What is the idea?

In August 2026 a new cross border passenger rail connection opened between Tornio in Finland and Haparanda in Sweden. This then allows an uninterrupted rail journey from Kemijärvi in Finnish Lapland to Lagos in Portugal, the two places furthest apart in the EU that can be connected by train. I, Jon Worth, the person who worked this out, aim to be the first person to complete the whole trip, and set the first record time for this journey.

Why would someone possibly want to do this?

Because it’s fun! What’s not to like about a massive and crazy journey?

Seriously though, telling stories through concrete experiences is a really powerful way to explain complicated political and technical railway topics in a way that is fun and relatable. The #CrossBorderRail project as a whole has shown this, and this record attempt will build on that work.

Just even working out the possible timetable for this trip has caused so many headaches so as to make the whole project worthwhile. Up until 14th August I feared I was going to be stuck for 5 hours in Boden, until a solution was found there. And when doing the trip there will be further positive and negative experiences aplenty.

And hell, if I don’t do it, some rail YouTuber will likely do it for clickbait instead. If I do it then I can manage to get some solid political analysis out of it too.

What is the definition of the longest train journey?

The two places in the EU that are the greatest geodesic or great-circle distance (i.e. how the crow flies) distance apart that can be connected by multiple trains.

Start and end points are Kemijärvi, Finland (station geo-coordinates: 66°43′25″N 027°24′14″E or 66.72383, 27.40368) and Lagos, Portugal (station geo-coordinates: 37°6′31″N 8°40′18″W or 37.1085361111, -8.6716722222). The geodesic distance between them can be calculated using this tool, and it is 4008.33km.

The route-km is 6281.6km, although that does not really concern us here (and diversions might even change this).

If you think I ought to do some other trip instead (such as Savonlinna – Vila Real de Santo António), please read the section “Why is this using a geodesic distance definition?” below.

What are the rules of the record attempt?

A request to Guinness World Records was submitted in spring to 2026 to adjudicate on the criteria, but as their processes are notoriously slow and I am still waiting for a reply – so I am going to have to set my own criteria. These are:

1. For the record attempt only regular, public train services can be used – trains the general public can use.
2. Nothing but trains can be used. If a train is replaced by a bus (due to disruption, engineering works etc.) this cannot be used.
3. Train services on tracks of the Single European Railway Area (SERA) can be used (this is the best definition of an EU rail system there is), and this means non-EU countries can be transited if necessary if their tracks are part of the Area.
4. Other public transport, including on tracks, is not allowed – so that means no trams, metros or suburban trains that are not part of the Single European Railway Area.
5. When changing trains, stations are simply defined as anything within the same building – walking out of stations and onto public highways is not permitted.
6. Exiting stations for whatever purpose (to purchase food and refreshments, for meetings, for hotel stays) is allowed, providing the next leg starts at the station where the previous one ended.

De facto these rules mean that transiting Switzerland would be permissible, using the Metro or RER to cross Paris is not permitted (as it is a standalone network not included in the SERA), and walking from Madrid Puerta de Atocha to Atocha–Cercanias is allowed as these are in the same building.

To make a competition of this there is a time element: the record is the fastest trip on the longest train journey in the EU. This is to be timed from the moment the doors close on the train departing Kemijärvi and the moment the doors open at Lagos, or vice versa if the journey is attempted in reverse.

Can other people attempt this?

Of course!

I see this as something like the Tube Challenge, and as better services, improved timetables and elimination of temporary speed restrictions happen in subsequent years it ought to be possible to eventually complete this trip more quickly than in 2026. I would also like more people to be part of my record attempt – please see “How can you help?” below.

All I would ask is if you are trying it yourself you let me know, or link to this post. And if you complete it, tell me your total time. Contact me via this form.

How long will the trip take?

My current detailed timetable (below), and attempting the trip in the Kemijärvi – Lagos direction, has a total trip time of 100 hours and 9 minutes (so just over 4 days). Of this 61 hours and 8 minutes are on trains.

The average speed of the trains themselves is 102.46km/h, the average speed of the trip inc. time not moving is 61.52km/h.

When will it start?

Provisional start time is 19:00 EEST on 7th September 2026 at Kemijärvi station.

Can it all be followed live?

This is all currently being prepared, but yes there will be a dedicated page to follow the project live – including a live GPS position. And there will be plenty of updates on social media too!

How much will the trip cost?

At some stage I will calculate the total theoretical ticket price using regular tickets, but I am going to make the trip using an Interrail pass. This will require a 5 day pass, and with reservation costs on top, should be possible for between €400 and €500.

What happens if something goes wrong?

The timetable has been planned with what I estimate are adequate buffers to accommodate normal delays throughout the trip. If something more serious goes wrong I will have to re-plan and re-book accordingly, even if this then means arriving in Lagos a day later.

