Malmbanan
Encyclopedia
The Iron Ore Line is a 398 kilometres (247.3 mi) long railway line between Riksgränsen
and Boden
in Norrbotten County
, Sweden
. The line contains two branches, from Kiruna
to Svappavaara
and from Gällivare
to Koskullskulle
. The term is often colloquially used to also include the Ofoten Line, from Riksgränsen
to Narvik
in Norway
, and the northernmost part of the Main Line Through Upper Norrland from Boden to Luleå
. The railway from Narvik to Luleå is 473 kilometres (293.9 mi) long.
The line is dominated by the 8600 tonnes (8,464.2 LT) ore freight trains operated by LKAB
's subsidiary Malmtrafik
from their mines to the Port of Narvik and the Port of Luleå. In addition, SJ
operates passenger trains and CargoNet
operates container freight trains. The Iron Ore Line is single track
, electrified
at and has a permitted axle load of 30 tonnes (29.5 LT). The Swedish part of the line is the northernmost railway in Sweden and in the whole of the European Union
.
The first section of the line, from Gällivare to Luleå, opened in 1888. By 1899, the line was extended to Kiruna, and from 1903, all the way to Narvik. Electrification took place between 1915 and 1923. Operations of the ore trains was taken over by Malmtrafik from SJ in 1996.
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LKAB operates iron ore mines in Kiruna, Svappavaara and Malmberget in Norrbotten County
, Sweden. Most of the output is transported by rail to the ice-free Port of Narvik, a route named the Northern Circuit. A minority of the ore is transported to Luleå on the Southern Circuit. Located on the Baltic Sea, ore is shipped to Baltic customers, or delivered to furnaces operated by SSAB
in Luleå and Oxelösund
. The Ore and Ofoten Lines are 536 kilometres (333.1 mi) long, including the branch to Svappavaara, with the route from Kiruna to Narvik being 170 kilometres (105.6 mi), and from Malmberget to Luleå being 220 kilometres (136.7 mi). Operations are handled by LKAB's subsidiary Malmtrafik i Kiruna (MTAB) in Sweden, and Malmtrafikk (MTAS) in Norway. Daily there operate 11 to 13 trains in each direction on the Norther Circuit, and five to six trains on the Southern Circuit.
The trains hauled by Iore are 68 cars long and weigh 8600 tonnes (8,464.2 LT). From Riksgränsen on the national border to the Port of Narvik, the trains use only a fifth of the power they regenerate. The regenerated energy is sufficient to power the empty trains back up to the national border. Although the trains and hopper cars are all owned by LKAB, the line is owned by the Swedish Transport Administration and the Norwegian National Rail Administration. The Ore and Ofoten Lines are also used by passenger and container trains.
CargoNet
operates two daily container trains from Alnabru Terminal in Oslo
, Norway, named the Arctic Rail Express (ARE). The trains operate via Sweden and take 27 hours. The trains haul mostly food northbound and fish southbound along a distance of 1950 kilometres (1,211.7 mi). DB Schenker
launched a competing service in January 2011. There is about 0.5 million tonnes of non-ore freight transport on the Ofoten Line each year.
SJ operates three daily trains from Narvik to Kiruna Central Station
, of which two continue onwards, either to Luleå Central Station
or Stockholm Central Station
. Trains to Stockholm are night train
s. Travel time from Narvik to Kiruna is 3 hours and 1 minute, travel time to Luleå is 7 hours and 4 minutes, and travel time to Stockholm is 18 hours and 25 minutes.
In 1847, a concession
was granted to build a railway from the mines at Gällivare to Töre
in the Gulf of Bothnia
. The line was never built, and in 1882 a new concession from granted to an English company, who between 1884 and 1888 built a railway from Malmberget to the port at Svartön in Luleå. However, the line was built with an inadequate standard, and the mining company lacked sufficient funds to finance the upgrades. In 1891, the line was nationalized and taken over by the Swedish State Railways.
In 1890, Luossavaara–Kiirunavaara AB was established to start mining in Kiruna
. By 1899, a railway had been built from Kiruna to Gällivare. In 1898, the Parliament of Sweden
passed legislation to build a railway from Kiruna to Narvik in Norway. The line was completed in November 1902 and was officially opened on 14 July 1903 by King Oscar II
. To begin with, the line used two or three conventional steam locomotives for each ore train. Later dedicated ore-hauling steam locomotives were introduced.
