If you travel anywhere between Copenhagen and Gothenburg, Kalmar or Karlskrona, you will almost certainly ride an Öresundståg (Öresund train). The system is simple once you know who sells the tickets, what happens at Hyllie and how generous the delay rules are.
When you need this
- You’re planning Copenhagen–Malmö–Lund, or a direct run to Gothenburg, Kalmar or Karlskrona
- You want to know where to buy a ticket, and whether first class is worth it
- An older guide told you to reserve a seat, or named Transdev as the operator
- You’re crossing the bridge and wondering what happens at Hyllie
- Your train is late and you want to know who pays, how much, and how to claim without a Swedish bank
- You’re traveling in autumn 2026, when track works close parts of the network in the evenings and at weekends
The four lines
Öresundståg is one regional train system across two countries. It runs through six Swedish counties — Skåne, Halland, Västra Götaland, Blekinge, Kalmar and Kronoberg — and over the Öresund Bridge to Copenhagen. Every line passes through Malmö.
| Line | Main stops |
|---|---|
| West coast | Gothenburg – Halmstad – Helsingborg – Malmö – Copenhagen |
| Småland | Kalmar – Växjö – Hässleholm – Malmö – Copenhagen |
| Blekinge | Karlskrona – Karlshamn – Kristianstad – Malmö – Copenhagen |
| Lund | Lund – Malmö – Copenhagen |
On the Danish side the trains call at Copenhagen Airport (Kastrup) and Copenhagen Central, and end at Østerport. Burlöv, between Malmö and Lund, has been a stop since December 2023. The current timetable runs from 14 December 2025 to 12 December 2026, and the Gothenburg line has had three different period timetables inside it, so check the date you travel.
Between Copenhagen, Malmö and Lund the trains keep running through the night, roughly hourly in the small hours. The long runs to Gothenburg, Kalmar and Karlskrona are a daytime service. If you’re landing at Kastrup late, our Copenhagen Airport guide covers the arrival step by step.
Who owns, runs and sells it
Three different organizations are involved, and mixing them up is how visitors end up claiming from the wrong place.
| Role | Who | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Öresundståg AB, owned by the six regions (Skånetrafiken has 40%) | Sets the rules, runs oresundstag.se |
| Operator | VR Sverige, since 14 December 2025 | Drives and staffs the trains; doesn’t sell tickets or pay claims |
| Sellers | The six regional authorities, oresundstag.se, DSB in Denmark | Where you buy, and where you claim |
VR, the Finnish state railway’s Swedish arm, replaced Transdev at the December 2025 timetable change. Guides naming Transdev or SJ are out of date. The system is busy: 36.7 million journeys were made in 2025, a record.
Buying a ticket
You can’t buy on board. Buy before you step on, from one of these:
- oresundstag.se — single and Resplus (through-ticket) journeys, for public transport anywhere in Sweden and to the Danish stations the trains serve. Its booking page was relaunched on 19 February 2026 to show departures, travel time, price and changes side by side.
- A regional authority’s app — Skånetrafiken, Västtrafik, Hallandstrafiken, Blekingetrafiken, Länstrafiken Kronoberg or Kalmar länstrafik.
- Ticket machines at every Swedish Öresundståg station, at Copenhagen Central and at Copenhagen Airport.
- DSB in Denmark, for other Danish stations; its Øresund Ticket reaches Skåne, Halland, Blekinge, Västra Götaland and Kalmar County.
There’s no separate Öresundståg ticket app to hunt for: the operator points you to its booking page or a regional app. An app ticket must be activated before the train’s departure time. A Danish Rejsekort only takes you as far as Malmö C, Hyllie or Triangeln.
A few ticket rules work in your favor. A ticket from Copenhagen Central or the airport is valid on any Öresundståg on the same line within three hours of its stated departure, so a late flight doesn’t cost you the fare. A single to or from Denmark covers Copenhagen’s zones 1, 3 and 4 — Metro, S-trains, buses and the harbour bus — for the whole day. And every Öresundståg ticket includes one city-zone connecting trip at each end, within an hour of the train.
The limits: a pre-booked ticket is valid only on the departure it names, the student discount on oresundstag.se is for Swedish students only, and an Interrail pass covers Malmö–Copenhagen with no reservation — but a Sweden-only pass stops at the border.