Is there merchandise?

Absolutely! T-Shirts, pullovers, mugs, bags – all available here!

Are there events en route?

Yes, some small ones – time permitting! All times local.

Helsinki 6 Sept, 1700-1900 – Bar section of Taulu, inside Helsinki station [Location website] – informal gathering over a beer before departing to Kemijärvi
Stockholm 8 Sept, 2100-2230 – Near Stockholm Central, exact location tbc – there will be some sort of presentation, details currently being worked out
København 9 Sept, 0830-1000 – Concito, Læderstræde 20, 1201 København K [Map] – discussion about #CrossBorderRail and the ongoing EU ticketing reform
Hamburg 9 Sept, 1900-2100 – Braugasthaus Altes Mädchen, Lagerstraße 28b, 20357 Hamburg [Map] – dinner before boarding a night train
Barcelona 10 Sept, 1930-2020 – Near Barcelona Sants, exact location tbc – coffee in between trains in Barcelona

All I would request is that you tell me you are coming using this form so I have an idea of numbers.

How can people help?

Above all I want to meet interesting people en route – especially in Kemijärvi and Lagos, the start and end points, and at important points en route, notably Tornio-Haparanda, Boden, Stockholm, Hamburg, Strasbourg, Lyon and Madrid. And people are welcome to join me on board for a leg, or part of a leg. You can find the full provisional timetable below. If you would like to say hello en route please use this form to contact me.

Rather than a full crowdfunding setup, this time finance will be organised via my newsletter subscription system. There is a special subscription newsletter for the duration of the project (€5/month for 3 months). You can also give a small tip for my work on this project (suggested €10). If you would like to support my work more permanently, consider signing up to my weekly railway newsletter.

The whole idea is crazy and compelling enough to mean someone might want to cover it in the media or come along and film it all. I am open to any sort of partnership of that sort too!

For the moment please use this form to contact me about any aspect of the project.

The detailed nerdy stuff!

What’s the detailed timetable?

Until 14th August it looked like my timetable was going to leave me stranded in Boden in northern Sweden for 5 hours until then, thank goodness, Norrtåg found a solution to connect trains better there.

This does not change the trip time in total, but leaves me more time for connections later in the trip.

At the moment the timetable looks like this:

Some of these connections are quite tight, although in most (but not all!) cases I have some backups ready. I will re-plan as necessary during the journey.

But what about some other train? Is that not better?

I keep getting questions along the lines of “Why are you not using Snälltåget between Stockholm and Hamburg?” or “Why are you not using the Frankfurt – Marseille TGV?” and the answer is, yes, I considered pretty much every relevant train, and had reasons to eliminate all of the trains that ultimately did not make the cut.

The reasoning goes like this.

My aim was to complete the trip as quickly as possible, in total. How many trains it takes, or how many times I change, was hence not a criterion. So, for example, the daytime Stockholm – Hamburg Snälltåget daytime train was eliminated because it leaves me with a change that is too dangerous in Hamburg, and the Stockholm – Hamburg Snälltåget or RDC night trains were not included as I cannot get to Stockholm early enough to take those trains.

The fundamental issue is there are some trains I need to take that run very seldom – and the times of those trains determine the whole timetable. Kemijärvi – Kemi runs 1x a day most of the year, and even when it runs 2x a day it does not help me. There are only 2 viable daily connections Madrid – Badajoz – Entroncamento, and only 5 trains across the border between Perpignan and Figueras.

Putting all of that together gives me the timetable above – I can find no way, in total, to do this faster than 100 hours 9 minutes, and the timetable allows enough padding in the places where I estimate I am going to need it. And it uses a mixture of state owned rail firms and private firms, and includes night trains where they make sense to use.

If you think there is a way to make the trip faster, or more reliable, I am happy to hear it. But please bear in mind this basic rationale I have set!

Why are you doing it north – south, not south – north?

Because it is quicker.

There are two major headaches when attempting the trip south to north. Speed restrictions in Spain after the Adamuz crash mean the first train of the day Madrid – Barcelona gets to Barcelona after the morning trains to France have departed, leaving you stuck there. And timetables in northern Sweden and onwards to Kemijärvi likewise leave you stranded in Kemi for a long period. South to north – with timetables as they are currently – takes around 20 hours longer than the way I am doing it. After timetables change in December 2026 the picture might be different, but is not currently.

But you are going to get stuck in Germany!

No.

“But its trains are unreliable!”

Yes. But still no.

It goes like this. This trip takes me through parts of Europe where timetables are thin. Very thin. If anything goes wrong there – a tree on the line, a broken down train – I am screwed. Stuck. For hours. Between Kemijärvi and Kemi there is 1 train a day. Kemi – Haparanda, 2. Boden – Umeå, 4. Lyon – Barcelona, 1. Madrid – Badajoz, 2 useable ones. Badajoz – Entroncamento, 2. And in Boden and Entroncamento I have really tight connections.

