Statens järnvägar SJ (state railways) is still Sweden's largest operator when it comes to long distance passenger services and also in many places even the regional and local passenger services are still in the hands of SJ, despite roughly 20 years of public tendering and private competition. This section of our picture archive shows the various electric multiple units of SJ, that is, locomotiveless or fixed trainsets using electric power. This picture shows a set of class X55, which is a Bombardier built Regina train variant adapted for long distances and fast speeds. Here the X55 unit is shown at the Norrtåg depot in Umeå and this unit has been running as a long distance express train on the Stockholm-Umeå route. Picture in Umeå 14.7.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.

The X2000 (also known as X2) was Sweden's first high speed train. It was designed to resemble Germany's first generation ICE trains in that it was a fixed set of one locomotive unit, one steering wagon and middle coaches. It was designed by Kalmar Verkstad, which later became part of ADtranz and then part of Bombardier. These trains were launched already in 1990, first as a first class only train. The theoretical max speed of an X2000 train is 210 km/h, but since Sweden lacks new high speed rail routes (with only a few exceptions like the renewed Botniabana) the practical top speed is typically around 200 km/h. The units are now already quite old and some of them have been ongoing total renovation 2015-16 at the Süd-Ost Bahn facilities in Samstagern, Switzerland.
An X2000 train arriving to the Alvesta station with the steering cab wagon first and locomotive wagon pushing. Here the train is in its present grey paintings.
Picture in Alvesta 30.6.2010 by Ilkka Siissalo.

X2 train (X2000) approaching Boxholm from the north, August 1996. Here the train is still in its original colours.
Photo by Urban Fredriksson. Uploaded Jun 18, 1997

X2 (X2000) heading south, just north of Upplands Väsby, January 1997.
Photo by Urban Fredriksson. Uploaded Jun 18, 1997

An X2000, but still in its old blue and white livery.
Picture from Malmö station 2.3.2003 by Ilkka Siissalo.

An X2000 in its current, rather dull gray livery, in full speed by Burlöv in Skåne.
Photo by Ilkka Siissalo 18.9.2014.

A nightly shot of an X2000 unit on its way to Stockholm stopping at the Norrköping central station.
Photo 15.11.2013 by Ilkka Siissalo.

Another X2000 at the Linköping station.
Photo 11.7.2011 by Ilkka Siissalo.

The driver's cab of an X2000 looks already by today's norms a little old fashioned.
Photo 11.7.2011 in Linköping by Ilkka Siissalo.

Yet another dull grey looking old X2000? So what? Yes, that's right, but look at the next picture, which is a detail of this one...
Picture 25.9.2015 at Stockholm C by Ilkka Siissalo.

...but look at this detail. This is a small commemorative plate on top of the drivers' cab door on the X2000 unit shown in the picture above. When the X2000s were new, one train was loaned for a full year to Amtrak in USA as a demonstration train of what kind of new generation services could be created with them. It was the first tilting "bullet train" class train of America ever. Amtrak liked it a lot, but the end of a long story was that they didn't buy these trains. This is exactly that same famous unit, which for a year 1992-93 connected New York with Washington DC. One of the reasons why Amtrak didn't buy these, was that USA is so backwards in everything that comes to railroading. Fast trains would have needed proper tracks where you can drive fast and electricity - and none was available, except for short stretches. Still today USA is decades behind Europe when it comes to fast trains.
Picture 25.9.2015 at Stockholm C by Ilkka Siissalo.

During 2023 many of the X2 trains went through a total rehaul. After this rebuilding they also got a new livery. This is one example of a totally rehauled X2.
Picture is from Skövde 6.7.2023 by Ilkka Siissalo.

The bistro wagon of the newly renovated X2 train. Note how also SJ - like many other railway companies in Europe - has now started to use a lot of green colouring in their trains and also in the furniture of the wagons. Look at the pantographs. Does it make a railway more ecological if one paints it green?
Picture from Skövde 6.7.2023 by Ilkka Siissalo.

The locomotive of the newly renovated X2 train.
Picture from Skövde 6.7.2023 by Ilkka Siissalo.

Still another look at the newly renovated X2 train, now from the side of the pushing locomotive.
Picture from Skövde 6.7.2023 by Ilkka Siissalo.

A Regina train of class X55 in full speed at Burlöv in southern Sweden.
Photo by Ilkka Siissalo 18.9.2014.

Another X55. These Regina trains were thought to be the possible successors of the ageing X2000 sets.
Picture by Ilkka Siissalo 9.6.2014 by the Norrtåg depot, Umeå.

In 2009 Bombardier in cooperation with several other companies modified one of Transitio's Regina trains by installing actively tilting bogies under it and thus creating a train that in theory at least could run up to 300 km/h. This experimental train was called Gröna Tåget, the green train. The purpose of the study was to find out whether modified Reginas could become the next generation of fast trains for Sweden. The tests went well and the result that we now can see is the class X55 which is shown in pictures above. This picture shows the experimental Gröna tåget at Mora station 23.8.2009. Picture by Ilkka Siissalo.

Another view of the experimental Gröna tåget at Mora station 23.8.2009.
Please note that in more recent times the name "Gröna tåget" does not anymore refer to this experimental train, but rather a privately run long distance express train.
Picture by Ilkka Siissalo at Mora station 23.8.2009.

This one is a more special one. It is a Regina train of the class X52 (that is, not of the long distance variety X55, but a regional version) and the train is owned by SJ, but it has simultaneously the stickers of three different operators on its sides: SJ, Västtrafik and Värmlandstrafik. Apparently the same train unit is being used by all 3 oparators. Notice the yellow stripes by the sides of the roof; these are not used in normal SJ Regina trains, but rather the old livery of Vättrafik. Here it was on duty for SJ itself.
Photo from Kil station by Ilkka Siissalo 30.6.2016.

Two coupled class X40 trains of the Alstom built type Coradia Duplex at the Laxå station 13.7.2013. The Coradia Duplex is nowadays a common sight in Sweden, not really beautiful, but comfortable for passengers. SJ uses it in both short haul traffic as well as in really long distance trains like for example Stockholm-Göteborg, but they always label it as a regional train and it stops more often than express services.
Photo from Laxå station 13.7.2013 by Ilkka Siissalo.

Another view of the Alstom built Coradia Duplex units at Laxå station. There are two and three coach versions of the X40 unit and here is one of each coupled. The train is not really beautiful. Among its many nicknames is "sugfisk" which means a small fish species which can attach itself to bigger fish species by sucking.
Photo from Laxå station 13.7.2013 by Ilkka Siissalo.

Yet another view of two attached X40 Coradia Duplex units, on a long distance service (with many, many stops in between) between Stockholm and Göteborg.
Photo from Laxå station 13.7.2013 by Ilkka Siissalo.

A class X12 - an old medium haul regional version of the commuter X10. Compared with the X10 it has fewer doors, better seats and toilets.
Uploaded Nov 17, 1995. Photo by Urban Fredriksson.

A bit better picture of the really old class X12, this time at the small station of Kolbäck. These EMUs were built 1991-94 by Asea. They are pretty similar to the X10 and X11 variants, but with different doors (sliding, not folding) and better seats as they were intended for longer journeys. 18 trains were built in total.
Picture from Kolbäck 29.6.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.

A second view of the same X12 unit as above.
Picture from Kolbäck 29.6.2016 by Ilkka Siissalo.

Another SJ X12, here just approaching Linköping station. In the background a Kalmar Länstrafiken's "Kustpilen" train.
Photo from Linköping 29.6.2010 by Ilkka Siissalo.