Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway LineLunderskov–Esbjerg Railway LineThe Lunderskov-Esbjerg line is the railway between Lunderskov and Esbjerg in Southern Jutland. It was opened on 3 October 1874, along with the first part of the Esbjerg–Struer Railway Line to Varde. The Lunderskov-Esbjerg Line History The construction of the line was authorised by a law of 24 April, 1868, together with the West Jutland longitudinal railway line, the Vendsyssel Line and the Silkeborg line. On the same date, a law concerning the construction of the port of Esbjerg was also passed. In 1909, the railway bridge over Snæum river was destroyed by a 3 metres (10 ft) storm surge. The Lunderskov-Esbjerg Line Stations
From January 2003, the Esbjerg-Bramming section is operated by both Arriva and DSB, while the Bramming-Lunderskov section is only be operated by DSB with both Regional services to Aarhus and InterCity services to Copenhagen. The Lunderskov-Esbjerg Line Electrification In the wake of the delay in the delivery of the scandal-ridden IC4 trains, it was proposed several times through the late '00s and early '10s to electrify the main line of the Danish railway network in order to be able to buy proven standard equipment to remedy the growing shortage of train equipment. However, this was rejected just as many times, as electrification of the railway network would require a simultaneous upgrading of the signaling system, which was already being replaced throughout the country by ERTMS. In this context, the Esbjerg-Lunderskov section was interesting, because in 1997 the section had already been almost completely upgraded in preparation for a forthcoming electrification, just before the electrification program was cancelled. On 7 February 2012, the Social Democrats, the Radical Left, SF, Venstre, DF, Liberal Alliance and the Conservative People's Party therefore agreed to electrify the track, so it was ready for electric trains by the end of 2015. The main idea behind the electrification was that it would allow for the rapid purchase of 15 new electric train sets, which could replace a similar number of IC3 train sets. To further secure the track for the future, it was subsequently decided, on 12 March 2013, by the same conciliation group to electrify the track with a system rated for 200 km/h (120 mph). Electrification was later postponed to 2016 due to economies of scale, as the contractors could thereby go directly from this section to the other sections that were to be electrified subsequently. The electrification was begun on 6 August 2017, but was later hit by operational problems and a complete shutdown for electric trains, due to problems with the Siemens Sicat SX overhead distribution system. After a replacement of the faulty rope wheels, the track was reopened for electric operation on 13 August 2018. Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Overview Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Native Name: Lunderskov-Esbjerg-banen Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Status: Operational Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Owner: Banedanmark Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Line Number: 29 Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Locale: Southern Jutland Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Termini: Lunderskov Esbjerg Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Stations: 9 Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Type: Heavy rail Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line System: Danish railway Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Operator(s): Danish State Railways GoCollective Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Commenced: 24 April 1868 Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Opened: 3 October 1874 Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Line Length: 55.7 km (34.6 mi) Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Number of Tracks: Double track Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Character: Passenger trains Freight trains Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Track Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Electrification: 25 kV AC 50 Hz Lunderskov–Esbjerg Railway Line Operating Speed: 180 km/h (110 mph) | |||||
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