Skagen Line

The Skagen railway line (Danish: Skagensbanen) is a 39.7 km (24.7 mi) long standard gauge single track railway line between Skagen and Frederikshavn in Vendsyssel, Denmark. The railway links the fishing port and seaside resort of Skagen with the Danish rail network.

Skagen Line
Overview
Native name	Skagensbanen
Owner	Nordjyske Jernbaner
Termini	Skagen 57.7239°N 10.5921°E / 57.7239; 10.5921 (Skagen station) Frederikshavn 57.4412°N 10.5400°E / 57.4412; 10.5400 (Frederikshavn station)
Stations	10
Service
Type	Railway
System	Danish railways
Operator(s)	Nordjyske Jernbaner
Rolling stock	Siemens Desiro
History
Opened	24 July 1890
Technical
Line length	39.7 km (24.7 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Character	Local railway
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	No
Operating speed	100 km/h (62 mph) (Frederikshavn–Hulsig) 120 km/h (75 mph) (Hulsig–Skagen)
Route map

The railway line opened as a narrow gauge railway in 1890 and was converted to standard gauge in 1924. It is currently owned and operated by the railway company Nordjyske Jernbaner (NJ) which runs frequent local train services from Skagen station to Frederikshavn station with onward connections from Frederikshavn to the rest of Denmark.

History

Work on the railway line started on 26 July 1889, and was completed on 16 March 1890. It was opened on 24 July 1890 in the presence of King Christian IX, Crown Prince Frederik, and the Interior Minister Hans Peter Ingerslev. Operations on the line commenced the following day with two trains daily in each direction.

Until 1924 it was a narrow gauge railway, with a maximum speed of 30 km/h (19 mph). In 1924 the railway line was converted to standard gauge to avoid the need to transfer cargoes of fish in Frederikshavn. As a consequence of the conversion, the layout of Skagen station was extensively changed. As part of the conversion, the right-of-way between Frederikshavn and Rimmen halt was changed so the railway line passed by the coastal town of Strandby instead of the inland village of Elling.

In 2001, the operating company Skagensbanen A/S (SB) merged with Hjørring Privatbaner A/S (HP) to form the railway company Nordjyske Jernbaner (NJ). With headquarters in Hjørring, the company is now responsible for running the Hjørring–Hirtshals and Frederikshavn–Skagen lines.

In 2005 the current Siemens Desiro was introduced. The maximum speed is 100 km/h (62 mph) between Frederikshavn and Hulsig and between Skagen and Hulsig the maximum speed is 120 km/h (75 mph).

Route

Skagensbanen rail tracks at Bunken Plantation

The Skagen line runs north from Frederikshavn, following the tracks of the Vendsyssel Line out of the city. As the Vendsyssel Line branches west towards Hjørring, the Skagen Line continues north following the curve of the coast line of the Ålbæk Bay, serving the towns of Strandby, Jerup and Ålbæk. From Ålbæk the line continues north, passing through Bunken Plantation, Hulsig Heath and Skagen Plantation before passing through the western part of Skagen to reach its terminus in central Skagen.

Operations

Local trains

A Nordjyske Jernbaner Siemens Desiro DMU at Strandby station in June 2009

The railway company Nordjyske Jernbaner (NJ) operating in the North Jutland Region runs frequent local train services from Skagen station to Frederikshavn station with onward connections from Frederikshavn to Aalborg and the rest of Denmark.

InterCity service

For a period in the 1990s there were direct InterCity connections between Copenhagen and Skagen, operated by DSB.

Bus services

In 2005, NJ replaced the bus connections between Skagen and Frederikshavn with more frequent train connections.

Stations

Skagen Line
38.8 Skagen NJ workshop to Skagen Havnebane 38.0 Frederikshavnsvej Højen Sandmilen 28.0 Hulsig 24.5 Bunken 19.8 Ålbæk 15.6 Napstjært 13.0 Jerup 9.5 Rimmen 6.3 Strandby Apholmen Vendsyssel Line to Aalborg to Frederikshavn Havnebane DSB workshop 0.0 Frederikshavn to Frederikshavn Havnebane

	Station	Distance from Frederikshavn (km)	Distance from Skagen (km)	Remarks
	Skagen	38.8	0
	Frederikshavnsvej	38.0	0.8	opened in 1992
	Hulsig	28.0	10.8
	Bunken	24.5	14.3
	Ålbæk	19.8	19.0
	Napstjært	15.6	23.2
	Jerup	13.0	25.8
	Rimmen	9.5	29.3
	Strandby	6.3	32.5
	Frederikshavn	0	38.8

Previous stations

• Højen station — between Frederikshavnsvej Halt and Hulsig Station.
• Sandmilen halt — between Højen Station and Hulsig Station
• Elling station — between Rimmen Halt and Frederikshavn Station.
• Apholmen halt — between Strandby Station and Frederikshavn Station.

See also

• List of railway lines in Denmark
• List of gauge conversions
• Hirtshals railway line

References

Bibliography

• Jensen, Niels (1972). Danske Jernbaner 1847–1892 (in Danish). Copenhagen: J.Fr. Clausens Forlag. ISBN 87-11-01765-1.
• Jensen, Niels (1976). Nordjyske jernbaner (in Danish). Copenhagen: J.Fr. Clausens Forlag. ISBN 87-11-03756-3.
• Gregersen, A.; Holtrup, Ulf; Hjermind, P. (1965). SB gennem 75 år (PDF) (in Danish). Jernbanehistorisk Selskab.
• Plum, Ole Chr. M.; Wilcke, Birger (1990). Skagensbanen (in Danish). Copenhagen: Dansk Jernbane-Klub. ISBN 8787050315.
• Thomassen, P.; Wilcke, B. (1965). Skagensbanen, 1890 – 24. juli – 1965 (in Danish). Hellerup: Dansk Jernbane-Klub.

Further reading

• Gardner, Nicky (2 November 2022). "Rail route of the month: the slow train to Skagen, Denmark, where the North Sea meets the Baltic". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 November 2022.

External links

• (in Danish) Nordjyske Jernbaner – Danish railway company operating in North Jutland Region
• (in Danish) Danske Jernbaner – website with information on railway history in Denmark
• (in Danish) Nordjyllands Jernbaner – website with information on railway history in North Jutland
• (in Danish) Skagensiden.dk – website with information on Skagen