Rail transport in Sweden

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
SJ X2 in Gothenburg
Train in Malmo
Rail network

The rail traffic in Sweden was in 1939, rendered in the largest dimension on a network of about 16,900 kilometers. By 2006, the Swedish rail network had shrunk to 11,481 kilometers, of which around 9,400 kilometers were electrified.

geography

Sweden is a relatively sparsely populated country with a large area, especially in a north-south direction. The height differences are mostly small, but numerous rivers have to be passed and lakes have to be circled. There are numerous mineral resources in the north that need railroad tracks to remove. In the more densely populated south, the routes are used to a greater extent for passenger traffic.

history

Main lines in Sweden, built between 1860 and 1930

1856 to 1930

The horse-powered Frykstad – Klara Älvs Järnväg line on the banks of the Fryken was the first public rail transport in Sweden to start operating in 1849 with the rare gauge of 1188 mm. It was switched to steam operation in 1856, making it the first real railway in Sweden. Before that, the first non-public horse-drawn tram had been opened near Höganäs in southern Sweden in 1798 , which was soon followed by other trams, especially in the mining areas of central Sweden.

The first line operated with steam from the start was the privately operated Nora – Ervalla line, opened in 1856 . As early as 1854, the Swedish Reichstag decided to build a national rail network from so-called trunk lines , ( Swedish Stambanor ). Västra stambanan from Gothenburg via Falköping to Stockholm and Södra stambanan from Malmö via Nässjö to Falköping were decided as the first routes . From 1855 to 1883, the state rail traffic was under the Järnvägsbyggnadsstaten . On December 1, 1856, the first sections of this network and thus the first lines from Statens Järnvägar (SJ) could be opened with Malmö- Lund and Jonsered -Göteborg . In 1860 the rail network reached Stockholm, and in 1864 the two lines decided in 1856 were ready. This was followed by Nordvästra stambanan until 1881 , branching off in Laxå from the Västra stambana to Charlottenberg and on over the Norwegian border to Oslo , the Östra Stambana from Katrineholm to Nässjö and Norra stambanan from Stockholm to Ånge .

Apart from the SJ network, the expansion of the railway network was largely left to private initiative. As early as 1876, there were around 2,800 kilometers of private railway lines compared to around 1,500 kilometers of SJ lines. Private investors mainly built in the Bergslagen mining area in central Sweden , as there was sufficient demand for transport services from the mines and the coal and steel industry.

Northern Sweden initially remained without a rail connection. It was only with the completion of the Mittbana from Sundsvall via Ånge to Storlien in 1885 that SJ began to develop these large parts of the country. SJ then planned to build a coastal stretch via Örnsköldsvik , Umeå and Luleå to the Finnish border at Haparanda . This route was banned by the military because of fear of a possible threat to a coastal route from warships or landing forces. Instead, SJ had to build far in the deserted interior, the coastal cities were connected to the Norra Stambana by short branch lines. To ground the track was completed in 1894, the section to Haparanda was not until 1919 ready. Independently of this, the construction of the Luleå – Narvik (Malmbanan) railway from Luleå via Boden and Gällivare to Narvik in Norway began as early as 1884 . The entire Malmbana wasn't finished until 1902. This route was originally planned by private financiers, but their company filed for bankruptcy in 1888, whereupon SJ took over the route in 1891.

In southern Sweden, the rail network was mainly expanded by private companies; In addition to standard-gauge lines , extensive narrow -gauge networks were created , mainly in 891 mm and 1067 mm gauge. The largest private railway became the Järnvägar mountain camps , over whose route Falun - Kil - Trollhättan - Gothenburg the mining traffic of the Bergslagener district was handled. Before the turn of the century, Sweden began to nationalize in isolated cases; The important line from Malmö to Gothenburg, operated by several private railways, came into the possession of SJ as early as 1896. Nevertheless, SJ 1914 only had a 30% share of the total transport volume by rail, 70% was provided by private railways.

