Press Release: Record Breaking Longest Train Journey in the EU to begin in Kemijärvi

For immediate release

At 19:00 EEST (18:00 CEST, 17:00 BST) Monday 7th September a record breaking train journey will start in Kemijärvi, Finland. Jon Worth will attempt to complete the new longest train journey in the European Union, from Kemijärvi to Lagos, Portugal, in the fastest possible time. The trip should finish in Lagos at 21:09 BST (23:09 EEST, 22:09 CEST) on Friday 11th September. The total trip time should be 100 hours and 9 minutes.

Kemijärvi and Lagos are the two places in the European Union the furthest apart as the crow flies – 4008km – that can be connected by multiple trains. The journey is 6282 route-km. The journey needs 18 trains run by 10 different railway companies.

The journey is only possible thanks to the re-opening of the railway line between Tornio, Finland and Haparanda, Sweden for passenger trains earlier this year.

“I am trying to demonstrate all of the joys and all of the frustrations of long distance cross border rail travel with the record bid” stated Jon Worth. “Trying to plan and book cross border railway trips remains far too complicated for most people, and it has been no different for this trip. But sitting by the window watching the forests of Sweden or the flamingoes in the Mediterranean lagoons pass by is going to be a joy.“

The trip is going to be attempted using an Interrail pass that offers both more flexibility and lower prices than using regular tickets for long train journeys in Europe. Kemijärvi – Lagos would cost €308 for those under 26 or €387 for those older with an Interrail pass, and in seats. Roughly €75 per person would need to be added for beds rather than seats on the two night trains on the route. The trip would cost at least €563 using regular tickets.

The record bid, like all of Jon’s projects, is crowd funded so as to be independent of all railway companies and all government organisations.

All of the background, including a full timetable, for the record bid can be found at longestjourney.crossborderrail.eu and a live tracking will be available throughout the journey at longestjourneylive.crossborderrail.eu

Press photos are available here – 72mb, ZIPped. Video material is available on request. For further follow up please use this contact form (intermittent phone signal on board trains mean this will work better than calling)

Jon is an independent railway campaigner and writer, based in Bourgogne, France. He is a British and German dual national. His #CrossBorderRail project has been investigating how to improve railway lines at European borders, and he writes a weekly newsletter about railways.