In 1915, the section from Riksgränsen to Kiruna was finished electrified, with the rest of the line electrified in 1922. The first electric locomotives were Oa, and allowed trains weighing 1900 tonnes (1,870 LT). In the 1950s, SJ introduced the Dm locomotives, which could haul a 3000 tonnes (2,952.6 LT) train. By the 1960s, the Dm had been rebuilt two Dm3, which consisted of a new center section. In combination of upgrades to 25 tonnes (24.6 LT) maximum permitted axle load, this gave a maximum train weight of 5000 tonnes (4,921 LT).
In 1964, the branch from Kiruna to Svappavaara was opened, allowing LKAB to exploit mining there, although this was again closed in 1983. In 1990, a tunnel opened under Nuolja between Abisko and Björkliden. Passenger trains were essential for the region until 1984, when European Route E10
was constructed between Kiruna and Narvik.
(NOK) per tonne kilometer in Norway, while comparable rates abroad were between SEK 0.03 and 0.10 per tonne kilometer. While SJ had several times during the 1980s agreed to reduce their rates, NSB had not offered the same, and was making a profit of NOK 60 to 70 million per year. LKAB stated that they, by taking over operations themselves, could save SEK&nsbp;200 million per year. In addition, they stated that they could save between SEK 50 to 100 million in auxiliary fields. LKAB had sent an application to Swedish authorities for permission to take over operations, and had received positive feedback from SJ. NSB, on the other hand, did not support a solution where they did not operate the trains themselves. LKAB stated that if an agreement with NSB could not be reached, they would shift all their transport to the Port of Luleå.
In February 1992, a report ordered by Kiruna Municipality
recommended that LKAB, SJ and NSB create a common company to operate the ore trains. At the same time, SJ stated that the consequence of LKAB taking over operation could be that passenger trains on the lines would be terminated. In April 1992, LKAB was awarded traffic rights by the Swedish Rail Administration. There was a disagreement as to whether the agency had the authority to do this, and SJ stated that it was only the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications
who had the authority to award traffic rights on the stem lines, in particular along the Main Line in Upper Norrland. The rights also did not effect the Ofoten Line.
The following day, SJ and NSB stated that they were considering establishing a joint venture that would take over the operations of the ore trains. In May, LKAB stated that Norway would, through its membership in the European Economic Area
, be required to allow any train operator to run trains on a line, while this was rejected by NSB who stated that this only applied within the European Union
, of which Norway was not a member. By August, SJ and NSB had offered to reduce the price from SEK 650 million to 450 million, but LKAB stated that they believed it was possible to reduce the costs further.
In October the Swedish Ministry of Communications gave the final permission for LKAB to take over operations in their own right. On 26 October, SJ and NSB signed a new five-year contract with LKAB where the latter would purchase transport services from the two state railway. The annual price had then been reduced from SEK 650 to 400 million. Political commentators stated that the agreement allowed LKAB to keep all the profit in the line and introduce new cost savings, while SJ and NSB kept face by keeping the operating contract. The price reduction would mean that both NSB and SJ would have to lay off employees.
In 1993, the state railways were losing money on the ore trains. In January 1994, SJ and NSB stated that they were going to merge the operations of the Iron Ore Line and the Ofoten Line. In May 1994, LKAB applied for traffic rights on the Ofoten Line. This was rejected in December by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications, who stated that the company did not meet the criteria in the law, including that the applicant had to have rail transport as their main activity. On 8 June , LKAB established a Swedish and a Norwegian subsidiary dedicated to rail transport. This would bypass the rationale provided by the Ministry of Transport in denying them traffic rights, and LKAB stated that there was no way the Norwegian authorities now could deny them such rights, given EU Directive 91/440
.
On 27 June , LKAB, SJ and NSB reached an agreement where the three would establish a joint venture owned 51% by LKAB and 24.5% each by NSB and SJ. At the time there were 350 employees in the three companies involved in the transport, and the new company would recruit its employees among these, although it would need significantly fewer employees. The plans called for the new companies taking over operations from 1 January 1996. In late January, the committee concluded that LKAB met the criteria to receive traffic rights. The report also showed that 55 jobs would be lost in Narvik and that the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate
had concerns regarding the safety of LKAB's operations.
The labor unions protested after LKAB demanded that the employees switch union from Swedish Union for Service and Communications Employees
to the Swedish Metalworkers Union. This was rejected by the workers, who would both have to reduce their pay and work five more years before retirement. On 28 May, 22 train drivers, all Swedish, took out sick leave in protest towards being forced to switch labor union and receive lower wages and worse pension rights. This caused a third of the ore trains to be canceled. On 28 June , the transfer of operations was finalized following a vote in the Parliament of Norway.