On the island of Gotland , a separate network in 891 mm gauge was built from 1878 . In 1924 it reached its greatest expansion level with exactly 200 kilometers.

The coal shortage in World War I , from which Sweden suffered despite its neutrality , led to accelerated electrification of the rail network. The first main line to be electrified was the Malmbana , which began operating between Kiruna and Riksgränsen in 1915 . As early as 1895, the Roslagsbanan near Stockholm was the first line to be electrified (also in 891 mm gauge); SJ had also carried out first tests on short sections in Stockholm from 1905 to 1907. The Central European 15 kV-16 2/3 Hz single-phase alternating current system, as used in Germany , Austria and Switzerland , was selected as the system. Norway followed suit. On October 1, 1918, Sweden's worst train accident occurred with at least 42 deaths.

In 1923 the Malmbana was completely provided with contact wire. Until the outbreak of the Second World War , SJ was able to completely electrify the connections between the most important cities of Malmö, Gothenburg and Stockholm, but it was not until 1942 that the gap between the Malmbana and the electrical lines south of it was closed. The large private railways began electrifying their most important routes in the 1920s. At the same time, new lines continued to be built on a large scale until around 1930, both by SJ and private railways.

The last major project between the world wars in Sweden was the construction of Inlandsbanan , which was built primarily for strategic reasons and to develop the inner parts of the country. For this route, existing private railways between Kristinehamn and Sveg were nationalized, from 1916 to 1937 the construction of the remaining route from Sveg via Östersund , Storuman and Jokkmokk to Gällivare took place.

1930 to 1980

The world economic crisis in 1930 brought the end of railway construction in Sweden. In addition, it marked the beginning of the end of most private railways, after a number of private railways had previously been transferred to SJ. Other private railways initially merged to form larger units, such as the TGDG (Trafikförvaltningen Göteborg-Dalarna-Gävle) , which was created as an operating group of Södra Dalarnes Järnvägar , Bergslagernas Järnvägar and Gefle-Dala Järnväg . In 1931, SJ only had a 40% share in all of Sweden's rail traffic; after the end of nationalization in 1960 it was 95%. Until 1937 only a few private railways, some of which were owned by provinces, had been sold to SJ. In 1939, however, the Reichstag passed the resolution to nationalize all private railways in principle by buying up the shares. In 1945 the Stockholm-Västerås-Bergslagens Järnvägar and the Halmstad-Nässjö Järnvägar with around 800 kilometers of route network came to SJ, the GDG with its more than 1,300 kilometers of routes came to SJ in 1947.

After the Second World War, the expansion of the main lines began and at the same time many secondary lines were closed. So by 1981 almost the entire narrow-gauge network of the SJ, originally covering more than 2,700 kilometers, disappeared. By 1964, on the other hand, the double-track expansion of the Stockholm – Gothenburg and Stockholm – Malmö lines was completed, after only short sections in the suburbs of large cities had previously been double-tracked until after the war. In 1972 SJ turned off the last steam locomotives .

In the 1970s there were finally only four private railways; the largest, with a length of 300 kilometers, was Trafik Grängesberg-Oxelösund Järnvägar (TGOJ), followed by Nora-Bergslags Järnvägar with 172 kilometers of network and the narrow-gauge Nordmark-Klarälvens Järnväg with 158 kilometers. While the latter gradually reduced its network and finally ceased operations in 1990, the other companies were taken over by SJ, most recently TGOJ in 1989, which was retained as a nominally independent company. In the 1970s, SJ began to rethink. Only a few routes were discontinued, but from 1973 the construction of a clocked long-distance service began, which in 1985 led to the intercity network between Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and Sundsvall . In 1979, many new customers were won through lower fares and discount cards. In the same year a comprehensive transport reform was decided.

