This Strange Swedish Retro Train Company Only Runs 1 Train a Week - Tågab Review 

As far as I know Tågab was created by some ex SJ workers in the Kristinehamn area after SJ planned to introduce service cuts in the area, which they did not agree with. So they banded together, made their own company and bought some of SJ's old equipment, and keeps running these trains to this day on the services that SJ won't run but which still economically work, using the same practises as SJ did in the olden days. Also given that this train only has a max speed of 160km/h, that average speed is really impressive. On par with some high speed trains in other countries. So good job Tågab... (also imagine if a company does something similar in Denmark with routes like Copenhagen-Struer once DSB leaves that route in 2030)

The old Swedish built trains from 60-70s are still one of the best trains I’ve used. Flexible, reliable, comfy. I heard the point from the beginning was to stock up with more train cars if they were fully booked, something that isn’t used nowadays. I think they built the model all until the 90s when the Cold War ended and most of Swedish self sufficiency unfortunately ended.

I recently took the Tågab train from Alvesta. It has only three carriages but was otherwise similar to this train. What surprised me was the number of passengers. I thought it's such an odd train. But being available in the SJ booking system means that travelers looking to travel on the particular day and direction will find it. Those going to Värmland get a more direct journey with fewer transfers. And the price is good too. So this one train on Fridays will stand out in the search results of those customers. And SJ gets to sell the return journey, so it's a win for them.

This is exactly the travel experience I want in Europe and Scandinavia. No more plastic trains with hard seats. Older trains, like like this and Talgo, ooze style and comfort.

What is probably not so well-known: first class comes with a free coffee or tea from the buffet car. You have to pick it up there.

I love the design of the train - very comfy and cozy!

god that locomotive is beautiful. and the station is so big, so many shops, i wish copenhagen was like that.

SJ once run those 1960s mixed 1st and 2nd class coaches on only 2nd class regional trains between Helsingborg and Kristianstad with Rc3 locomotives at each end. Very comfy they are!

I never knew we had such cool trains in Sweden nowadays! Thanks for sharing this :)

Excellent Video! BIG LIKE!

Love all these videos from Sweden. I think that that funny first class area used to be called “the living room” back in the days. Perfect first class lounge area to have drink and, due to being in the seventies and eighties, probably smoke.

It was trains like that that made you travel a lot first as a child then as an adult in the 60-70s and "the wonderful Restaurant wagons with white cloths" it couldn't get any better and at every major station there were excellent restaurants! Glad I got to experience those times.

Nice looking interior. Gonna have to try this some time.

This is looking fantastic and I have to say that I prefer the comfort in old cats like this over all new ones. Especially the seats. Only thing that I would miss in summer, is probably air conditioning.

All I Can Say Is Wow!! I Really Enjoy Your Channel So Much. Just Fabulous. Greetings From San Diego.🌴

There are a few stations between Kristinehamn and Falun only served by Tågab, and hence only receiving a couple of trains a week. True American frequency!

This my favourite way to travel between Stockholm and Karlstad. The chairs are awesome and it gives you the classic train feel that you long for when travelling by train. I highly recommend

The Old Trains are Hundred Time better I'm in Love

Such a nice train . A train you can really enjoy . 👍🎉 From Portugal 🇵🇹 .

I really enjoy your videos, but if I'm not mistaken you've now made the same mistake several times. So here's a tip for the next time you and your camera enters StockholmCentral Station from the east (the original 19th century entrance): Immediately after entering, point the camera to the roof. That is the roof in the smaller hall before the main concourse. It has been restored to its original state and is remarkably beautiful. You're welcome! 😊 PS. Maybe also mention that, when in the underpass, going in the opposite direction from going to the trains/platforms, you will get to the Stockholm metro (Station "T-centralen") and the Stockholm metropolitan area commuter trains (Station "Stockholm City"). You'll get to both without needing to go outside, which is nice when the weather isn't.

03:45 So now we know, that SJ seems to be the inventor of the window seat without window. Maybe some ICE engineers were on holidays in Sweden ;-)

Happy to hear our place names pronounced so beautifully on a non-Swedish channel! Thank you for a lovely video! 😊

This was really nice to see! I should travel at least once soon to Karlstad. I realize that I totally need to go by Tågab. :)

So nice to see this train! I often travel by train in the 80:s, After that i mostly drive car. Thank you 😊👍

Fascinating! I only travel a handful time per year, but never stumbled upon Tågab. However, based on their limited route network, guess it's not that surprising. Thanks for the video!

