SJ X 2000

It would be downright impossible to commute almost 700 kilometers (435 miles) each way without high-speed trains.

SJ, Sweden’s national rail company, has operated the electric X 2000 since 1990. It may have been pretty fast when it was introduced, but it’s practically archaic by today’s high-speed standards (though it still blows Amtrak out of the water).

X 2000 trains are grey and kind of resemble the Silver Bullet train in Coors Light commercials. Powered by a 4,400 horsepower electric locomotive that draws current from an overhead line, they travel up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) per hour over the same rail as slower passenger trains and the slowest freight trains, though they typically average only 150 kilometers (90 miles) per hour.

Here's a quick video I shot:



What enables the high-speed trains to travel more than 25 percent faster than conventional trains is that they tilt. Each axle is spring-bonded to a soft bogie, which allows each car’s axle to individually follow bends in the track. To reduce sideways force on passengers, each coach also uses a hydraulic system to lean into curves. The tilting means faster speeds through turns and less force exerted on the track, which reduces wear and keeps maintenance costs down.

The major routes, which operate in a triangle between Sweden’s three big cities, are relatively straight and flat, which has allowed X 2000 to remain competitive with airlines.

I find travel by X 2000 to be pleasant and comfortable. The trains are Wi-Fi equipped and have power supply sockets at each reclining seat. A bistro in the middle of each train serves small meals, snacks and overpriced drinks.



As I mentioned, the X 2000 is one of the slowest high-speed trains in the world. It barely classifies under the EU’s 200 km/h definition. I’ve traveled on much faster trains in Spain and France, which, like Japan, China or Italy, have networks with commercial max speeds of around 300 km/h (185 mph).

When the Swedish government decided a couple decades ago that investing in designated high-speed infrastructure would be too expensive, they came to the conclusion that tilting trains and improving the existing track would be the next-best thing. The cost turned out to be only $500,000 per kilometer, versus $9 million per kilometer for constructing Spain’s AVE high-speed network, for instance. While slower than other countries’ high-speed systems, Sweden’s has proven to be a far better value than building from scratch.

And X 2000 definitely beats Sweden’s traditional alternatives...



SJ 3000

As someone who, for better or for worse, gave SJ an absurd amount of money for an annual pass a valued SJ customer, I received an email this week hyping the SJ 3000.

It will begin operation in early 2012 and is designed for medium distances.

Unlike the X 2000, the SJ 3000 does not lean into curves. It apparently compensates for the reduced speed there by accelerating and braking more quickly, so the travel time is about the same.

One of the only new features announced is SJ Onboard, which allows riders to view traffic information and entertainment — but they have to do it through their own laptops. I’m not sure what kind of a benefit that really is.

There’s supposed to be more legroom and the Bistro is more modern. From a centrally located wheelchair lift to accessible restrooms and toilets, the SJ 3000 sounds to be more disabled-friendly.

The new trains are also even more environmentally-friendly. The trains are made of recyclable materials and feed 12 percent of the energy they use back to the grid. Each coach will have recycling bins and energy-saving LED lighting.

Here's a video SJ recently posted on YouTube of the 3000:



I guess I’ll find out soon enough if they’re anything to blog home about.

Another Commute Comparison

Four weeks down and this ridiculous commute is getting easier every day. I guess that’s the great thing about routines.

I’ve traveled 682 kilometers — 424 miles — every weekday for a month. That’s 13,640 kilometers — 8,475.5 miles — in four weeks.

The earth’s circumference is about 24,900 miles at the equator (a little less around the poles) so I will circumnavigate the globe by train every 11-and-a-half weeks. I can’t even begin to process that right now.

Anyway, since the daily distance comparisons I made in my first commute blog aren’t so reasonable because they follow interstate highways and many of those U.S. routes don’t even have train service, I think I finally found a comparison that will put this grind in better perspective.

One of Amtrak’s longest passenger routes, the California Zephyr, winds 2,438 miles from Emeryville, California through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa en route to Chicago, Illinois.