1980 to 2000

The traffic reform of 1979 resulted in a division of the network into a Reichseisenbahn network and a secondary network to be subsidized or closed down by the provinces. This initially led to the cessation of passenger traffic on a total of almost 1,400 kilometers from 1984 to 1990.

In the 1980s, the first Länstrafikföretag , supported jointly by municipalities and provinces, were founded, which assumed financial responsibility for rail traffic from 1984 onwards. This included the right to determine the cheapest provider by tendering. In 1985, Krösatåg was set up in the Jönköping province, the first not operated by SJ, run under local responsibility, the province took over the operation between Jönköping, Nässjö and Värnamo . Other provinces soon followed, others canceled their routes. In 1988 SJ was divided into three companies, with the infrastructure being taken over by Banverket and thus remaining in state hands. Banverket took its seat in Borlänge, far away from the seat of the SJ in Stockholm.

The planned closure of the domestic railway by SJ led to protests across Sweden. Inlandsbanan AB , which was founded in 1992, was able to take over the route between Gällivare and Mora and over a thousand kilometers of railway line came under the administration of fifteen municipalities.

Since 2001, the rest of SJ's operations have been split up into new companies. Loss-making transports that are subsidized by the state and provinces out of public interest are now operated by many private railways. Freight transport is no longer the sole domain of Green Cargo , the successor to the SJ freight transport division. More and more private railway companies operate here.

Structure of the railway companies since the railway reform of 2001

Until the end of 2000, the state-owned Statens Järnvägar (SJ) was, apart from the few private branch lines and narrow-gauge railways, the monopoly on the tracks in Sweden. In 1997, the monopoly began to be dissolved, and on January 1, 2001, rail transport in Sweden was completely liberalized and SJ was divided into various companies.

The former state railway SJ has merged into the independent companies SJ AB and Green Cargo AB, although there was already a division into the two business areas of the Personnel Division and the Gods Division. Both companies are therefore only railway companies. SJ AB operates the passenger transport and Green Cargo the freight transport. SJ is responsible for long-distance transport, while local transport is ordered and paid for by the provincial parliaments. For this they can choose the cheapest provider. If SJ can no longer operate a long-distance route economically, this Rikstrafik will be offered for tender.

The stations were subordinated to the company Jernhusen AB , which is combined with the workshop and vehicle maintenance companies ( EuroMaint , SweMaint and Nordwaggon, which was sold to Transwaggon in 2006 ) in the holding company Swedcarrier AB , which is also owned by the Swedish state.

The state authority Banverket was established as early as 1988 for the routes and their maintenance . On April 1, 2010, Banverket was merged with Vägverket, which is responsible for road construction and maintenance, to form a joint authority called Trafikverket , which is also based in Borlänge.

The companies are responsible for one of the three categories of administration, transport and service.

administration

The control of the infrastructure in Sweden is 100% in the hands of the state and the provinces. Trafikverket, which is responsible for the entire infrastructure - with the exception of the domestic railway - belongs here.

transport

The various private railway companies (EVU) are responsible for the transport.

service

The state-owned Swedcarrier AB is located here, as is the private Unigrid AB , which is responsible for the computer network. The private TraffiCare AB , which is responsible for train cleaning and handling, also provides services .

Expansion and new train connections

In the 1990s, the Swedish rail network was increasingly expanded and modernized. The use of the X2000 high-speed trains began in 1990 between Stockholm and Gothenburg. Thanks to the tilting technology , the trains can significantly reduce travel times without having to build new lines. The Swedish rail network has been modernized with new routes and the expansion of nodes. In 1986 Helsingborg got a new underground train station. A start has been made to double-track the Gothenburg – Helsingborg – Malmö line. The expansion has not yet been completed, mainly due to major problems with the construction of the Hallandsåstunnel through Hallandsåsen , a ridge north of Helsingborg. A new double-track line has already been completed between Helsingborg and Landskrona . Major new construction projects that have now been completed were the construction of the airport line to Stockholm Arlanda Airport , the partial new construction and expansion of the Svealandsbana between Stockholm and Eskilstuna and the expansion of the Stockholm – Västerås line. Further expansions, for example to remove the bottleneck in the Årstabrücke bridge south of Stockholm Central, have already started or are in the planning stage.

