Mittbanan
Encyclopedia
The Central Line is a 358 kilometres (222.5 mi) long railway line between Sundsvall
and Storlien
in Sweden
. It continues as the 106 kilometres (65.9 mi) long Meråker Line through Norway
to Hell Station
and onwards to Trondheim
. The railway shares line with Inland Line between Brunflo
and Östersund
while the line between Ånge
and Bräcke
is double track
. The entire line is electrified
at , but the Norwegian section is not. This requires all trains to Norway to be diesel train
s.
SJ AB
operates night trains with sleeping cars from Storlien
or Duved to either Stockholm
, Gothenburg
or Malmö
. Mittnabotåget
between Sundsvall and Trondheim is operated by Veolia Transport
with Class 92 diesel multiple unit
s between Östersund and Trondheim, and Regina
trains between Sundsvall and Östersund. Veolia Transport also operates Utmanartåget with a biweekly connection between Storlien and Malmö via Stockholm.
and Östersund. Before 1881 it had no connection to the rest of Sweden (only steamboat from Sundsvall), until the railway Stockholm-Ånge was finished. At the same time the governments were building a railway east from Trondheim, with the Government of Sweden
building the Swedish part, finished 1882. The Government of Norway (Norway was in a union with Sweden at the time) built the Norwegian section, Meråker Line, which was opened in 1886. In 1885 the Sundsvall-Torpshammer Railway was bought by the state and rebuilt to standard gauge
the following year. The railway was then known as the Norrland Crossline ) until it got the present name in the early 1990s.
Sundsvall
-External links:* - Official site from Nordisk Familjebok - Sundsvalls tourist information bureau. - The alternative guide to Sundsvall. - Blog with photos from Sundsvall....
and Storlien
Storlien
Storlien is a village and ski resort in the Åre municipality, in Jämtland, Sweden, a kilometre from the Swedish-Norwegian border.The village has only 78 permanent inhabitants. The work opportunities are based on tourism and shopping. Most tourists are Norwegians or Swedes. Shopping tourists arrive...
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....
. It continues as the 106 kilometres (65.9 mi) long Meråker Line through 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...
to Hell Station
Hell Station
Hell Station is a railway station located in the village of Hell in the municipality of Stjørdal in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located at the intersection of the Nordland Line and Meråker Line....
and onwards to Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. The railway shares line with Inland Line between Brunflo
Brunflo
Brunflo is a locality situated in Östersund Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden with 3,916 inhabitants in 2005. It is situated some 15 km south-east of Östersund....
and Östersund
Östersund
Östersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...
while the line between Ånge
Ånge
Ånge is a locality and the seat of Ånge Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 2,956 inhabitants in 2005.Ånge is a railway junction where the northern main line railway connected with the central main line railway .- References :...
and Bräcke
Bräcke
Bräcke is a locality and the seat of Bräcke Municipality in Jämtland County, Sweden with 1,566 inhabitants in 2005.- References :...
is 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 :...
. The entire line is 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 , but the Norwegian section is not. This requires all trains to Norway to be diesel train
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s.
SJ AB
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 night trains with sleeping cars from Storlien
Storlien
Storlien is a village and ski resort in the Åre municipality, in Jämtland, Sweden, a kilometre from the Swedish-Norwegian border.The village has only 78 permanent inhabitants. The work opportunities are based on tourism and shopping. Most tourists are Norwegians or Swedes. Shopping tourists arrive...
or Duved to either 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...
, Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
or Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
. Mittnabotåget
Mittnabotåget
Mittnabotåget is a regional train service connecting Trondheim in Norway with Sundsvall in Sweden. It includes trains operated by Veolia Transport on the Mittlinjen between Sundsvall and Östersund in Sweden, and Norges Statsbaner’s cross-border Nabotåget services from Östersund on to Trondheim in...
between Sundsvall and Trondheim is operated by Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport
Veolia Transport is the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia Environnement...
with Class 92 diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s between Östersund and Trondheim, and Regina
Regina (train)
The Regina is a Swedish model of electric multiple unit passenger train, manufactured by Bombardier Transportation . It is used by the national passenger railway SJ along with numerous regional and private operators, in variants designated X50, X51, X52, X53, X54 and X55, and in two- and...
trains between Sundsvall and Östersund. Veolia Transport also operates Utmanartåget with a biweekly connection between Storlien and Malmö via Stockholm.
History
The first part of the line was the Sundsvall–Torpshammars Railway, a private, narrow gauge and 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) long line opened fully in 1878, and its first part in 1872. From 1875 the Swedish State Railways were building Norrland Crossline, which opened 1879 between TorpshammarTorpshammar
Torpshammar is a locality situated in Ånge Municipality, Västernorrland County, Sweden with 493 inhabitants in 2005. It was founded in 1797 as an iron milling community....
and Östersund. Before 1881 it had no connection to the rest of Sweden (only steamboat from Sundsvall), until the railway Stockholm-Ånge was finished. At the same time the governments were building a railway east from Trondheim, with the Government of Sweden
Government of Sweden
The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the supreme executive authority of Sweden. It consists of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers appointed by the Prime Minister. The Government is responsible for their actions to the Riksdag, which is the legislative assembly...
building the Swedish part, finished 1882. The Government of Norway (Norway was in a union with Sweden at the time) built the Norwegian section, Meråker Line, which was opened in 1886. In 1885 the Sundsvall-Torpshammer Railway was bought by the state and rebuilt to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
the following year. The railway was then known as the Norrland Crossline ) until it got the present name in the early 1990s.
External links
See also
- Western Central Line (Swedish:Västra Centralbanan) was the railway FalköpingFalköpingFalköping is a locality and the seat of Falköping Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 15,821 inhabitants in 2005.-History:The city of Falköping most likely emerged during the 15th century but earlier the town was an important site of pilgrimage due to its 12th century church...
–UlricehamnUlricehamnUlricehamn is a locality and the seat of Ulricehamn Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden, with 9,250 inhabitants in 2005.-History:Ulricehamn, originally known as Bogesund has been populated at least since the Middle Ages. The town has had city privileges since at least the 15th century...
–LanderydLanderydLanderyd is a locality situated in Hylte Municipality, Halland County, Sweden with 372 inhabitants in 2005....
in Sweden. It is now removed. - Eastern Central Line (Swedish:Östra Centralbanan) was the name of the railway LinköpingLinköpingLinköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...
–HultsfredHultsfredHultsfred is a locality and the seat of Hultsfred Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 5,305 inhabitants in 2005. It is best known for the Hultsfred Festival.- References :...
in Sweden. It is now a part of Stångådalsbanan.