Transport in Stockholm

Transport in Stockholm is made up of a large and well-planned system of ways to move around the city and the surrounding county. Stockholm is often named as having one of the best public transport systems in the world.

Public transport is mainly managed by Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), which is owned by Region Stockholm. SL looks after many services such as buses, the metro, commuter rail, light rail, local rail, and ferries that travel between islands. SL uses one ticket system for all its services, while different companies are hired to actually run and take care of these services.

Metro trains at Slussen

Besides SL, there are other public and private companies that offer train services to nearby areas and other cities, long-distance bus trips, and boat services to the Waxholmsbolaget archipelago.

For traveling to and from airports, both public and private companies help. SL provides train services to Arlanda Airport and tram services to Bromma Airport, as well as some bus routes to Arlanda. Private companies such as Flygbussarna run bus services to the airports, and the Arlanda Express offers a fast train to Arlanda Airport.

Buses

Main article: Buses in Stockholm County

There are over 500 bus lines in Stockholm County. These buses come in three main types: inner-city blue bus lines, suburban blue bus lines, and service bus lines. The blue buses travel through the inner city or connect suburbs to central hubs. They are called blue buses because the buses themselves are painted blue, unlike regular red buses. Service bus lines are special routes for elderly people, and sometimes you can stop them just by waving. There are also night buses that run when regular buses do not, and their numbers often start with "X9X," like 197 or 91.

A red city bus to Ropsten in the centre of Stockholm.

Buses in Stockholm are very reliable, with about 92% of them arriving on time.

Blue bus lines

Line	Route
1	Frihamnen – Hötorget – Fridhemsplan – Stora Essingen
2	Norrtull – Odenplan – Slussen – Sofia
3	Södersjukhuset – Slussen – Fridhemsplan – Karolinska Hospital
4	Gullmarsplan – Fridhemsplan – Östra station – Radiohuset
5	Liljeholmen – Hornstull – Fridhemsplan – Karolinska Hospital
6	Ropsten – Östra station – Odenplan – Karolinska Institute
172	Hallunda – Huddinge – Högdalen – Skarpnäck
173	Skärholmen – Älvsjö – Bandhagen – Skarpnäck
175	Akalla – Barkarbystaden – Barkarby station
176	Mörby station – Solna – Ekerö centre – Stenhamra
177	Mörby station – Solna – Tappström – Skärvik
178	Mörby station – Helenelund station – Kista – Jakobsberg station
179	Sollentuna station – Kista – Spånga station – Vällingby
471	Slussen – Nacka – Orminge centre – West Orminge
474	Slussen – Gustavsberg centre – Ålstäket – Hemmesta
670	Östra station – Danderyds sjukhus – Vaxholm
676	Östra station – Danderyds sjukhus – Norrtälje
677	Norrtälje - Rimbo - Knivsta - Uppsala
873	Gullmarsplan – Tyresö centre – Nyfors
875	Gullmarsplan – Tyresö centre – Tyresö church

Metro

Main article: Stockholm Metro

Rådhuset metro station on the Stockholm Metro

The Stockholm Metro has three groups of lines: blue, red, and green. Each group is called a single line.

People often call the Stockholm metro "the world's longest art gallery." This is because most of the 100 stations have beautiful decorations like sculptures, paintings, and mosaics.

Line	Route	Travel time	Length	Stations	Average speed	Average distance between stations
10	Kungsträdgården – Hjulsta	23 min	15.1 km	14	39.4 km/h (24.5 mph)	1,162 m (3,812 ft)
11	Kungsträdgården – Akalla	22 min	15.6 km	12	42.5 km/h (26.4 mph)	1,300 m (4,300 ft)
13	Norsborg – Ropsten	44 min	26.6 km	25	36.3 km/h (22.6 mph)	1,108 m (3,635 ft)
14	Fruängen – Mörby centrum	33 min	19.5 km	19	35.5 km/h (22.1 mph)	1,083 m (3,553 ft)
17	Skarpnäck – Åkeshov	43 min	19.6 km	24	27.3 km/h (17.0 mph)	852 m (2,795 ft)
18	Farsta strand – Alvik	37 min	18.4 km	23	29.8 km/h (18.5 mph)	836 m (2,743 ft)
19	Hagsätra – Hässelby strand	55 min	28.6 km	35	31.2 km/h (19.4 mph)	841 m (2,759 ft)
Entire metro network			108 km	100

Commuter rail

Main article: Stockholm commuter rail

Stockholm City commuter train station

The Pendeltåg commuter train system links central Stockholm to areas farther out in the county. It runs on two main paths with four different routes.

Line	Route	Stations
40	Uppsala C – Arlanda C– Stockholm City – Södertälje centrum	25
41	Märsta – Stockholm City – Södertälje centrum	24
43	Bålsta – Stockholm City – Nynäshamn	28
48	Södertälje centrum – Gnesta	6

Light rail

Main article: Trams in Stockholm

Stockholm has four light rail systems.

