Västra stambanan
Encyclopedia
The Western Main Line is the main railway line between Stockholm
and Gothenburg
in Sweden
. The line is electrified and consists entirely of double track, except the four-track sections between Gothenburg Central Station
and Olskroken (2 kilometres (1.2 mi)), in Järna Station (5 km), and south of Stockholm, between Flemingsberg Station and Stockholm South Station, about 14 km. The last section between Stockholm South Station and the central runs mainly on a two-track bridge, and is a serious bottleneck, as all trains have to use the same tracks. The Stockholm City Line is being built between Stockholm South Station and Solna Station north of Stockholm. There will also be two new underground stations on this line, and all commuter trains will be removed from the main floor of Stockholm Central Station
.
. The route would be operational somewhere around 2020, and capable of speeds of more than 300 kilometres per hour (186.4 mph). However, this would only cut the travel time by about 40 minutes (the fastest connection today is a non-stop X2000
service which covers the 455 kilometres (282.7 mi) in 2 hours and 52 minutes, at an average speed of 159 kilometres per hour (98.8 mph)), but connect more large cities to the Stockholm–Gothenburg line (Borås
, Jönköping
, Linköping
, Norrköping
).
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...
and 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...
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....
. The line is electrified and consists entirely of double track, except the four-track sections between Gothenburg Central Station
Gothenburg Central Station
Gothenburg Central Station is the main railway station of Gothenburg and the third largest railway station in Sweden after Stockholm Central Station and Malmö Central Station. The station opened in October the 4th, 1858. Approximately 40 000 travelers visit the station every day. The station is...
and Olskroken (2 kilometres (1.2 mi)), in Järna Station (5 km), and south of Stockholm, between Flemingsberg Station and Stockholm South Station, about 14 km. The last section between Stockholm South Station and the central runs mainly on a two-track bridge, and is a serious bottleneck, as all trains have to use the same tracks. The Stockholm City Line is being built between Stockholm South Station and Solna Station north of Stockholm. There will also be two new underground stations on this line, and all commuter trains will be removed from the main floor of 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...
.
Operating speed
The maximum speed on the line is 200 km/h. This speed is only attained by the X2000 tilting high-speed trains and some regional trains. The InterCity trains are limited to 160 km/h, due to the rolling stock. A section of the line, between Skövde and Töreboda, is the longest straight section of railway in Sweden, with almost 40 km of track without a curve, and used in speed trials. The current Swedish speed record of 303 km/h was achieved here by a X50 "Regina" EMU. The line has always been known for its high speeds. As early as the 1950s, the mighty Rapid engines travelled the route at 150 km/h.Future
There are plans to build a high-speed line between Stockholm and Gothenburg, south of the lake VätternVättern
Vättern is the second largest lake in Sweden, after Lake Vänern and the sixth largest lake in Europe. It is a long, finger-shaped body of fresh water in south central Sweden to the southeast of Vänern pointing at the tip of Scandinavia....
. The route would be operational somewhere around 2020, and capable of speeds of more than 300 kilometres per hour (186.4 mph). However, this would only cut the travel time by about 40 minutes (the fastest connection today is a non-stop X2000
X2000
X2000 is a 1998 short film directed by François Ozon.-Plot:A naked man wakes up in a luxury loft, which is a residential building in an unidentified European city, after a particularly wild New Year's Eve party of the year 2000. He finds a naked woman in his bed, and obviously he does not...
service which covers the 455 kilometres (282.7 mi) in 2 hours and 52 minutes, at an average speed of 159 kilometres per hour (98.8 mph)), but connect more large cities to the Stockholm–Gothenburg line (Borås
Borås
Borås is a locality and the seat of Borås Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 63,441 inhabitants in 2005.- Geography :Borås is located at the point of two crossing railways, among them the railway between Gothenburg and Kalmar, and is often considered the Swedish city gaining the...
, Jönköping
Jönköping
-Notable people:*Lillian Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor*John Bauer, illustrator, painter*Amy Diamond, singer*Agnetha Fältskog, ABBA*Carl Henrik Fredriksson, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Eurozine*Anders Gustafsson, kayaker, Olympian...
, Linköping
Linköping
Linköping 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...
, Norrköping
Norrköping
Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...
).