Malmtrafik took over operations from 1 July. The company bought the Dm3-locomotives from SJ, NSB's six El 15 locomotives, and a number of workshops, depots and shunters. Post-nationalization, it became the first private railway company in Europe to haul international freight trains. from 26 September to 27 October, 200 employees in Narvik were on strike regarding the transition rules for employees. While the strike lasted, there was increased shipments to Luleå. In November, the new ore port in Luleå opened, having cost LKAB more than half a billion Swedish krone and a capacity of six million tonnes of ore per year.
In 1998, LKAB estimated a gradual 35% increase in production until 2005, and demanded that the track owners grant sufficient funding to upgrade the lines from 25 tonnes (24.6 LT) to 30 tonnes (29.5 LT) maximum permitted axle load. Combined with new locomotives, this would give increased efficiency in hauling the ore. The upgrade for the Ofoten Line would cost 180 million Norwegian krone
, and would allow LKAB to increase the train weight from 4100 to 8600 t (4,035.2 to 8,464.2 ). In addition, heavier trains would have to be longer, so sufficient passing loop
s would have to be upgraded to 790 metres (2,591.9 ft).
In March, LKAB awarded the contract to build 750 new 100-tonne hopper car
s to Transnet
of South Africa, after among others Norsk Verkstedindustri had been considered. In August, an agreement was reached whereby LKAB would pay for NOK 100 million of the NOK 130 million needed to upgrade the Ofoten Line. The contract to deliver 18 Iore locomotives was signed with Bombardier on 15 September 1998. LKAB bough SJ and NSB's share of MTAB in 1999, making MTAB a subsidiary.
The first twin unit locomotive was delivered in 2000, and serial delivery was made from 2002 to 2004. In March 2004, LKAB decided to not purchase the option for additional hopper cars from Transnet, and instead purchase 750 heavier cars from K-Industrier. Since 1969 the ore trains have been using the Soviet SA3 coupler
. However, LKAB decided that these were not sufficiently strong for the new trains and decided that the Iore locomotives and the new hopper cars were to be delivered with Janney coupler
s (also known as AAR coupler). While the first pair of locomotives had a Janney couplers, the rest of the first batch were equipped with SA3 couplers to handle the existing hopper cars, and later retrofitted with Janney couplers. In 2003, the Iron Ore Line from Kiruna to Riskgränsen and the Ofoten Line were finished upgraded to 30 tonne axle load, allowing half the trains to operate with maximum capacity.
The Northern East West Freight Corridor
is an initiative by the International Union of Railways
aiming to establish a freight corridor from the Far East to North America. The route would use the Ofoten Line and transship from rail to ship at Narvik. The main report for the project was made in 2004, but since there had been limited funding for the project.
On 23 August 2007, LKAB ordered another four twin units, with delivery in 2010 and 2011, and costing €52 million. This will replace all remaining Dm3. After delivery, six locomotives are used from Kiruna to Luleå, and twenty are used from Kiruna to Narvik. By 2009, sufficient passing loops had been built along the whole line from Narvik to Luleå to allow all trains to operate with full capacity. By 2011, LKAB's will be able to replace all the Dm3, and convert all the coal trains to 68 cars. This will increase the capacity from 28 to 33 million tonnes per year, and at the same time reduce the number of departures per day from 21 to 15.
s in Sweden and later powerful electric locomotives, the most famous being the Dm+Dm3+Dm that today are being replaced with modern Iore
locomotives after serving on the line for over 40 years.
Apart from special locomotives, the iron ore trains have some special equipment to allow the high train weights, higher than anywhere else in Scandinavia, and probably anywhere in the European Union
. They use special brakes and SA3 coupler
s instead of the screw couplings otherwise standard in Sweden. After extension of passing loop
s to 750 m in 2008 and 2009, the trains will have 68 cars, weighing 8600 tonnes including the locomotive, with 6800 tonnes of iron ore.
The railway also has passenger trains (traditional railcars) and normal freight trains, for example with consumer goods to northern Norway or fish export from there. These trains use normal locomotives like the SJ Rc.
Riksgränsen
Riksgränsen, The National Border in Swedish, is a ski-resort in Kiruna Municipality, Lappland, Sweden, 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. The skiing season is from February to June...
and Boden
Boden, Sweden
Boden is a locality and the seat of Boden Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 18,680 inhabitants in 2005.- History :The town of Boden started as a railway junction where the Northern Line met with the Ore Line from the rich iron ore fields in northern Sweden.The town experienced...
in Norrbotten County
Norrbotten County
Norrbotten County is the northernmost county or län of Sweden. It borders Västerbotten County to the southwest, the Gulf of Bothnia to the southeast. It also borders the counties of Nordland and Troms in Norway to the northwest, and Lapland Province in Finland to the northeast.The name...
, 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....
