Kristianstad-Karlskrona Line (Blekinge Coast Line)Kristianstad-Karlskrona Line (Blekinge Coast Line)Blekinge kustbana is an electrified railway connection that runs between Kristianstad and Karlskrona. The route is 130 kilometers long. The line is served by Öresundståg, Pågatåg and freight trains. Blekinge Coast Line History The Narrow Gauge Time The new railway station in Sölvesborg, built to connect with the construction of the Västra Belekinge Railway. The Kristianstad-Karlskrona line was built narrow gauge (1067 mm) by three different railway companies along the coast, Sölvesborg-Kristianstad Railway (SCJ), Västra Blekinge Railway (WBlJ) and Mellersta Blekinge Railway (MBlJ). The oldest of these was SCJ from 1874. In 1906 BKB Blekinge kustbana was formed. In 1914, the Lister Railway was added. In 1927 the Bredåkra–Tingsryds Railway was bought. The situation can be compared to the West Coast Railway, where several different companies built individual sections. In Blekinge, they had to put a lot of effort into the track building. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were restaurant cars on the track, which was unusual for a Narrow-Gauge track. Blekinge kustbana was part of the network of railways with a gauge of 1067 mm which also included the Karlshamn–Vislanda–Bolmens Railway (KVBJ) and the Halmstad–Bolmens Railway (HBJ). Blekinge coastal railways and these two railways thus connected Sweden's east and west coasts (Karlshamn and Halmstad). SJ and Widening of the Track to Standard Gauge After SJ took over the track in 1942, it was decided that it would be widened to standard gauge. The work was carried out in stages in the 1950s and was completed in 1957. A new station was built in Karlshamn during this same time. The coast-to-coast connection Karlshamn–Halmstad via Bolmen was broken, when these lines were not widened, but instead closed down in the 1960s. Passenger Traffic with Kustpilen After seeing reduced numbers of travelers during the late 1980s, SJ began to discuss closing down passenger traffic. After protests from the municipalities, the county council and the public, a Danish train set of the IC3 type was hired for a test run on the Blekinge coastal line. Around the same time, the line was reclassified from a core railway to a county railway and a 15-year agreement with SJ was signed. After the trial period, a variant of IC3 intended for long-distance traffic, the Y2s Kustpilen, was introduced in the early 1990s. The number of travelers increased dramatically. Other improvements to the track were also carried out such as seamless track and installation of remote blocking on the entire stretch. In addition, a new station was built in Bromölla. When Öresundstågen's service was extended to Kristianstad, Kustpilen's route was reduced to only Kristianstad−Karlskrona. Kristianstad-Karlskrona Line Electrification After the success of the Kustpilentrafiken, at the end of the 1990s, they began again to discuss what had been discussed just over 90 years earlier, namely the electrification of the coastal line. Between 1999 and 2002, various investigations took place before electrification and in 2004 the Riksdag decided that the line should be electrified. Peab together with Balfour Beatty Rail was commissioned to electrify the railway, in collaboration with the then Banverket. The electrification was started on 13 June 2005 at Karlshamn railway station, where the "first sod" was taken. Because the county council and the county's municipalities paid money in advance, work on the electrification could start earlier than according to the government's future plans, and thus SJ could also withdraw from the traffic agreement, which had long been a pure loss business for SJ. During the work, Blekingetrafiken had deployed modern buses as a replacement. The electrification was completed at the end of May 2007 and on 17 June 2007 traffic on the line could be reopened, however with reduced train traffic during the summer and autumn of that year. However, the electrification did not go completely without problems. Throughout the electrification, thefts of copper wire were committed several times. It was then delayed by several weeks in early 2006 due to the long and snowy winter. This through the deployment of extra staff by Peab and Balfour Beatty Rail, they managed to catch up to schedule. When the line was reopened for passenger traffic on June 17, 2007, SJ again became the one to manage the traffic, until January 2009. In June 2007, Blekingetrafiken simultaneously announced that the new operator DSBFirst would manage the Öresund train traffic between 2009 and until 2015. But in 2011 it was discovered that DSBFirst had serious financial problems and after negotiations with DSBFirst it was decided that their mission would cease as of December 2011, and Veolia Transport would take over until a new procurement was completed. The Sandbäck-Olofström Line Also Called: Holjebanan
