Back in training

Sunlight over Kiruna.

Today was the first of two days en train, from Narvik to Copenhagen (via Boden and Goteborg).

The only reason the first part of the journey is possible at all is the huge amount of iron ore mining that has been happening around Kiruna for more than 100 years. In the late 19th Century, it was decided that the mines needed a better (i.e. more reliable) route to the sea than via the Baltic which freezes up in the winter. Narvik (warmed by the Gulf Stream) is ice-free all year, so a fantastic rail line over the mountains was built - the Ofotbanen.

And today most of the traffic on the line is still ore trains, with a few passenger trains too.

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