The Arlanda Express is a dedicated, privately operated rail service that runs non-stop between Stockholm Arlanda Airport and Stockholm Central Station (T-Centralen). It is the fastest way to make that specific journey, in around 18-20 minutes, but it is also the most expensive. Slower, cheaper alternatives exist by commuter train, bus and shared shuttle.
What exactly is the Arlanda Express?
The Arlanda Express is a standalone airport rail link, not part of Stockholm’s public transport network run by SL (Storstockholms Lokaltrafik). It operates on its own dedicated track between Arlanda and Stockholm Central, which is why it can run non-stop and keep the journey short.
The service is run by A-Train AB, a private company operating under a long-term concession, rather than by the region’s public transport authority. It connects directly with the two main terminal areas at Arlanda — Terminals 2/3 and Terminal 5 — and terminates underground at Stockholm Central Station, from where the T-Centralen metro hub and onward rail connections are a short walk.
Because it does not use the regular commuter or metro network, an SL travel card is not valid on it, and its tickets are sold separately from the wider public transport fare system described in the Access Stockholm guide to Stockholm metro zones and fares.
How does the Arlanda Express fare system work?
Fares are set by the operator, not by SL, and are structured around single or return tickets, with different pricing for adults, young people and groups, plus various discounts for booking online in advance. Because these figures change, the operator’s own site is the only reliable source for a current price.
The practical shape of the fare system is worth knowing even without exact numbers:
- Tickets bought online in advance are generally cheaper than tickets bought at a station kiosk or machine on the day.
- Return fares typically cost less per journey than two separate one-way tickets.
- Group and family tickets exist, since several passengers can sometimes travel more cheaply together than individually.
- Discounts for students, young people or seniors are set by the operator and should be checked directly rather than assumed.
Anyone comparing cost before travel should check current fares on arlandaexpress.com, the operator’s own site, rather than relying on a figure quoted elsewhere.
What is the commuter train alternative?
The main alternative is the regular commuter train, Pendeltåg, which also runs between Arlanda and Stockholm but stops at intermediate stations and takes longer than the Arlanda Express. It uses the standard SL fare system, so it is markedly cheaper and included within the normal zone-based ticketing.
Arlanda’s own station, Arlanda Central, is served by Pendeltåg and by regional trains, and connects onward into the same network covered in the Access Stockholm explainer on what Pendeltåg is and when it beats the metro. Because it runs on the shared national and regional rail network rather than a dedicated line, journey times are longer and less consistent than the Arlanda Express, but the fare sits within the ordinary Stockholm public transport pricing structure rather than a separate premium one.
This matters for anyone holding, or planning to buy, a standard SL travel card, since the pendeltåg fare is covered by the same card described in the Access Stockholm guide to how the Stockholm travel card works across transport, whereas an Arlanda Express ticket is not.
.jpg){kind=link}
What about the airport bus?
An airport coach service also runs between Arlanda and central Stockholm, typically taking longer than either rail option because it uses the road network, but usually priced below the Arlanda Express. This is a scheduled coach operation rather than a shared shuttle van, with its own separate ticketing.
As with the train options, timetables, stops and current prices are set by the bus operator and should be confirmed directly on its own site rather than assumed from older listings, since airport transport pricing and schedules are revised periodically.
Is a taxi or private transfer a genuine alternative?
A taxi or pre-booked private transfer is the most flexible option and the only door-to-door one, but it is generally the most expensive per person unless a group is travelling together and splitting the fare. Sweden does not regulate taxi fares in the way some countries do, so prices between operators can vary; travellers who want price certainty are generally advised, by Swedish consumer guidance, to confirm a fixed price before departure rather than rely on the meter.
This is a case where checking the current advice of Sweden’s own consumer authority, or agreeing a fare directly with a licensed operator before the journey starts, is more useful than any figure this article could quote.
How do all these options compare in practice?
None of the options is objectively “best” — each trades speed against cost differently, and the right one depends on how much time and money a traveller is weighing against the other.
- Arlanda Express: fastest, non-stop, most expensive, its own separate ticketing.
- Pendeltåg / regional train: slower, more stops, priced within the standard SL fare system.
- Airport bus: slower still, road-dependent, usually cheaper than rail options.
- Taxi or private transfer: door-to-door, most flexible, price varies by operator and should be agreed in advance.
A fuller breakdown of timings, stops and how these services physically connect at each end of the journey is covered in the Access Stockholm guide on how to get from Arlanda into Stockholm city.
Which option suits a visitor, and which suits a resident?
A visitor arriving with luggage, on a tight connection, or unfamiliar with the network, often values the Arlanda Express’s simplicity and speed enough to pay the premium, particularly for a first arrival into the city when navigating an unfamiliar station adds friction.
A resident who travels to and from Arlanda regularly, or who already holds an SL travel card for daily use in the city, is more likely to default to the pendeltåg precisely because the fare is folded into transport they are already paying for, rather than a separate premium product. Frequent flyers based in Stockholm often treat the time saved by the Arlanda Express as worth paying for only on time-pressured trips, and use the commuter train otherwise.
Either way, both services arrive at or near Stockholm Central Station, next to T-Centralen, the city’s metro hub, from which the wider metro, bus and pendeltåg network fans out to the rest of the city, including the districts covered across the Access Stockholm Getting Around archive.
Does the choice of transport affect where to stay or start a visit?
Arriving by Arlanda Express or pendeltåg both put a traveller at Stockholm Central, in Norrmalm, within walking distance of Sergels Torg, Drottninggatan and the Gamla Stan waterfront — a genuinely central starting point rather than a suburban one. Arriving by bus generally sets down at a nearby city terminal rather than directly underground at Central Station, adding a short walk or connection.
For a broader sense of how the city’s transport choices connect to its layout and neighbourhoods, the Access Stockholm hub pages on getting around, planning and itineraries and what it is actually like to live in Stockholm set the transport question inside the wider picture of how the city is organised and used, by visitors and residents alike.
Access Stockholm is an independent guide written from published, checkable sources. We have not visited the places described here and we do not publish personal recommendations or invented ‘local favourites’ — where something is singled out as notable, we say who says so. Opening times, fares, closures and prices change at short notice, so treat everything here as a starting point and confirm with the museum, operator or venue directly before building a day around it. We give no advice on visas, insurance, health or safety; use your own government’s official guidance for those.
Featured image: Photo by Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, source, CC BY-SA 2.0
.jpg){kind=link}