In 2023, the government decided to construct the Sydostlänken , involving electrification of the Älmhult–Olofström section and the new construction of a continuation to Karlshamn. The Accident in Nosaby In autumn 2004, a railway accident occurred in Nosaby in Kristianstad on the track when a truck loaded with pellets stopped at the level crossing with the railway as the booms were coming down. The truck driver said he chose to get out of the car and try to lift the barrier instead of driving the truck through the barrier. The train collided with the truck. Two railway employees were killed and several people were seriously injured. About 50 passengers received minor injuries. The truck driver was later sentenced to one year and two months in prison for gross negligence, causing death and causing bodily harm. The Court of Appeal over Skåne and Blekinge in Malmö upheld the district court's verdict. Increased Travel on the Kustbanan After the line's electrification was completed in 2007 and the following years, the number of travelers on the Blekinge coastal line increased to a record level, according to Blekingetrafiken, which believes that the increase is due to an increase in the number of trips in 2007. There were approximately 1,363,000 trips on the line in 2007, which is 78,000 more trips than the previous high from 2002. Blekinge kustbana is single-track with few meeting opportunities, while at the same time it is very curvy in places, which meant that the travel time before December 12, 2010 between Karlskrona-Copenhagen was 3 hours 39 minutes. When the Citytunneln was opened in Malmö on 12 December 2010, the journey time was shortened by roughly 10 minutes. In order to accommodate this shortened travel time fairly fully, Skånetrafiken and Blekingetrafiken decided on a new traffic layout from the timetable change in December 2010, which meant that the stops in Höör and Eslöv were scrapped. Construction of the Operating Site Ångsågsmossen In order to make full use of the track, a branch line track needed to be built. The then Banverket therefore made a preliminary study in the winter of 2009-2010 on a new branch line track between Karlshamn and Bräkne-Hoby, which showed the benefits and pointed out Svartasjö outside Åryd as a suitable location. At the time of the study, the meetings took place in Ronneby, Karlshamn and Sölvesborg. The preliminary study showed that through the new traffic layout in Skåne while the meetings are moved to Nättraby and to the new meeting track in Åryd and that the train meeting is kept in Sölvesborg, it was possible to save just over 20 minutes of travel time. The branch line track, which was completed in early August 2012, was built for triple coupled X31 vehicles, but not for 750 meter long freight trains, as there is insignificant freight traffic east of Karlshamn today. Construction began in March 2012. Blekinge County Council set aside SEK 60 million for the purpose, which was roughly what the meeting track would cost. The mbranch line track came into use in connection with the timetable change on 19 August 2012. The work to build the branch line track took approximately six months and ultimately cost the county council SEK 65 million. The construction of the meeting place meant that the waiting time for meeting in Karlshamn could be removed, which was expected to reduce the travel time by ten minutes. Construction began on 27 February 2012 and trains began running again on 18 August 2012. When it was put into operation, the meeting place was named Ångsågsmossen, while the Trafikverket's working name was Svartasjön. The meeting place is near Åryd , but that name could not be used due to confusion with Åryd in Växjö municipality. In addition to Ångsågsmossen, the work also suggested Brånarna and Korsliden as traffic location names. The name comes from a marsh located in the eastern part of the operation site. The traffic sign of the meeting place is Åmn. Blekinge Coast Line Traffic on the Track The passenger trains run with X31 motorcars under the Öresundståg brand. Blekingetrafiken is the principal for this traffic. The traffic runs hourly Monday-Friday during the entire traffic day. On Saturdays and Sundays, the traffic is run every two hours, with altering to hourly traffic at certain times of the day. In principle, all trains continue to Copenhagen via the Öresund Bridge. Since 15 December 