. The line contains two branches, from Kiruna
Kiruna
Kiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is the seat of Kiruna Municipality Kiruna (Northern Sami: Giron, Finnish: Kiiruna) is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is...
to Svappavaara
Svappavaara
Svappavaara is a locality situated in Kiruna Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 394 inhabitants in 2005. It is a mining village and the mine was closed in 1983, but enrichment of iron ore from the mine at Kiruna is still going on...
and from Gällivare
Gällivare
Gällivare is a locality and the seat of Gällivare Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 8,480 inhabitants in 2005. The town was founded in the 17th century...
to Koskullskulle
Koskullskulle
Koskullskulle is a locality situated in Gällivare Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 899 inhabitants in 2005.It was founded in 1898 when iron ore was discovered. The village got its name from Georg Adolf Koskull who was governor of Norrbotten County 1816-1821.The iron ore mine situated...
. The term is often colloquially used to also include the Ofoten Line, from Riksgränsen
Riksgränsen
Riksgränsen, The National Border in Swedish, is a ski-resort in Kiruna Municipality, Lappland, Sweden, 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. The skiing season is from February to June...
to Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, and the northernmost part of the Main Line Through Upper Norrland from Boden to Luleå
Luleå
- Transportation :Local buses are run by .A passenger train service is available from Luleå Centralstation on Sweden's national SJ railway service northbound to Narvik on the Norwegian coast, or southbound to Stockholm. See Rail transport in Sweden....
. The railway from Narvik to Luleå is 473 kilometres (293.9 mi) long.
The line is dominated by the 8600 tonnes (8,464.2 LT) ore freight trains operated by LKAB
LKAB
LKAB is a Swedish mining company. The company mines iron ore at Kiruna and at Malmberget in northern Sweden. The company was established in 1890, and has been 100% state-owned since the 1950s...
's subsidiary Malmtrafik
Malmtrafik
Malmtrafik i Kiruna AB or MTAB is a Swedish railway company which operates the iron ore freight trains on the Ore Line and the Ofoten Line. MTAB is a wholly owned subsidiary of the mining company Luossavaara–Kiirunavaara . In Norway, operations are handled by the subsidiary Malmtrafikk AS...
from their mines to the Port of Narvik and the Port of Luleå. In addition, SJ
SJ AB
SJ is a government-owned passenger train operator in Sweden. SJ was created in 2000, out of the public transport division of Statens Järnvägar, when the former government agency was divided into six separate government-owned limited companies.-Overview:SJ's operations fall broadly into subsidised...
operates passenger trains and CargoNet
CargoNet
CargoNet AS is the primary operator of freight trains on the Norwegian railway system. It was formed as NSB Gods after NSB fissioned into a passenger and a freight company. NSB Gods changed its name to CargoNet at the beginning of 2002. It is owned by NSB and the Swedish freight company Green Cargo...
operates container freight trains. The Iron Ore Line is single track
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
, 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...
at and has a permitted axle load of 30 tonnes (29.5 LT). The Swedish part of the line is the northernmost railway in Sweden and in the whole of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
The first section of the line, from Gällivare to Luleå, opened in 1888. By 1899, the line was extended to Kiruna, and from 1903, all the way to Narvik. Electrification took place between 1915 and 1923. Operations of the ore trains was taken over by Malmtrafik from SJ in 1996.
Operations
Norrbotten County
Norrbotten County is the northernmost county or län of Sweden. It borders Västerbotten County to the southwest, the Gulf of Bothnia to the southeast. It also borders the counties of Nordland and Troms in Norway to the northwest, and Lapland Province in Finland to the northeast.The name...
, Sweden. Most of the output is transported by rail to the ice-free Port of Narvik, a route named the Northern Circuit. A minority of the ore is transported to Luleå on the Southern Circuit. Located on the Baltic Sea, ore is shipped to Baltic customers, or delivered to furnaces operated by SSAB
SSAB
SSAB Swedish Steel AB , or simply SSAB is a Swedish company, formed in 1978 and specialised in processing raw material to steel. Industrivärden is the largest shareholder.-Swedish operations:...
in Luleå and Oxelösund
Oxelösund
Oxelösund is a locality and the seat of Oxelösund Municipality in Södermanland County, Sweden with 10,843 inhabitants in 2005.- History :The harbour at Oxelösund has been used for at least 500 years. In the 19th century, an increased extraction from the Mining district of Central Sweden , made...
. The Ore and Ofoten Lines are 536 kilometres (333.1 mi) long, including the branch to Svappavaara, with the route from Kiruna to Narvik being 170 kilometres (105.6 mi), and from Malmberget to Luleå being 220 kilometres (136.7 mi). Operations are handled by LKAB's subsidiary Malmtrafik i Kiruna (MTAB) in Sweden, and Malmtrafikk (MTAS) in Norway. Daily there operate 11 to 13 trains in each direction on the Norther Circuit, and five to six trains on the Southern Circuit.
