sweden-bound platform at CPH.

So does this mean that the trains now run normally from the main station and are restored to a 10 minute frequency during the day?

GUWonder

It's not back to every 10 minutes in frequency even during rush hour. It's back to every 20 minutes for most of the day, as it used to be say a decade ago.

The travel time from Copenhagen's main train station to Malmo C is now budgeted as taking an hour (assuming no change of train at Hyllie or elsewhere).

Overall it's not as good as it was in say May 2015.

The end of the contractors or others checking ID and/or engaged in passenger flow control at CPH (airport) train platform has been on my wishlist for a while. Visitors with luggage on luggage carts were being stopped by the contractors from getting to the train with the luggage carts. I will try to find out if that too is over.