2014, Skånetrafiken's Pågatåg also runs the Kristianstad-Karlshamn route and runs with X61 motorcars. Trains depart with half-hourly departures on weekdays, mainly during the morning and afternoon rush hours, then the service ceases for a few hours and resumes again during the afternoon rush hour. So far, no weekend departures are planned, mainly because there is no room for freight train traffic on the track. In addition to passenger traffic, there is also freight traffic, mainly to Nymölla paper mill , Mörrum mill and to the industries in Stilleryd outside Karlshamn. East of Karlshamn, there is generally no freight traffic. Kristianstad-Karlskrona Line Future Ronneby Airport Station It is only about 500 m between the railway and the terminal building of Ronneby Airport. The airport company Swedavia made a proposal in spring 2012 to build a station there with a walkway. The idea has previously been discussed but has then been rejected by politicians and airport companies. During 2019 to 2020, Ronneby municipality has worked with a so-called planning program for the area as a long-term plan to review the conditions for establishing a train stop in the long term. The planning program is based on the Swedish Transport Administration's action selection study on a meeting track on the section, and the planning program also studies the possibility of establishing businesses at the junction between the railway and the airport. The Southeast Link New Construction in Skåne There are proposals for a new construction between Kristianstad and Lund, possibly via Hörby, which could provide significant travel time gains for the train travelers on the Blekinge coastal line who are going on to southwest Scania or to Denmark. Stations along the Blekinge Coastal Railway With a Break for Passenger Traffic Kristianstad C, connecting line to Hässleholm (Skånebanan) Fälkinge Bromölla Sölvesborg Mörrum Karlshamn C Fern-Hoby Ronneby Mountain goat Karlskrona C No Break for Passenger Traffic Kristianstad freight station Sandbrook Wicker room Johannishus Online shopping Gullberna, connecting line to Emmaboda (Coast to Coast Line) Blekinge Coast Line Overview Blekinge Coast Line Detail: Kristianstad-Karlskrona Blekinge Coastal Railway Connecting Lines: Åhus Line Skåne Line Coast to Coast Line Karlskrona Harbor Blekinge Coast Line Organisation Started: 1890 Blekinge Coast Line Owner: The state Blekinge Coast Line Infrastructure Manager: The Swedish Transport Administration Blekinge Coast Line Traffic Operator: Öresund train Pågatågen Blekinge Coast Line Ticket Operator: Blekinge trafiken Skånetrafiken Blekinge Coastal Railway Line Length: 130 kilometers Blekinge Coast Line Number of Tracks: single track with meeting track Blekinge Coast Line Gauge: 1435 millimeters (normal track) Blekinge Coast Line Greatest Slope: 20.3 ‰ Blekinge Coast Line ATC: Yes Blekinge Coast Line Remote Blocking: Yes Blekinge Coast Line Maximum Speed: 160 km/h Blekinge Coast Line Electrified: Electrified during 2005-2007 Blekinge Coast Line Route Map Main Station 130 Karlskrona C Stop on track 127 Bergåsa no possibility for trains to meet Unknown BSicon "CONTgq" Unknown BSicon "ABZglr" Unknown BSicon "STR+r" 125 connection Coast to Coast Line and Verkö Unknown BSicon "CONTgq" Unknown BSicon "KRZo" One way rightward Coast to Coast Line Unknown BSicon "PSL" 117 Nettraby , meeting track Stop on track 100 Ronneby Unknown BSicon "exPSL" 94 Bredåkra , planned meeting track Stop on track 83 Fern-Hoby Unknown BSicon "PSL" 72 Ångsågsmossen , meeting track Unknown BSicon "tSTRa" Pengaberg tunnel 567 m Unknown BSicon "tBHFe@g" 62 Karlshamn Junction both to and from left Unknown BSicon "CONTfq" 60 Triangle track for freight trains towards Stillery Harbor Unknown BSicon "ABZgl" Unknown BSicon "CONTfq" 56 Vekerum , goods track to Mörrum mill Unknown BSicon "hKRZWae" Bridge over Mörrumsån Stop on track 53 Mörrum Unknown BSicon "exPSL" 49 Kråketorp , planned meeting track Unknown BSicon "exCONTgq" Unknown BSicon "eABZgr+r" Planned triangle track for the Sydostlänken towards Älmhult Unknown BSicon "PSL" 43 Sandbäck , meeting track Stop on track 30 Sölvesborg Unknown BSicon "ABZg+l" Unknown BSicon "CONTfq" Goods track to Nymölla Stop on track 23 Bromölla Unknown BSicon "PSL" 22 Bromölla old station, now meeting station Unknown BSicon "PSL" 10 Fjälkinge , meeting track Stop on track 9 Fälkinge Unknown BSicon "YRD" 1 Kristianstad freight station , meeting track Unknown BSicon "CONTgq" Junction both to and from right Skånebanan towards Hässleholm - Helsingborg Station on track 0 Kristianstad C Continuation forward Åhusbanan - goods only | |||||
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