On board
There are no seat reservations. Since 4 June 2024, every ticket gives free seating in the class you paid for. Each train set is numbered the same way.
| Car | What’s there |
|---|---|
| 11 (and 21, 31) | First class: 20 seats, a separate section, marked “1” outside |
| 13 | Animals allowed: up to two pets per traveler, free within Sweden |
| 14 | Quiet zone: no conversations, phones silent, headphones only |
| Middle carriage | Wheelchair places, accessible toilet; best for strollers, bikes and big bags |
First class costs a supplement per county you travel in, and staff can upgrade you on board — by card only, no cash. Wi-Fi works in both countries, and seats have power outlets.
To or from Denmark, a larger pet needs a child ticket; a small pet in a cage rides free, and service dogs ride anywhere. Bikes ride free within Sweden or within Denmark, up to six per train. Crossing the bridge, a bike needs its own ticket, which oresundstag.se doesn’t sell — buy it from Skånetrafiken’s app or machines. Replacement buses take no bikes at all.
The ID check at Hyllie
Sweden’s temporary internal border control runs from 12 May to 11 November 2026 under the current government decision. Trains from Denmark are checked at Hyllie, the first Swedish station: passengers getting off there are checked on the platform, everyone else on board.
- EU/EEA citizens need a valid passport or national ID card.
- Non-EU visitors need a passport.
- Without accepted ID you can be refused entry and taken off the train — so keep the passport in your hand luggage, not the checked bag.
The check costs time. Skånetrafiken’s own figure is that each train stands about six minutes at Hyllie, so allow for it on a tight connection in Malmö. Southbound, Danish police dropped the fixed check at Copenhagen Airport station in May 2023 but may still check a sample of passengers. Passport rules in depth are in passport and ID rules for Sweden.
Delays and track works
Punctuality is the honest weak point. On Skånetrafiken’s measure — arrival within 3 minutes 59 seconds at every station — Öresundståg reached 81% in January to November 2025, against a 90% target. Summer 2026 was worse: trade press, citing Skånetrafiken, reported July punctuality of 72% against 79% a year earlier, with staff-shortage delays doubling after the change of operator.
Track works add to it, mostly in the evenings, at night and at weekends. The operator’s list for autumn 2026 includes:
- Landskrona–Helsingborg, evenings and nights until 6 November: some trains skip both towns, buses replace others
- Växjö–Älmhult by bus on the weekends of 24–25 October and 21–22 November, with Krösatåg covering Kalmar–Växjö
- Malmö–Copenhagen night works by the Danish rail authority, Banedanmark
Check the operator’s planned-works page (in Swedish) before an evening or weekend trip, and don’t plan a tight train-to-flight connection. Skånetrafiken pays nothing toward a missed flight.
Claiming compensation
Here the news is good, and most visitors miss it. On an ordinary ticket, the regions pay 50% of the fare for a delay of 20–39 minutes at your destination, 75% for 40–59 minutes and 100% from 60 minutes. Since 1 June 2023 that applies to trips across the bridge to and from Østerport too — not the EU’s 60-minute threshold. These are the regions’ own terms, above the statutory floor, which Swedish law allows.
Claim from whoever sold the ticket, not from VR:
| You bought | Claim from |
|---|---|
| Skånetrafiken app, machine, website or agent | Skånetrafiken |
| DSB ticket between Skåne and Denmark | Skånetrafiken |
| Pre-booked single on oresundstag.se | The regional authority where the trip started (Västtrafik for Gothenburg, Mölndal, Kungsbacka, Åsa) |
| Resplus ticket | Resplus’s own claim form |
If your trip included a change to another company in Denmark, Skånetrafiken’s terms don’t apply and the EU rail regulation does. If a change was announced at least three days ahead, there’s no compensation — unless you hold a booked or Resplus ticket, where the printed time counts.
Instead of the percentage, you can claim a taxi when you’re facing 20 minutes or more: up to 2,960 kr per paying passenger with Skånetrafiken, or 25 kr per 10 km by your own car plus parking and the bridge toll, within the same cap. You get one or the other, not both. On a train running 150 km or more, a delay of 60 minutes also earns meals up to 150 kr per person, with a receipt.