Since I commute around 2,120 miles every week, in my first four weeks I’ve covered almost the same distance on rails as the California Zephyr does from Reno to Chicago, back to Reno, back to Chicago, and back to Reno again. Two roundtrips.




At least my Swedish train journeys are much faster than an Amtrak would take to cover the same distance.

Next time I blog, I’ll explain why.

2,100 Miles a Week

People used to call me crazy when they learned I drove 50 miles each way to work in Fairfield, three or four days a week, during my first two years at Sacramento State.

Even my 60-mile roundtrip to Auburn the last few years shocked many of my friends.

Both commutes pale in comparison to the daily grind I started this morning.

For the next year, I’m going to attempt to travel more than 400 miles daily, five days a week.

That’s more than 2,100 miles every week. Leaving our apartment before 6 a.m., getting home after 9 p.m.



There are exactly 341 kilometers of rail between Falköping and Stockholm, which is about 212 miles. To put my commute in perspective for a Californian, the following drives are each between 210 and 220 miles:

Eureka to Santa Rosa on US-101
Reno to San Francisco on I-80
Redding to San Francisco on I-5 and I-505
Sacramento to Visalia on CA-99
Fresno to Los Angeles on CA-99

Other trips in the same distance range include Boston to New York (215 miles), Phoenix to Yuma (211 miles) Ft. Lauderdale to Orlando (213 miles), Dallas to Oklahoma City (206 miles), Salem to Seattle (219) and Lansing to Chicago (218 miles).

It’s almost like commuting from New York City to Washington, D.C. (227 miles) or Toronto to Detroit (232 miles). And back. Every day.

The trip can be as short as 2 hours, 20 minutes each way depending on train type/speed and number of stops, but the average ride will be almost three hours each way. Most people wouldn’t wish that on their worst enemy.

Granted, there’s a huge difference between traveling 200 miles by train and making some of those aforementioned comparable drives in a car. They really shouldn’t be compared. This guy is the only one I could find who commutes a similar distance on roads. But six hours a day on a train is still borderline insane.

Fortunately, mobile broadband is booming in Sweden so I’ll have internet at all times. With a computer and web access, there are far fewer things I can’t do that I would do anywhere else.

My MacBook Pro and 3 stick are going to be my best friends.

Back in Falköping

I’ve been back in Falköping about a week since wrapping up my two-month contract at JG Communication in Stockholm.

It was an absolute whirlwind eight weeks.

My parents visited for the holidays.



A week later, my brother got his first taste of Sweden (and several other European countries).



Juggling their visits and maintaining a longish-distance relationship while learning about the complex field of telecommunications on the fly was a challenge, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. I’m very lucky to be continuing my work with JG on a freelance basis.

It’s really nice to be home again after 8,000 SEK ($1,250 USD) of train travel between Falköping and Stockholm, at least every weekend and some weeks even more frequently.



The trip can be as short as 2 hours, 20 minutes or as long as 3 hours, 42 minutes, depending on the speed/type of train.

There are exactly 341 kilometers of rail between Falköping and Stockholm, which is about 212 miles. To put my commute in perspective for a Californian, the following drives are each between 210 and 220 miles: Reno to San Francisco on I-80, Eureka to Santa Rosa on US-101 and Sacramento to Visalia (45 minutes southeast of Fresno) and Fresno to Los Angeles, both on CA-99.

The cycle quickly became quite routine, though.















It’s not feasible to travel that distance daily, but I was fortunate enough to be able to spend weeknights in Stockholm, one of the toughest places to find rental living in the entire world, while spending the other three in Falköping.

I rented a room from Amanda’s aunt during the weeks and I owe Annika and Amanda’s awesome cousins Tind and William a huge thanks for putting up with me. I couldn’t have accepted my first job in Sweden without them, and although the flexibility of freelancing from home for a while will be nice, I’m looking forward to what the future holds for me here on the employment front.