The trains hauled by Iore are 68 cars long and weigh 8600 tonnes (8,464.2 LT). From Riksgränsen on the national border to the Port of Narvik, the trains use only a fifth of the power they regenerate. The regenerated energy is sufficient to power the empty trains back up to the national border. Although the trains and hopper cars are all owned by LKAB, the line is owned by the Swedish Transport Administration and the Norwegian National Rail Administration. The Ore and Ofoten Lines are also used by passenger and container trains.
CargoNet
CargoNet
CargoNet AS is the primary operator of freight trains on the Norwegian railway system. It was formed as NSB Gods after NSB fissioned into a passenger and a freight company. NSB Gods changed its name to CargoNet at the beginning of 2002. It is owned by NSB and the Swedish freight company Green Cargo...
operates two daily container trains from Alnabru Terminal in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway, named the Arctic Rail Express (ARE). The trains operate via Sweden and take 27 hours. The trains haul mostly food northbound and fish southbound along a distance of 1950 kilometres (1,211.7 mi). DB Schenker
DB Schenker
DB Schenker is a logistics company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG. The company, created by reorganisation and rebranding of various Deutsche Bahn subsidiaries, comprises a logistics division encompassing air, land and sea freight, and a rail division made up from a variety of...
launched a competing service in January 2011. There is about 0.5 million tonnes of non-ore freight transport on the Ofoten Line each year.
SJ operates three daily trains from Narvik to Kiruna Central Station
Kiruna Central Station
Kiruna Central Station is a railway station located on the Iron Ore Line in Kiruna, Sweden. The station is served by up to three daily services northwards on the Iron Ore Line to Narvik Station in Norway. Southwards, the station is served by two daily services to Luleå Central Station and...
, of which two continue onwards, either to Luleå Central Station
Luleå Central Station
Luleå Central Station or Luleå C is a railway station located on the Main Line Through Upper Norrland in Luleå, Sweden. The station is owned by Jernhusen and is the terminal of the line....
or Stockholm Central Station
Stockholm 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...
. Trains to Stockholm are night train
Night Train
Night Train or Nightrain may refer to:*Night train, a train that runs at night, see sleeping car.-Music:*Night Train , an Australian rock bandAlbums*Night Train , an album by the Oscar Peterson Trio...
s. Travel time from Narvik to Kiruna is 3 hours and 1 minute, travel time to Luleå is 7 hours and 4 minutes, and travel time to Stockholm is 18 hours and 25 minutes.
History
Concession (contract)
A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...
was granted to build a railway from the mines at Gällivare to Töre
Töre
Töre is a locality situated in Kalix Municipality, Norrbotten County, Sweden with 1,146 inhabitants in 2005.Its harbour is the northernmost of the Bothnian Bay that is accessible to commercial vessels. The European route E10 passes through Töre.- References :...
in the Gulf of Bothnia
Gulf of Bothnia
The Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It is situated between Finland's west coast and Sweden's east coast. In the south of the gulf lie the Åland Islands, between the Sea of Åland and the Archipelago Sea.-Name:...
. The line was never built, and in 1882 a new concession from granted to an English company, who between 1884 and 1888 built a railway from Malmberget to the port at Svartön in Luleå. However, the line was built with an inadequate standard, and the mining company lacked sufficient funds to finance the upgrades. In 1891, the line was nationalized and taken over by the Swedish State Railways.
In 1890, Luossavaara–Kiirunavaara AB was established to start mining in Kiruna
Kiruna
Kiruna is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is the seat of Kiruna Municipality Kiruna (Northern Sami: Giron, Finnish: Kiiruna) is the northernmost city in Sweden, situated in Lapland province, with 18,154 inhabitants in 2005. It is...
. By 1899, a railway had been built from Kiruna to Gällivare. In 1898, the Parliament of Sweden
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
passed legislation to build a railway from Kiruna to Narvik in Norway. The line was completed in November 1902 and was officially opened on 14 July 1903 by King Oscar II
Oscar II of Sweden
Oscar II , baptised Oscar Fredrik was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death and King of Norway from 1872 until 1905. The third son of King Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, he was a descendant of Gustav I of Sweden through his mother.-Early life:At his birth in Stockholm, Oscar...
. To begin with, the line used two or three conventional steam locomotives for each ore train. Later dedicated ore-hauling steam locomotives were introduced.
