Main lines in Scandinavia

A so-called main line is a railway line in Scandinavia that represents an excellent transport connection in the respective national rail network.

Stammbahnen in Sweden

The X2000 runs on most of the main lines

Originally the trunk lines were introduced in Sweden in 1854 by a parliamentary resolution of the Swedish Reichstag . Back then, it was determined that a country's main lines would be built by the state, as opposed to other lines that were supposed to be built by private companies and consortia. Main lines were built in Sweden from 1856 to 1892. The last stretch was the Stambanan genom övre Norrland .

The state railroad construction was not yet over, even if the most important lines were built. By nationalizing and taking over bankrupt companies, the state took responsibility for more and more railway lines. In the early 1900s, new lines had to be built, especially in the north. However, these were not called trunk lines, such as the Inlandsbahn . For some time in the mid-1800s, 70 percent of government spending was put into railroad construction as loans. For a long time, the Swedish state had to pay interest, especially to German lenders. With the inflation after the First World War , these obligations ended. The long-term interest payments, however, are normal given the decades of useful life for railways.

Stambana is not an official definition for a particular type of railway line in Sweden today. However, the term is still used for certain routes. The concept related to the state main lines is of little importance after private and municipal railways were nationalized. The current names of the Swedish routes were determined by Banverket in 1990 and are no longer based on the original or historical name.

For example, Södra stambanan was a main route from Malmö via Nässjö to Falköping from the start , where it joined Sweden's first main route, Västra stambanan . The route Nässjö– Katrineholm was later built as Östra stambanan . Gradually, however, the entire Malmö – Nässjö – Katrineholm route (where it connected to Västra stambanan ) was called that, which was confirmed by the naming by Banverket in 1990. The section Nässjö – Falköping was named Jönköpingsbanan .

The route ( Stockholm C -) Uppsala - Krylbo - Ockelbo - Ljusdal - Ånge was named Norra stambanan , but now the name is used for the route through Gävle instead of Krylbo for the section between Uppsala and Ockelbo.

In 2012 the government decided to extend the main route through the Ostlänken , part of the planned Götalandsbanan .

Name (swedish)	route
Västra stambanan	Stockholm - Katrineholm - Hallsberg - Skövde - Gothenburg
Södra stambanan	Katrineholm - Norrköping - Linköping - Nässjö - Sävsjö - Alvesta - Hässleholm - Malmö , formerly known as Östra stambanan between Katrineholm - Nässjö , Falköping - Jönköping - Nässjö , formerly known as Södra stambanan , now Jönköpingsbanan
Norra stambanan	Gävle - Ockelbo - Bollnäs - Ljusdal - Ånge
Stambanan genom övre Norrland	Bräcke - Långsele - Vännäs - Boden
Nordvästra stambanan	Laxå - Karlstad - Kil - Charlottenberg , now known as Värmlandsbanan

Stammbahnen in Norway

In Norway, Stammbahnen is used to denote inner-Norwegian long-distance railways between the " parts of the country " ( Norwegian Landsdel ).

Name (norwegian)	route	opened
Rørosbanen	Hamar - Røros - Trondheim	1877 "between the areas" built in 1880 between Trondheim and Christiania completed
Bergensbanen	Oslo - Bergen	Completed in 1909
Dovrebanen	Oslo – Trondheim	Completed in 1921
Sørlandsbanen	Oslo– Stavanger	Completed in 1938 from Oslo to Kristiansand , extended to Stavanger in 1944
Nordlandsbanen	Bodø – Trondheim	Completed in 1940 between Trondheim and Mosjøen , extended to Mo i Rana in 1942 , to Fauske in 1958 and to Bodø in 1962

Main railways in Finland

The main line in Finland is the route from Helsinki via Tampere , Seinäjoki and Kokkola to Oulu and further north. At the end of the 1800s there were also the routes Kotka - Kuopio - Joensuu - Vyborg and Helsinki - St. Petersburg trunk lines.