Citybanan
Encyclopedia
The Stockholm City Line is a railway
tunnel
under construction beneath central Stockholm
in Sweden
which will be used by the Stockholm Commuter Rail
. The line will be 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) long, double track
and electrified
. It will have two stations: Stockholm City Station
will be located directly below T-Centralen
, the central station of the Stockholm Metro
. Stockholm Odenplan Station will be the other station, and will be located next to the Odenplan metro station
. The line is scheduled to enter service in 2017.
, the same number that were in place in 1871 when the railway was originally built. It has 24 scheduled trains per hour in each direction. The commuter trains pass Stockholm with up to 16 trains per hour per direction. The other eight are regional and long-distance trains. The tunnel will take all commuter trains, allowing more regional and intercity trains to operate along the old line.
Placing the commuter rail traffic into a tunnel of its own will thus allow increased capacity for other national rail traffic through Central Station. The entire system for long-distance passenger railways in Sweden suffers from this bottleneck, since 80% of train rides in Sweden start or stop in Stockholm http://www.banverket.se/sv/Amnen/Aktuella-projekt/Projekt/1867/Citybanan-i-Stockholm/Nyheter/2008/Avtal-mellan-staten-och-regionerna-sakrar-Citybanans-finansiering.aspx. As a result, there is no room to increase the frequency of commuter, regional, and long-distance trains despite their heavy usage.
Seen from south to north, the route of the Citybanan tunnel will branch off the Connection Line after Stockholm South Station
station on Södermalm
, and continue beneath the bay bottom of Riddarfjärden
at Söderström, beneath the islet of Riddarholmen
, beneath Riddarfjärden at Norrström
, to the new City Station. From there, it will continue beneath Norrmalm to Odenplan Station, then beneath Vasastaden
to join with the Northern Main Line at Tomteboda
.
on the financing of the project, and the last step in the planning process was scheduled for 2006–2007. The cost of the tunnel and stations is estimated to 16.3 billion Swedish kronor.
The new Alliance government
in Sweden, after the general elections of 2006, did however put the project in question. Representatives of the government announced on October 1 of that year that they were scrapping Citybanan in favor of building a third railway track through the city. In December 2006, however, the government's appointed expert, after a renewed assessment of the project, recommended building the tunnel. In May 2007 the government finally decided to build the tunnel. Ground works and the construction of work tunnels has begun.
Coordinates:
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
under construction beneath central Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
which will be used by the Stockholm Commuter Rail
Stockholm commuter rail
Stockholm Commuter Rail is the commuter rail system in Stockholm County, Sweden. The system is an important part of the public transport in Stockholm, and is controlled by Stockholm Transport; the trains are operated under contract by Stockholmståg...
. The line will be 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) long, double track
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
and electrified
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
. It will have two stations: Stockholm City Station
Stockholm City Station
Stockholm City Station is a railway station which is under construction in downtown Stockholm, Sweden. Scheduled to open in 2017, the station is located on the Stockholm City Line and will be located directly below T-Centralen, the central station of the Stockholm Metro, and with interchange with...
will be located directly below T-Centralen
T-Centralen
T-Centralen is a metro station that forms the heart of the Stockholm Metro system, in the sense that it is the only station where all three of the system's lines meet...
, the central station of the Stockholm Metro
Stockholm Metro
The Stockholm Metro is a metro system in Stockholm, Sweden. The first line opened in 1950, and today the system has 100 stations in use, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground. There are seven lines numbered from 10 to 19, in three groups identified by a color: the Green, Red and Blue lines...
. Stockholm Odenplan Station will be the other station, and will be located next to the Odenplan metro station
Odenplan metro station
Odenplan metro station is a station on the green line of the Stockholm Metro, located by Odenplan in Vasastaden, central Stockholm. The station was inaugurated on October 26, 1952. The distance to Slussen is 3.4 km.-External links:*...
. The line is scheduled to enter service in 2017.
Route
The tunnel will significantly improve the traffic throughput to and from south of Stockholm as there are only two tracks in that direction from Stockholm Central StationStockholm Central Station
Stockholm Central Station is the largest railway station in Sweden. The station is situated in the district of Norrmalm at Vasagatan/Central Plan. Opened July 18, 1871, the station is the largest in Sweden, with over 200,000 visitors daily...