I rode with TÅGAB (Tågåkeriet i Bergslagen = "the train operator in ") when commuting to Lindesberg from Örebro back in 2018. Since I used to travel that route a lot by train and I booked through the SJ app, I was pleasantly surprised by what greeted me at the platform. It's still one of my most memorable train travel experiences. I don't know if they still traffic that route, but if I can choose to travel by TÅGAB and another operator, I am very likely to choose them. It's a lovely ride.

I rode on this from Hallsberg to Stockholm, it was amazing!!

5:20, a small small error there. The commuter trains operate to and from the underground station Stockholm City, located in a deep tunnel under the main station that's used for Regional and Inter-city travel (technically a different station according to the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket))

Having seats that can swivel to face different directions, used to be common in Norway (B3 and B5 coaches), common in Portugal (Sorefame coaches) and on older Canadian coaches (stainless steel, Budd coaches). The odd layout reminds me of some older DB coaches. I have ridden with SJ three times. I was staying in Trondheim, and decided to do a daytrip to Ostersund. A Rc3 there and a Rc6 back east of Storlien. I also rode behind a Rc6 from Fredrikstad to Oslo S. NSB in Oslo S being reluctant to sell me a SJ ticket, and the SJ train guard saw me board the train and rushed to check my ticket to make sure I was not in a NSB ticket.

That blue train is one of my favorite looking swedish trains

Fun to see the train. Remember it from when I was a kid in the 80s

I rode 1st class on SJ from Goteborg about 10 years ago, I think I recall the seats being able to rotate.. I do recall the interior being old fashioned and the seats being very soft with plush upholstery. Rotating seats used to be the norm for first class ("parlor car") daytime service in the USA (as opposed to night time Pullman sections), you can those in old photos of those trains.

Lovley film on Tågab

Great video!

They used to run direct trains between where I live and my home town. Goated company.

I just passed under the Årsta bridges (which can be seen at around 5:00) earlier today with my little boat which is moored close by. The weather was definitely nicer now in May than in February when you filmed this. As for the seating layout at 8:30, I have traveled in a similar waggon on Snälltåget a few times. Not sure if they are still in traffic.

Benefit of our great nation. You can walk from front to back in such a train with a camera... Without annoying small talk. It's awesome. :P

Hector Rail sold Rc3 1064 to Tågab right before I began working at Hector, that's a pity... I have an H0 model of 1064 and it would have been fun to have it as a "colleague" as well. 😄

The Swedish definition of "retro" - 1960s - is just the standard consist age on Canada's VIA Rail

I would like to travel on an old school someday. Probably not traveling on this one yet though. Also never seen a sink like that before.

Old enough to have been in those when SJ run those cars. Wonderful to see them again. Not all electrical outlets are new, there used to be some in the olden days. 220 V 16 2/3 Hz. And there were water carafes in each car. Obviously no longer.

Great video Simon :)

I haven't looked on the video yet. But just knowing TågAB i do miss using them. Those old seats are a blessing from the modern ones. Maybe everything isn't up to standard but i would take TågAB any day rather than the double deck trains.

What's crazy to me is that you didn't capture any shady deals on Plattan. Or perhaps I just didn't notice , but those deals happen there like 24-7.

The best route to travel by Tågab is Göteborg Falun. Then you get to travel on the line Kil- Nykroppa- Ställdalen. Tågab is the only company running on that line and only a couple of times a week in the summer so a very exclusive line.

Fun, if a bit disturbing fact: that big, round hole between the upper and lower level at Stockholm Central Station is nicknamed Spottkoppen, "The Spitting Cup". When I was a kid, you would actually run the risk of getting a loogie on your head if you went through there. I avoided it like the plague.

I was lucky enough to start working while first class trains was still standard for business travel, and I did see that rotating seat layout once.

2:00 - we call that open ring spottkoppen, "spit cup"

I take this train pretty frequently as a “as needed” replacement of SJ when traveling Karlstad - Stockholm

They run very intereststing route from Göteborg to Börlänge through Nykroppa, Grythyttan, Hällefors and Ställdalen. Never took it, it runs on strange days and very rarely. Will try it one day...

On the Budapest-Bucharest line that cabin would pass as contemporary if not modern XD

i traveled from borlänge to ghotenburg one time it was pretty packed full it was a sunday. many students.

Reminds me of the rolling stock that SJ in 2022 still used for some of their night trains. However, the sleeper coaches I had to spend a night in were not well maintained at all and a real shame in comparison to any other Swedish train I’ve travelled with.

The loco-hauled train was a surprise.

skön tåg!!! Jag alskarr tåg i Sverige

Thanks!