In summer 2008, a continuous train connection between Malmö and Narvik was offered again for the first time in 20 years . The connection is called Lapplandståget (English Lapland Train). With a distance of 2147 kilometers, it is one of the longest running regular trains in Europe. The train is operated by Veolia Transport, the Swedish subsidiary of Veolia Environnement .

The largest new construction project is the Botniabana , with which the coastal stretch from Sundsvall , which was prevented by the military in the 19th century, via the stretch to be expanded to Härnösand and from there via Örnsköldsvik , Husum, Nordmaling to Umeå was completed after almost 130 years in August 2010. The route length is 190 kilometers with 140 bridges and 25 kilometers of tunnels, the maximum speed for passenger trains is 250 km / h (although there are currently no such fast trains).

Railway companies (EVU)

The former state railway Statens Järnvägar (SJ) only operates its own long-distance transport, while the individual provinces are responsible for local transport. Long-distance traffic that is not self-sufficient is advertised. So many new EVUs came into being that belong to the provincial parliaments ( Swedish landsting ) or municipalities (Kommuner) ; many private railway companies are also active.

The international local transport activities of DB Group have been bundled in the DB Arriva business unit since January 1, 2011 . The Swedish parts of the DB Regio company were therefore taken over by DB Arriva. DB Regio Sverige AB was renamed Arriva Östgötapendeln AB .

Green Cargo is the largest company in freight transport .

List of RUs in passenger transport

List of RUs in freight transport

List of provincial transport companies

The companies named below do not operate the transport themselves, but act as a transport association and operate bus and rail transport as well. They create the timetables, set the fares, at least provide the vehicles for rail transport because their lifespan is longer than the transport contracts, and use a tender to determine the cheapest provider.

List of railway lines in Sweden

When referring to the names of the railway lines below, it should be noted that they are often artificial terms that were only named under other names when the name was given by Banverket in 1990, long after the lines were built. Often these new terms arose through changes in traffic flows, continuous train connections, shutdowns and gauge changes from narrow to standard gauge; see example: Stångådalsbanan .

In southern Sweden in particular, the regular timetable is usually used , with the most common symmetry minute in Europe (train crossing) just before the hour.

Other rail-bound transport systems

The only underground in Sweden with multiple lines, the Tunnelbana , runs in Stockholm . The tram system in Gothenburg comprises twelve lines and is one of the largest networks in Europe. Other trams operate in Norrköping and Stockholm .

literature

  • Rico Merkert: The liberalization of the Swedish railway system - an example of the vertical separation of network and transport operations. In: Economic discussion contributions from the University of Potsdam; Contribution to Discussion No. 62; PDF document
  • Richard Latten: From Fehmarn Sound to the North Cape. The railways in Scandinavia. Volume 2: Sweden, Finland. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 1995, ISBN 3-921679-86-9 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ TRANSWAGGON takes over Nordwaggon. vtg.de, July 19, 2006, archived from the original on March 9, 2016 ; accessed on May 13, 2019 .
  2. ^ Official website of Trafikverket (swed.)
  3. ↑ a b DB Regio Annual Report 2011
  4. ↑ History and growth, 2014-12-12. Archived from the original on July 2, 2013 ; Retrieved July 5, 2015 .
  5. ↑ a b List of companies that have worked with the FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY i. S. d. Section 15 AktG. (PDF) Federal Ministry of Finance, p. 7 , archived from the original on September 27, 2013 ; accessed on December 31, 2012 (as of December 31, 2012): "Arriva Östgötapendeln AB, December 15, 2011 change of name"
  6. ↑ Om oss - DB Regio Sverige. In: www.bahn.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015 (Swedish).