In 1915, the section from Riksgränsen to Kiruna was finished electrified, with the rest of the line electrified in 1922. The first electric locomotives were Oa, and allowed trains weighing 1900 tonnes (1,870 LT). In the 1950s, SJ introduced the Dm locomotives, which could haul a 3000 tonnes (2,952.6 LT) train. By the 1960s, the Dm had been rebuilt two Dm3, which consisted of a new center section. In combination of upgrades to 25 tonnes (24.6 LT) maximum permitted axle load, this gave a maximum train weight of 5000 tonnes (4,921 LT).
In 1964, the branch from Kiruna to Svappavaara was opened, allowing LKAB to exploit mining there, although this was again closed in 1983. In 1990, a tunnel opened under Nuolja between Abisko and Björkliden. Passenger trains were essential for the region until 1984, when European Route E10
European route E10
European route E 10 is a road part of the International E-road network. It begins in Å, Norway and ends in Luleå, Sweden. The road is about 850 km in length...
was constructed between Kiruna and Narvik.
Establishment of Malmtrafik
In December 1991, LKAB stated that they wanted to take over the operation of the ore trains from NSB and SJ. At the time, they were paying 0.15 Swedish krone (SEK) per tonne kilometer in Sweden and 0.30 Norwegian kroneNorwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
(NOK) per tonne kilometer in Norway, while comparable rates abroad were between SEK 0.03 and 0.10 per tonne kilometer. While SJ had several times during the 1980s agreed to reduce their rates, NSB had not offered the same, and was making a profit of NOK 60 to 70 million per year. LKAB stated that they, by taking over operations themselves, could save SEK&nsbp;200 million per year. In addition, they stated that they could save between SEK 50 to 100 million in auxiliary fields. LKAB had sent an application to Swedish authorities for permission to take over operations, and had received positive feedback from SJ. NSB, on the other hand, did not support a solution where they did not operate the trains themselves. LKAB stated that if an agreement with NSB could not be reached, they would shift all their transport to the Port of Luleå.
In February 1992, a report ordered by Kiruna Municipality
Kiruna Municipality
Kiruna Municipality is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northernmost Sweden. Its seat is located in Kiruna...
recommended that LKAB, SJ and NSB create a common company to operate the ore trains. At the same time, SJ stated that the consequence of LKAB taking over operation could be that passenger trains on the lines would be terminated. In April 1992, LKAB was awarded traffic rights by the Swedish Rail Administration. There was a disagreement as to whether the agency had the authority to do this, and SJ stated that it was only the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications
Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications (Sweden)
The Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications is a ministry within the government of Sweden. Its areas of responsibility include business development and competition, electronic communications, energy, forestry, information technology , postal communications and cashier service, primary...
who had the authority to award traffic rights on the stem lines, in particular along the Main Line in Upper Norrland. The rights also did not effect the Ofoten Line.
The following day, SJ and NSB stated that they were considering establishing a joint venture that would take over the operations of the ore trains. In May, LKAB stated that Norway would, through its membership in the European Economic Area
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
, be required to allow any train operator to run trains on a line, while this was rejected by NSB who stated that this only applied within the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, of which Norway was not a member. By August, SJ and NSB had offered to reduce the price from SEK 650 million to 450 million, but LKAB stated that they believed it was possible to reduce the costs further.
In October the Swedish Ministry of Communications gave the final permission for LKAB to take over operations in their own right. On 26 October, SJ and NSB signed a new five-year contract with LKAB where the latter would purchase transport services from the two state railway. The annual price had then been reduced from SEK 650 to 400 million. Political commentators stated that the agreement allowed LKAB to keep all the profit in the line and introduce new cost savings, while SJ and NSB kept face by keeping the operating contract. The price reduction would mean that both NSB and SJ would have to lay off employees.
In 1993, the state railways were losing money on the ore trains. In January 1994, SJ and NSB stated that they were going to merge the operations of the Iron Ore Line and the Ofoten Line. In May 1994, LKAB applied for traffic rights on the Ofoten Line. This was rejected in December by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications, who stated that the company did not meet the criteria in the law, including that the applicant had to have rail transport as their main activity. On 8 June , LKAB established a Swedish and a Norwegian subsidiary dedicated to rail transport. This would bypass the rationale provided by the Ministry of Transport in denying them traffic rights, and LKAB stated that there was no way the Norwegian authorities now could deny them such rights, given EU Directive 91/440
EU Directive 91/440
The EU Directive 91/440 is European Union legislation that sets out a framework and requirements for railways in the EU to allow open access operations on railway lines by companies other than those that own the rail infrastructure...
.
