Is this a ghost train?

We knew where we were: Oslo - capital of Norway

We knew where we wanted to go: Rottneros - a small municipality in Sweden with 422 inhabitants, a wood pulp mill, a sculpture park and a railway station.

So how hard was it to travel between the two? Easy, if you don't let the IT issues put you off...

Let's start with the good news - really good news. It takes a similar length of time and is cheaper than hiring a car.

So how would you get between the two by public transport?

SJ (Swedish railways) trains run to Karlstad where you can change to a local train running to Rottneros railway station.

There are also two bus options for getting to Karlstad: VyBus4U and Flixbus.

Flixbus was the cheapest and took a similar length of time to the train. So now you know what the answer is, how and where should you be asking the question?

Rail Europe

Rail Europe couldn't find Rottneros.

trainline

Trainline also couldn't find Rottneros.

Omio

Omio knew about Rottneros but didn't find any trains or buses. If you had just used these three sites, you might now give up - maybe it's not served by trains at all, unless it's a ghost train...

VY (Norwegian railways)

Norwegian railways also couldn't find Rottneros.

SJ (Swedish railways)

Swedish railways, unsurprisingly, did know about Rottneros station and found both the trains it operates and also the VyBus4You bus, but didn't show the Flixbus option.

Rome2Rio

Like SJ, Rome2Rio found both the trains SJ operates and also the Bus4You, but didn't show the Flixbus option.

Google Maps

Google Maps does have the Flixbus services, but not trains to Rottneros and offered (sometimes tortuously) slower bus routes instead.

DB

DB, usually the best of the bunch on European trains, only found three trains one of which was a bus replacement, but no actual buses.

Interrail

Interrail found four trains (included the 16:52 service missing from DB) and no buses (I know it's only interested in trains...).

So what's going wrong?

At the heart of the issue is where the information comes from and how it is stored. The piecemeal approach to data gathering and sharing is preventing the general public from using public transport.

The EU is pushing for a solution which involves each country creating a National Access Point where companies like Google and Rome2Rio (or anyone else) can get information.

However, as the name suggests, it's for each country to come up with its own solution. Each country is at its own point on the journey to sharing useful information, but there's a fundamental issue.

Journeys that cross borders can fall through the cracks and this friendly little train will stay in the shadows of many transport info sites.

Boo.

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