, the same number that were in place in 1871 when the railway was originally built. It has 24 scheduled trains per hour in each direction. The commuter trains pass Stockholm with up to 16 trains per hour per direction. The other eight are regional and long-distance trains. The tunnel will take all commuter trains, allowing more regional and intercity trains to operate along the old line.
Placing the commuter rail traffic into a tunnel of its own will thus allow increased capacity for other national rail traffic through Central Station. The entire system for long-distance passenger railways in Sweden suffers from this bottleneck, since 80% of train rides in Sweden start or stop in Stockholm http://www.banverket.se/sv/Amnen/Aktuella-projekt/Projekt/1867/Citybanan-i-Stockholm/Nyheter/2008/Avtal-mellan-staten-och-regionerna-sakrar-Citybanans-finansiering.aspx. As a result, there is no room to increase the frequency of commuter, regional, and long-distance trains despite their heavy usage.
Seen from south to north, the route of the Citybanan tunnel will branch off the Connection Line after Stockholm South Station
Stockholms södra
Stockholms södra or Södra Station is a railway station in Stockholm. The Stockholms södra railway station was originally opened in the year 1860, and was the northern terminus the Västra Stambanan railway line until the construction of Stockholm Central Station...
station on Södermalm
Södermalm
Södermalm, often shortened to "Söder", is a district in central Stockholm. It covers the large island formerly called "Åsön". With a population of 99,685, it is one of the most densely populated districts of Scandinavia...
, and continue beneath the bay bottom of Riddarfjärden
Riddarfjärden
Riddarfjärden, literally the Knight Firth, is a bay of Lake Mälaren in central Stockholm. Stockholm was founded in 1252 on an island in the stream where Lake Mälaren drains into the Baltic Sea . The island is today called Stadsholmen and constitutes Stockholm's Old Town...
at Söderström, beneath the islet of Riddarholmen
Riddarholmen
Riddarholmen is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating from the 17th century...
, beneath Riddarfjärden at Norrström
Norrström
Norrström in central Stockholm connects Lake Mälaren with the Baltic Sea. It runs from Riddarfjärden, north of Gamla stan, to Saltsjön. Two islands lie within it, Strömsborg and Helgeandsholmen. It is one of two natural waterways between Mälaren and the Baltic sea, the other being Söderström south...
, to the new City Station. From there, it will continue beneath Norrmalm to Odenplan Station, then beneath Vasastaden
Vasastaden, Stockholm
Vasastaden, or colloquially Vasastan, is a 3.00 km² large city district in central Stockholm, Sweden. With 51,661 inhabitants it is the second most populous, as well as the second most densely populated district in Stockholm.The major parks in Vasastaden are Vasaparken and Observatorielunden...
to join with the Northern Main Line at Tomteboda
Tomteboda
Tomteboda is a place in northern Stockholm, Sweden known for its post terminal and its shunting yard. A new railway tunnel for commuters is planned between Stockholms södra station and Tomteboda.- External links :...
.
History
The project was proposed by the Swedish State Railways in 1988 and has, after initially being disregarded as too expensive, been seriously considered since 2002. In 2006, the Swedish Rail Administration agreed with the city and Storstockholms LokaltrafikStorstockholms Lokaltrafik
Storstockholms Lokaltrafik AB, , commonly referred to as SL, is the organisation running all of the land based public transport systems in Stockholm County....
on the financing of the project, and the last step in the planning process was scheduled for 2006–2007. The cost of the tunnel and stations is estimated to 16.3 billion Swedish kronor.
The new Alliance government
Alliance for Sweden
The Alliance , formerly Alliance for Sweden , is a political alliance in Sweden. It consists of the four centre-right parties in the Riksdag...
in Sweden, after the general elections of 2006, did however put the project in question. Representatives of the government announced on October 1 of that year that they were scrapping Citybanan in favor of building a third railway track through the city. In December 2006, however, the government's appointed expert, after a renewed assessment of the project, recommended building the tunnel. In May 2007 the government finally decided to build the tunnel. Ground works and the construction of work tunnels has begun.
Coordinates:
- Southern tunnel entrance: 59.315052°N 18.067773°W
- Northern tunnel entrance: 59.349252°N 18.019209°W