On 27 June , LKAB, SJ and NSB reached an agreement where the three would establish a joint venture owned 51% by LKAB and 24.5% each by NSB and SJ. At the time there were 350 employees in the three companies involved in the transport, and the new company would recruit its employees among these, although it would need significantly fewer employees. The plans called for the new companies taking over operations from 1 January 1996. In late January, the committee concluded that LKAB met the criteria to receive traffic rights. The report also showed that 55 jobs would be lost in Narvik and that the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate
Norwegian Railway Inspectorate
The Norwegian Railway Inspectorate is a Norwegian government agency responsible for control and supervision of rail transport in Norway, including railways, tramways, rapid transits, heritage railways and side tracks....
had concerns regarding the safety of LKAB's operations.
The labor unions protested after LKAB demanded that the employees switch union from Swedish Union for Service and Communications Employees
Swedish Union for Service and Communications Employees
-External links:* official site.* official site....
to the Swedish Metalworkers Union. This was rejected by the workers, who would both have to reduce their pay and work five more years before retirement. On 28 May, 22 train drivers, all Swedish, took out sick leave in protest towards being forced to switch labor union and receive lower wages and worse pension rights. This caused a third of the ore trains to be canceled. On 28 June , the transfer of operations was finalized following a vote in the Parliament of Norway.
Heavier trains
In 1998, LKAB estimated a gradual 35% increase in production until 2005, and demanded that the track owners grant sufficient funding to upgrade the lines from 25 tonnes (24.6 LT) to 30 tonnes (29.5 LT) maximum permitted axle load. Combined with new locomotives, this would give increased efficiency in hauling the ore. The upgrade for the Ofoten Line would cost 180 million Norwegian krone
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
, and would allow LKAB to increase the train weight from 4100 to 8600 t (4,035.2 to 8,464.2 ). In addition, heavier trains would have to be longer, so sufficient passing loop
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
s would have to be upgraded to 790 metres (2,591.9 ft).
In March, LKAB awarded the contract to build 750 new 100-tonne hopper car
Hopper car
A hopper car is a type of railroad freight car used to transport loose bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, track ballast, and the like. The name originated from the coke manufacturing industry which is part of the steel industry ....
s to Transnet
Transnet
Transnet SOC Ltd is a large South African rail, port and pipeline company, headquartered in the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg. It was formed as a limited company on April 1, 1990. A majority of the company's stock is owned by the Department of Public Enterprises, or DPE, of the South African...
of South Africa, after among others Norsk Verkstedindustri had been considered. In August, an agreement was reached whereby LKAB would pay for NOK 100 million of the NOK 130 million needed to upgrade the Ofoten Line. The contract to deliver 18 Iore locomotives was signed with Bombardier on 15 September 1998. LKAB bough SJ and NSB's share of MTAB in 1999, making MTAB a subsidiary.
The first twin unit locomotive was delivered in 2000, and serial delivery was made from 2002 to 2004. In March 2004, LKAB decided to not purchase the option for additional hopper cars from Transnet, and instead purchase 750 heavier cars from K-Industrier. Since 1969 the ore trains have been using the Soviet SA3 coupler
SA3 coupler
The SA3 coupler is a type of railway coupling used mainly, but not exclusively, in Russia and other states of the former Soviet Union.Railways in Russia used European buffers and couplings from their inception. These couplings had three main limitations. Firstly the load was limited. Secondly, the...
. However, LKAB decided that these were not sufficiently strong for the new trains and decided that the Iore locomotives and the new hopper cars were to be delivered with Janney coupler
Janney coupler
The Janney coupler, also known as a knuckle coupler, buckeye coupler, alliance coupler and AAR coupler is an automatic coupler patented by Eli H...
s (also known as AAR coupler). While the first pair of locomotives had a Janney couplers, the rest of the first batch were equipped with SA3 couplers to handle the existing hopper cars, and later retrofitted with Janney couplers. In 2003, the Iron Ore Line from Kiruna to Riskgränsen and the Ofoten Line were finished upgraded to 30 tonne axle load, allowing half the trains to operate with maximum capacity.
The Northern East West Freight Corridor
Northern East West Freight Corridor
The Northern East West Freight Corridor, usually referred to as the N.E.W. Corridor, is a project organized by the International Union of Railways UIC and Transportutvikling AS to connect the east coast of the United States to East Asia by train and ship....
is an initiative by the International Union of Railways
International Union of Railways
The UIC , or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the...
aiming to establish a freight corridor from the Far East to North America. The route would use the Ofoten Line and transship from rail to ship at Narvik. The main report for the project was made in 2004, but since there had been limited funding for the project.