2:56 Logo for Tågåkeriet i Bergslagen AB abbreviated TÅGAB tåg-train åkeri-haulier åkeriet-the haulier i-in AB(aktiebolag)-joint-stock company

the SJ booking system has recently removed the really useful feature where the mobile app would tell you where on the platform you should be standing. Usually it's somewhere between section A through E but platforms may have more sections than that. I hate it when i have to walk through half of the SJ x2000 to get to the seat that I picked when booking because the app no longer tells me where i should position myself prior to boarding. The interior of X2000 is cramped when moving luggage.

Fun fact: Those coaches running in Sweden as a Retro experience are also running in the daily service in Bosnia (not that well mantained though unfortunately)

10:43 Before arriving to Hallsberg, doesn't the voice in the speaker say "Halmstad nästa"? My hearing isn't perfect though. 😉🙄 Fun video.

The one time I went with them it was total chaos. There was a forest fire and electrical problems and they went "SJ would have cancelled this trip a long time ago but we will solve this" 😆

2:59 ASEA the first letter is first in the Swedish - Swiss company ABB ASEA Brown Boveri

What do you mean with "one train a week"? Tågab drives at least seven trains a week from Stockholm. I'm a traindriver at Tågab and sometimes drives these trains.

Tågab might actually be a very clever way of making a company with a simple name, Tåg AB, Train PLC or Ltd

I see it quite often. Live next to the railroad station.

Hej Simon. Gode tog videoer du lægger op. Jeg kan godt anbefale Zugspitzebahn toget som kører fra Garmish Parten Kirchen til Zugspitzeplatt via Eibsee. Efter Eibsee går det stejlt opad gennem tunnel til endestationen. Hvor man kan tage en kabelbane de sidste 400 meter op til selve Zugspitze. Besøg også Wank, Hausberg, Kreuzeck, Hochalm og Alpspix. Brug mindst 4 overnatninger i Garmish Parten Kirchen for at se det hele.

10:08 Thanks, everything is clearly unclear.

The ring in the big area inside the train station is called "ringen" - "the ring " and there is a rumor gays is going there to hook up

Nice video. Funny way to pronounce "Coop", it's normally pronounced "co-op", as in the word cooperation.

Tågab is the most comfortable train i ever have traveled with.

There's basically no difference in comfort between 1st class and 2nd class. It's normally (but never ridden these carriages) a matter of how crammed it is. Been riding IC between Stockholm and Gothenburg a few times and i actually prefer the longer journey time of 4.5 hours over the 3.16 hours (IIRC) of the X2. This because on that frequent SJ route, the RC6 and the older 80's wagons 2nd class seating is PERFECT if you reserve a seat and no-one reserves the one next to you. You have two seats to lay back in and sleep. I once made the mistake of reserving in 1st class (only 25 SEK extra) and i could not sleep at all, even when the seat reclines. So what i did was move over to 2nd class, finding a seat pair that wasn't reserved and laid down there and slept for 2 hours. Though this Tågab consist's cabins look like the PERFECT place to lie down. I am surprised they were empty. Did those seats cost more to reserve?

Are dogs a common sight on Swedish railways? I have seen two so far. I can't remember the last time I saw one on the railways here in the UK.

1 minute isn't a delay in Sweden.. That's even a lot less then avarage.

Great video, but you didnt explain WHY these trains run?! Seems a strange company!

Tack 👍🏻

tågabs the best fr

I feel like that sushi place was also in Cologne...

6:48 oh no.. you should have filmed 10 more second and you would gotten my workplace. ;) 8:33 When i was a kid i always use to sneek over and sit in that part of the train when the conductor was not watching

Tager dig selv samme Simon… Kan du udtale byerne endnu mere på dansk?

I believe one of the reasons for the extra compartment is that they could have been the smoking compartment. Luckily that is long gone now.

We also has "Blå tågen"

Great video 👍

Påminner om tågscenen i “Dom kallar oss mods”

Лайк

i wishd they use a d-lok

If Blå tåget still excist- its a better trip

2:30 or use the escalator on the other side

Depressing day in Stockholm? Just cuz grey clouds? Lol

This is infinitely nicer than some ugly new train.

Could you try a Västtrafik train sometime?

That train does NOT look like it did in the past. They took old train wagons and COMPLETELY ruined them. It is really depressing, especially concerning the night wagons from the 80s. The sleeping wagons from the 80s in Sweden were some of the most cozy... but they have all been refurbished and remodeled and now look like crap.

All trains should have coat racks

"karlst'll"

These trains are not fun to ride in the middle of summer when it's 25+ C outside, they don't have AC.

Retro?

we still have worse ussr version of those trains in bulgaria and they are being used for daily transportation

Du kan altså godt sige coop rigtigt

340 kr var billigt för 1a klass❤❤❤

Your seat offers no window view.

Tågab can do a cafe car and this shows how useless DSB is