Lidingöbanan

Lidingöbanan: A light rail line that connects the island of Lidingö to the mainland.
Tvärbanan: A semi-circular route that goes west of the city using bridges, tunnels, and streets.
Nockebybanan: A light rail line that links western suburbs to the Stockholm metro.
Spårväg City: A tram line that connects the city centre with Djurgården.

Two of these, Nockebybanan and Tvärbanan, are connected and share depots and vehicles. The vehicles used on these lines are special versions of the Bombardier Flexity Swift and CAF Urbos.

There is also one heritage tram line, Djurgården line. The tracks are part of Spårväg City owned by SL, but the tram cars are owned and run by the Swedish Tramway Society. All SL tickets work on this line too.

Name	Line	Route	Length	Stops
Spårväg City	7	Sergels Torg – Waldemarsudde	3.2 km	12
Djurgårdslinjen	7N	Norrmalmstorg – Waldemarsudde/Bellmansro	2.9 km	10
Nockebybanan	12	Nockeby – Alvik	5.7 km	10
Lidingöbanan	21	Ropsten – Gåshaga brygga	9.2 km	14
Tvärbanan	30	Sickla – Solna Station	18.2 km	26
Tvärbanan	31	Alviks Strand – Bromma Flygplats		6

Local rail

Main articles: Roslagsbanan and Saltsjöbanan

Roslagsbanan

Stockholm has two special local rail systems. The Roslagsbanan uses a narrow gauge rail, and the Saltsjöbanan uses a standard gauge rail. These two systems are not connected to the main railway network.

Between 2022 and 2024, the Saltsjöbanan was replaced with buses because of construction. It reopened in 2024 but had to pause again in 2025 due to vehicle problems. Service resumed later that year, with buses helping out until a station reopens in 2028. Plans are for Roslagsbanan to extend to T-Centralen through Odenplan starting construction in 2030.

Name	Lines	Route	Length	Stations
Saltsjöbanan	25, 26	Slussen – Saltsjöbaden; Igelboda – Solsidan	18.5 km	18
Roslagsbanan	27, 28, 29	Stockholm Östra station – Näsbypark/Österskär/Kårsta	65.0 km	39

Archipelago boats

Main article: Waxholmsbolaget

Most of the travel between the islands in the archipelago is done by boats run by Waxholmsbolaget. These boats leave from places like Strömkajen, Vaxholm, Stavsnäs, Årsta brygga, and Nynäshamn.

Commuter ferries

There are four commuter ferry lines in Stockholm, managed by SL. Some of these ferries are operated by Waxholmsbolaget under SL's supervision.

Ferryboat Hättan on Route 80 (Sjövägen)

Line	Route
80	Nybroplan – Ropsten - Frösvik
82	Slussen – Allmänna gränd
83	Strömkajen – Vaxholm - Rindö Grenadjärbryggan
83X	Strömkajen – Vaxholm - Rindö Grenadjärbryggan
89	Klara Mällarstrand – Tappström (Ekerö)
84	Strömkajen – Ålstäket (Gustavsberg)

Regional and intercity rail

Mälartåg regional train

There are regional and InterCity trains that travel between Stockholm and cities outside the county. These cities include Uppsala, Gävle, Eskilstuna, Linköping, and Västerås. These trains are operated by Mälartåg and SJ, with some receiving public funding. You can buy single tickets from each operator, and period tickets that include local public transport can be used on either operator.

Roads

Stockholm’s roads are shaped by the city’s location across islands between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. In the past, traveling by land was difficult because of the waterways, but roads have been built over time. Today, important roads include Essingeleden, Södertäljevägen, and other routes that connect the city to nearby areas.

The city is where several major European roads meet, like E4, E18, and E20. There is a C-shaped motorway around the city, with the northern part, called Norra Länken, opening in 2015. Plans to finish the eastern part of the ring road were restarted in 2025 after an agreement between local and national leaders.

Norra länken (North link) motorway in Stockholm

Congestion charge

Main article: Stockholm congestion tax

Stockholm uses a special charge to manage traffic in the city center. This charge has been in place since 2007 after a test period in 2006. Vehicles entering or leaving the city center must pay between 10 and 20 SEK depending on the time of day. People have two weeks to pay the charge after passing a checkpoint. The money collected helps improve roads and public transport.

Airport transport

Arlanda Airport

Arlanda Express

Main article: Arlanda

Arlanda is the biggest airport in Sweden and has many ways to get to Stockholm. The Arlanda Express is a fast train that goes straight to Stockholm Central Station, but it costs more money. You can also take a regular commuter train, but it adds extra fees. There is also a shuttle bus service called Flygbussarna that takes travelers from the airport to cityterminalen.

Bromma Airport

Bromma Airport has a tram line called 31 (Tvärbanan) that connects to the city. Flygbussarna runs bus services to all the airports around Stockholm, including Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, Stockholm-Bromma Airport, Stockholm-Skavsta Airport, and Stockholm-Västerås Airport.