Does the X 2000 (SJ X2) make you motion sick?
No tilting train has been studied for motion sickness as thoroughly as Sweden's X 2000. The Swedish tilting-train experiments of the 1990s ran on and around this train, measuring how tilt angle, tilt speed and compensation levels changed how sick passengers felt. The short version of what they found: full, fast tilt compensation makes more people queasy, and backing the tilt off reduces symptoms while keeping most of the speed benefit.
Sweden · Active tilt, the most studied
Status, September 2026
Fleet note, September 2026: SJ's refurbishment program has been returning upgraded X 2000 sets to service on the Swedish main corridors.
Key facts
- The X 2000 tilts each carriage hydraulically from accelerometer input computed per coach; the power car does not tilt.
- Swedish experiments found that reduced tilt compensation and lower tilt velocity provoke fewer motion sickness symptoms than full compensation.
- SJ's refurbishment program has returned upgraded X 2000 sets to service.
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Why the X 2000 (SJ X2) feels the way it does
Tilt: Active
An accelerometer measures lateral acceleration, a computer calculates the tilt for each coach, and hydraulics tilt the carriages. The power car does not tilt.
The X 2000 tilts the textbook way: an accelerometer senses the curve, a computer computes a tilt for each coach, hydraulics lean the carriage. The experiments run on this system produced the numbers the whole field still cites: motion sickness in tilting trains tracks the roll and lateral motion dose passengers accumulate, and reducing tilt velocity or compensating only part of the lateral force provokes fewer symptoms than cancelling it completely. Those findings shaped how later tilting trains, including Japan's newest, time and trim their tilt.
Where it runs
- SJStockholm to Gothenburg and other Swedish main corridors, fleet refurbished
What the research says about tilting trains
Tilting-train motion sickness has a real, peer-reviewed literature: studies report more sickness on tilting than on comparable non-tilting trains, and point at carriage roll, the level of tilt compensation and the timing of each tilt against the curve as the variables that matter.
- Forstberg J, Ride comfort and motion sickness in tilting trains, doctoral thesis, 2000
- Forstberg J et al, Influence of different conditions for tilt compensation on symptoms of motion sickness in tilting trains, Brain Research Bulletin, 1999
Riding the X 2000 (SJ X2)? Set it up first
Stop Motion Sickness Now
A winding line is a bad place to go looking for an app. Put it on your phone before you board: Dizzout is a drug-free app that plays precisely calibrated audio through any headphones you already own, wired or Bluetooth, with relief in about 90 seconds. Free to try.
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Scan to open on your phoneOn a computer? Dizzout installs on your phone. Scan the code, or open dizzout.com/get on your phone and it'll take you straight to the right store.
Know someone who gets motion sick?
Send them the app that helps stop it, drug-free, in about 90 seconds, works with any headphones. Free to try.
What helps on board
- Give your eyes the lake-and-forest view on the winding sections rather than a book; the roll makes more sense to your inner ear with the outside world in frame.
- Time screens for station stops and the straight running. The tilt system works hardest exactly where reading is riskiest.
- Travel cool and lightly fed: a plain snack before boarding and a vent or cooler spot nearby raise your threshold for the leaning stretches.
- If a wave builds mid-ride, you do not have to white-knuckle it: sound therapy through any headphones is a drug-free option with relief in about 90 seconds.
Where to sit is its own question, answered properly in where to sit on a train for motion sickness. And for why trains set people off at all, from sway to reading to tilting stock, see the train motion sickness guide.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the X 2000 famous in motion sickness research?
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Because Sweden ran controlled experiments on it and around it in the 1990s, varying tilt settings on real journeys and measuring passenger symptoms. Much of what is known about why tilting trains cause nausea, and how to tune tilt to cause less of it, comes from that work.
What did the Swedish experiments actually find?
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That symptoms track the accumulated roll and lateral motion, and that partial tilt compensation at moderate tilt speed provokes fewer symptoms than fully cancelling the sideways force. In plain terms: a tilt that lets you feel a little of the curve reads as more honest to your inner ear.
Does the X 2000 still tilt today?
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Yes. The refurbished sets keep the active tilt system, with the carriages tilting and the power car staying level. It remains Sweden's fast train on the winding main corridors.
Other trains and lines
Sources & further reading
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Details on this page reflect published operator, heritage and engineering information as of September 2026; services, fleets and tilt settings change, so check with the operator before you travel. Train, route and operator names are trademarks of their respective owners; Dizzout is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Motion sickness sensitivity varies from person to person; this page is informational and not medical advice.