Without Swedish BankID, use Skånetrafiken’s printable English form and post it; processing takes about 30 days. Without a Swedish personal number, you’re paid by IBAN and BIC. A voucher (värdekod) pays 50% more but only buys the region’s tickets. Claim within two months, and screenshot the delay in the app, because Skånetrafiken measures against the app’s times. The national rules behind all this are in our train delay compensation guide.
Practical information
| Item | What to expect (checked 2026-09-25) |
|---|---|
| Ticket price | Set by the regional authority; live price on oresundstag.se or in the regional app |
| First-class supplement | Per county traveled in; shown when you buy |
| Bike across the bridge | Separate bike ticket from Skånetrafiken; free within one country |
| No valid ticket in Skåne | 1,500 kr surcharge |
| Delay payout | 50% at 20 min, 75% at 40 min, 100% at 60 min |
| Voucher instead of money | 50% extra |
| Taxi instead (Skånetrafiken) | Up to 2,960 kr per paying passenger |
| Own car instead | 25 kr per 10 km plus parking and bridge toll, max 2,960 kr |
| Meals, 60+ min late on a 150 km+ train | Up to 150 kr per person |
| Border control | Decided to 11 November 2026 |
| Current timetable | 14 December 2025 – 12 December 2026 |
FAQ
What is Öresundståg?
Öresundståg is the regional train system of southern Sweden and the Copenhagen area. Four lines link Gothenburg, Kalmar, Karlskrona and Lund with Malmö, Copenhagen Airport, Copenhagen Central and Østerport. Six Swedish regions own it and sell its tickets; VR Sverige has run the trains since 14 December 2025. Some 36.7 million journeys were made on it in 2025.
Where do I buy Öresundståg tickets?
On oresundstag.se, in a regional authority’s app such as Skånetrafiken’s or Västtrafik’s, or at the machines at every Swedish Öresundståg station, Copenhagen Central and Copenhagen Airport. From other Danish stations, buy from DSB. Nothing is sold on board, and an app ticket must be activated before the train’s departure time.
Can I reserve a seat on Öresundståg?
No. Since 4 June 2024 no seat tickets are sold for Öresundståg. Every ticket gives free seating in the class you paid for, first or second. First class sits in car 11 of each train set, with 20 seats, and you can upgrade on board by paying the staff by card; they take no cash.
Is there a passport check on the Öresundståg from Copenhagen?
Yes, northbound. Sweden’s temporary border control runs from 12 May to 11 November 2026, and police check trains from Denmark at Hyllie, the first Swedish station: passengers leaving there on the platform, the rest on board. Carry a passport or national ID card; non-EU visitors need a passport. Each train stands about six minutes at Hyllie.
What compensation do I get if Öresundståg is late?
On an ordinary ticket, 50% of the fare for a delay of 20–39 minutes at your destination, 75% for 40–59 minutes and 100% from 60 minutes, including trips to and from Denmark. Instead of the price reduction you can claim a taxi, up to 2,960 kr per paying passenger with Skånetrafiken. Claim within two months.
Can I claim delay compensation without a Swedish bank account or BankID?
Yes. Skånetrafiken’s online form needs Swedish BankID, Freja+ or Danish MitID, but a printable English form can be posted instead; it takes about 30 days to process. Travelers without a Swedish personal number are paid by IBAN and BIC. A voucher pays 50% more but only buys the region’s tickets.
Does Interrail cover Öresundståg?
Yes. Interrail lists Öresundståg Malmö–Copenhagen among its participating trains, and no reservation is needed. But a Sweden-only pass stops at the border, so the Danish leg needs a pass covering Denmark or a separate ticket. A Danish Rejsekort, for its part, only reaches Malmö C, Hyllie or Triangeln.
Related guides
- Copenhagen Airport to Sweden: the arrival at Kastrup, step by step, including late landings
- Public transport in Skåne: zones, card tapping and tourist tickets once you’re off the train
- Train delay compensation in Sweden: the national rules behind your claim
- Train travel in Sweden: who runs the long-distance trains beyond Malmö
- The Öresund Bridge: crossing by car instead, with the toll and road check
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Öresundståg, VR Sverige, Skånetrafiken, Västtrafik, DSB, Regeringen, Polismyndigheten, Öresunddirekt, Sveriges riksdag, Interrail and trade reporting on 2026 punctuality — full register in this topic’s source file. Border controls are decided to 11 November 2026; the timetable runs to 12 December 2026. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.