New Commuter Train from Arlanda Airport

Photo by Lars Näslund, SL

There are many ways to get from Arlanda Airport to downtown Stockholm: taxi, bus and high speed train (Arlanda Express). All great options, depending on your budget and time constraints. Now there is a new option, which is of special interest to guests of the Rival Hotel! Stockholm has an extensive commuter train system (called pendeltåg in Swedish) run by SL, the same company that runs the busses and subways. They have now extended a track and built a station at the airport. The station, called Arlanda Centralstation (or Arlanda C for short), is located between terminals 4 & 5, in Sky City. Trains depart at 13 and 43 minutes past the hour and the trip to Stockholm Central (Centralen) takes 38 minutes.

Arlanda C station in Sky City, between terminals 4 & 5

What is of particular interest for guests of the Rival Hotel is that the train continues south after Stockholm Central to Stockholm's Södra Station... which is located just 4 blocks from the hotel! Exit to the street Swedenborgsgatan, turn left on the street and walk 4 blocks to the square Mariatorget. We are located on the right-hand side of the square. So, instead of taking the Arlanda Express to the Stockholm Central and then having to take a taxi or subway to the hotel, guests can now take the commuter train the whole way (just about). The journey between Arlanda and Stockholm's Södra takes 43 minutes.

Many signs guiding to Arlanda C

Even more good news... the trip is quite inexpensive. A one-time ticket costs 150 SEK. Compare that to a taxi which takes the same amount of time and costs 520 SEK and the Arlanda Express which costs 260 SEK but only takes you as far as the central train station. If you have a SL card (good for all commuter trains, busses, subways and some ferries) or one-time SL ticket then you only need to buy a supplementary airport fee for 120 SEK. They do sell the SL card at the Arlanda C station. Now for the bad news (you knew it couldn't be all good news). The trains only depart every half hour. So if you happen to just miss a train, you may have to wait up to 30 minutes for the next train. But if you aren't in a rush, or plan wisely, then this is a great option!

Entrance to Stockholm Södra Station,
4 blocks from the Rival Hotel.