And then, bizarrely, the thinness of those timetables in France, Spain and Portugal, and the absence of night trains in those countries, leaves me without any serious worry crossing Germany – because I cannot do more than Strasbourg – Madrid in a day, and Madrid – Lagos the following day, even if I wanted to.

If the NightJet 471 I need across Germany is cancelled, I have (albeit uncomfortable) trains I can take instead. If the NightJet is delayed, I can get off earlier than Offenburg (probably Frankfurt) and have other options there. Trains might be unreliable, but the timetable is dense, and there are loads of diversionary routes. And last but not least, pretty much no trains in Germany are compulsory reservation, meaning I can just go take any train. Were I to need something else in France or Spain, where everything is compulsory reservation, I could likewise be unlucky that the train I need after a disruption is full and I cannot board.

In other words, Germany might cause plenty of disruption, but it also copes better with disruption than pretty much any other country.

Is this mapped?

Of course!

The zoomable version of the map is here.

Why is this using a geodesic distance definition?

There are two other potential definitions, but each has its downsides.

The first – the most route-km on a single train (currently the night train Berlin Hbf – Stockholm Central, 1444.1km) is simple to calculate, but anyone who has taken that train holds the record. There is no skill, no challenge, in doing that one. I did wonder if the Leo Express Frankfurt (Main) Süd – Przemyśl Główny would beat it, but if I have that all routing correctly it is a few km short, just 1438.4km. There is also the seasonal extension of Snälltåget Stockholm-Berlin as far as Dresden, but even that is still one train.

A common critique of the geodesic definition is “but aren’t there longer routes?” and yes, you could keep adding more and more via stations to add route-km, but more km for the sake of it doesn’t really strike me as a useful pursuit.

However you could just about come up with a definition along the lines of “the most route-km on multiple trains in the EU where no shorter route is available”. But trying to work out the route of this one was so ridiculously complicated that I reckon it ought to be eliminated. I think that would be Savonlinna, Finland to Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal, and the total is 6744.5km, but I am not at all confident about this due to the complexity of the calculation. The route in Finland is obvious enough – the most route-km to Haparanda where no shorter is available, and likewise in Portugal – the most route km from Badajoz. But calculating the part in between is hellish, and that is why I am not keen on this one. This is all explored in more detail here.

So one train is too simple, and most route-km on multiple trains in the EU where no shorter route is available is too complicated. Geodesic distance on multiple trains is a good compromise.

What is the route to Kemijärvi, and back from Lagos?

By train of course!

There are a few borders I am missing in the Baltics, and at the Portugal – Spain border, for my main #CrossBorderRail work, and I will check out those places before and after the record attempt. You can find all my route planning for all of that in a spreadsheet in Nextcloud here, and all of this is mapped here.

I aim to get to 20 new rail borders en route to Kemijärvi and back from Lagos, and later in September I go to Innotrans and get to some more borders then. In total I am going to be going to these new borders:

Eglaine 🇱🇻 – Czarny Brod 🇱🇹 (Possible former 600mm gauge line during WWI)
Eglaine 🇱🇻 – Obeliai 🇱🇹
Subate 🇱🇻 – Obeliai 🇱🇹 (600mm gauge)
Akniste 🇱🇻 – Rokiškis 🇱🇹 (Former 600mm gauge line during WWI)
Nereta 🇱🇻 – Suvainiškis 🇱🇹 (Former 600mm gauge line during WWI)
Rucava 🇱🇻 – Šventoji 🇱🇹 (Former 600mm, later 750 mm)
Priekule 🇱🇻 – Skuodas 🇱🇹
Vainode 🇱🇻 – Luše 🇱🇹
Renge 🇱🇻 – Mažeikiai 🇱🇹
Mõniste 🇪🇪 – Ape 🇱🇻 (Former 750mm gauge line)
Valka 🇱🇻 – Mõniste 🇪🇪 (Former 750mm gauge line)
Möisaküla 🇪🇪 – Ipiki 🇱🇻
Barca de Alva 🇵🇹 – Fregeneda 🇪🇸
Marvao Beira 🇵🇹 – Valencia do Alcántara 🇪🇸
La Farga de Moles 🇪🇸 – Sant Julià de Lòria 🇦🇩 (Future tramway)
Szöreg 🇭🇺 – Novi Kneževac 🇷🇸
Szöreg 🇭🇺 – Banatsko Aranđelovo 🇷🇸
Cenad 🇷🇴 – Apátfalva 🇭🇺
Ściborzyce Małe 🇵🇱 – Osoblaha 🇨🇿
Pilszcz 🇵🇱 – Opava západ 🇨🇿