On 23 August 2007, LKAB ordered another four twin units, with delivery in 2010 and 2011, and costing €52 million. This will replace all remaining Dm3. After delivery, six locomotives are used from Kiruna to Luleå, and twenty are used from Kiruna to Narvik. By 2009, sufficient passing loops had been built along the whole line from Narvik to Luleå to allow all trains to operate with full capacity. By 2011, LKAB's will be able to replace all the Dm3, and convert all the coal trains to 68 cars. This will increase the capacity from 28 to 33 million tonnes per year, and at the same time reduce the number of departures per day from 21 to 15.
Locomotives
To cope with the heavy ore transports this line was first equipped with the most powerful steam locomotiveSteam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s in Sweden and later powerful electric locomotives, the most famous being the Dm+Dm3+Dm that today are being replaced with modern Iore
IORE
Iore, often stylized IORE, is a class of 26 electric locomotives built by Adtranz and its successor Bombardier Transportation for the Swedish mining company LKAB's railway division Malmtrafik. The class is a variation of Adtranz's Octeon modular product platform, thus related to Bombardier's later...
locomotives after serving on the line for over 40 years.
Apart from special locomotives, the iron ore trains have some special equipment to allow the high train weights, higher than anywhere else in Scandinavia, and probably anywhere in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. They use special brakes and SA3 coupler
SA3 coupler
The SA3 coupler is a type of railway coupling used mainly, but not exclusively, in Russia and other states of the former Soviet Union.Railways in Russia used European buffers and couplings from their inception. These couplings had three main limitations. Firstly the load was limited. Secondly, the...
s instead of the screw couplings otherwise standard in Sweden. After extension of passing loop
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
s to 750 m in 2008 and 2009, the trains will have 68 cars, weighing 8600 tonnes including the locomotive, with 6800 tonnes of iron ore.
| Name | Service | Power | Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SJ Ma/Mb (steam) | 1902-? | 34 | ||
| SJ R (steam) | 1908-? | 18 ton force Kilogram-force A kilogram-force , or kilopond , is a gravitational metric unit of force. It is equal to the magnitude of the force exerted by one kilogram of mass in a gravitational field... |
8 | |
| SJ O SJ O O is a series of electric locomotives used by Statens Järnvägar for hauling heavy iron ore trains on Malmbanan in Sweden. The locomotives were built by ASEA.-History:The O series was built for the first electrified railway in Sweden, Malmbanan... |
1914-? | |||
| NSB El 3 NSB El 3 NSB El 3 was an electric locomotive used by Norges Statsbaner to transport iron ore on Ofotbanen. Five twin-locomotive sets were in service from 1925 to 1967.-History:... |
1925-67 | 2x 2,134 kW | 10 | |
 |
NSB El 4 NSB El 4 NSB El 4 was an electric locomotive used by Norges Statsbaner to transport iron ore on Ofotbanen. NSB had a total of five triple-locomotive sets.-History:... |
1925-63 | 2x 2,088 kW | 5 |
 |
SJ Dm3 SJ Dm3 Dm and Dm3 is a series of locomotives used by Statens Järnvägar and later Malmtafik i Kiruna for pulling iron ore trains on Malmbanan in Sweden and Ofotbanen in Norway. A total of 39 double-locomotives were delivered between 1953 and 1971, built by ASEA. A further 19 center locomotives were... |
1953- | 3x 2,400 kW | 97 |
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NSB El 12 NSB El 12 NSB El 12 was an electric locomotive used by Norges Statsbaner to haul iron ore trains on Ofotbanen between 1957 and 1990. The locomotives were based on the Swedish Dm that was used with success on the connecting Malmbanan. The eight units were always operated in pairs or in triples and were... |
1954-92 | 2x 2,398 kW | 8 |
 |
NSB El 15 NSB El 15 NSB El 15 is a class of electric locomotives which are now operated by the Swedish company Hector Rail as Class 161 locomotives. The locomotives were originally built for the Norwegian State Railways in 1967 to replace the NSB El 3 and NSB El 4 engines on Ofotbanen... |
1967–2004 | 2x 5,400 kW | 6 |
| SJ Rm SJ Rm The SJ Class Rm is a electric locomotive operated by Statens Järnvägar and later Green Cargo. The six locomotives are variants of the Rc locomotive and built by ASEA in 1977. The difference is smaller wheels giving higher pulling force, but lower maximum speed... |
1977-85 | 3x 3,600 kW | 6 | |
| IORE IORE Iore, often stylized IORE, is a class of 26 electric locomotives built by Adtranz and its successor Bombardier Transportation for the Swedish mining company LKAB's railway division Malmtrafik. The class is a variation of Adtranz's Octeon modular product platform, thus related to Bombardier's later... |
2000- | 2x 5,400 kW | 18 |
The railway also has passenger trains (traditional railcars) and normal freight trains, for example with consumer goods to northern Norway or fish export from there. These trains use normal locomotives like the SJ Rc.