Ostkustbanan
Encyclopedia
The East Coast Line is a 402 kilometres (249.8 mi) long mainline railway in Sweden, linking the cities of Stockholm
, Uppsala
, Gävle
and Sundsvall
, as well as the suburbs north of Stockholm
.
was electrified. As Stockholm's main train depot is located in Hagalund
, on the East Coast Line, this part was also electrified at the same time. The whole line where finally electrified in 1934. As all other lines in Sweden, East Coast Line is electrified with .
, the line was extended to four tracks between Stockholm and Skavstaby. This also resulted in increased speeds, from 160 to 200 km/h (99.4 to 124.3 ). In Skavstaby, the old line, which goes over Märsta, diverges from the new line. Märsta serves as the terminus for most of the commuter services.
X2000: Stockholm – Falun
, Sundsvall, Östersund
and Härnösand
, via Arlanda.
InterCity: Stockholm - Mora, Falun and Östersund/Duved, via Arlanda.
Night Trains: Stockholm - Luleå, Kiruna/Narvik, Åre. Mostly over Märsta.
Regional Trains: Uppsalapendeln. Runs every half hour between Stockholm - Uppsala. Calls at Märsta.
Commuter Trains: (Södertälje) - Stockholm - Märsta.
Freight trains: To all parts of middle and northern Sweden.
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...
, Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
, Gävle
Gävle
Gävle is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 71,033 inhabitants in 12/31 2010. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland , having received its charter in 1446 from Christopher of Bavaria.-History:It is believed that the name Gävle...
and Sundsvall
Sundsvall
-External links:* - Official site from Nordisk Familjebok - Sundsvalls tourist information bureau. - The alternative guide to Sundsvall. - Blog with photos from Sundsvall....
, as well as the suburbs north of 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...
.
Electrification
The first part of the line was electrified in 1906–07 as a part of SJ's electrification trials. In 1926, the Western Main Line between Stockholm and GothenburgGothenburg
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...
was electrified. As Stockholm's main train depot is located in Hagalund
Hagalund
Hagalund is a residential area and railway yard in Solna Municipality, 5km north of central Stockholm. It is known for the blue skyscrapers "Blåkulla" which, against a rather strong and long-lasting opinion, in the beginning of the 1970s replaced a picturesque working-class and craftsman...
, on the East Coast Line, this part was also electrified at the same time. The whole line where finally electrified in 1934. As all other lines in Sweden, East Coast Line is electrified with .
Improvements
The line where extended to double track between Stockholm and Uppsala as early as in 1906. Some curvy sections was rebuilt in the 70's and the 80's, but most of the improvements where done in the 90's, with the introduction of the tilting high-speed train X2000. In the middle of the 90's, the line was completely overloaded with heavy commuter and long distance services north of Stockholm. In 1996, the work started on the Arlanda Line, a loop line which increased the distance with 3 km. With the introduction of 3 extra trains per hour between Stockholm and Stockholm-Arlanda AirportStockholm-Arlanda Airport
Stockholm Arlanda Airport , is an international airport located in the Sigtuna Municipality of Sweden, near the town of Märsta, north of Stockholm and nearly , by road, south-east of Uppsala....
, the line was extended to four tracks between Stockholm and Skavstaby. This also resulted in increased speeds, from 160 to 200 km/h (99.4 to 124.3 ). In Skavstaby, the old line, which goes over Märsta, diverges from the new line. Märsta serves as the terminus for most of the commuter services.
Traffic
Ostkustbanan is the busiest line in Sweden, with 60 trains per hour north of Stockholm. Here is a list of trains which use the line:X2000: Stockholm – Falun
Falun
Falun is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 36,447 inhabitants in 2005. It is also the capital of Dalarna County...
, Sundsvall, 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...
and Härnösand
Härnösand
Härnösand is a locality and the seat of Härnösand Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 18,003 inhabitants in 2005. It is called "the gate to the High Coast" because of the world heritage landscape rises just some miles north of Härnösand...
, via Arlanda.
InterCity: Stockholm - Mora, Falun and Östersund/Duved, via Arlanda.
Night Trains: Stockholm - Luleå, Kiruna/Narvik, Åre. Mostly over Märsta.
Regional Trains: Uppsalapendeln. Runs every half hour between Stockholm - Uppsala. Calls at Märsta.
Commuter Trains: (Södertälje) - Stockholm - Märsta.
Freight trains: To all parts of middle and northern Sweden.
Operating speeds
The two express-tracks north of Stockholm permits running at the Swedish maximum of 200 kilometres per hour (124.3 mph). The local tracks is limited to 130 to 160 km/h (80.8 to 99.4 ). Between Uppsala and Gävle, which are double track, except a bottleneck south of Gävle, there are sections which allow for 160 kilometres per hour (99.4 mph). North of Gävle, the line consists of mostly single track, and the speed is therefor lower.Branch Lines
There are a few branch lines.- Mälaren Line, diverges directly after Stockholm Central.
- Arlanda Line is technically a branch, despite it has the most traffic.
- Dala Line, the line to DalarnaDalarna', English exonym: Dalecarlia, is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. Another English language form established in literature is the Dales. Places involving the element Dalecarlia exist in the United States....
, diverges directly after Uppsala. - Örbyhus–Hallstavik Line, a fright line which diverges in ÖrbyhusÖrbyhusÖrbyhus is a locality situated in Tierp Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 1,905 inhabitants in 2005.Örbyhus Castle is known for being the place where the former king Eric XIV of Sweden died on the 26th of February 1577 from arsenic poisoning....
.