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Roslagsbanan

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Roslagsbanan is a narrow gauge commuter railway system in Roslagen, Stockholm County, Sweden. Its combined route length is 65 kilometres (40 miles) and there are 38 stations. It is built to the Swedish three foot (891 mm or 2 ft 11+3⁄32 in) gauge. The Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL) classifies it as "light rail" in its maps.[10]

Roslagsbanan
Overview
Native nameRoslagsbanan
OwnerStorstockholms Lokaltrafik
LocaleStockholm County, Sweden
Termini
Stations39
Service
TypeNarrow-gauge railway, Commuter Rail
Services 27  to Kårsta
 28  to Österskär
 29  to Näsbypark
Operator(s)Transdev
Rolling stockCurrent: X10p/UBxp/UBp, X15p
Daily ridership53,400 boardings (2019)[1]
History
Opened1885[2]
Technical
Line length65 km (40 mi)[3]
Number of tracks1 or 2
Track gauge891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in)[4]
Electrification1,500 V DC from overhead catenary
Operating speed80 km/h (50 mph)
System map

The line starts in Stockholm at Stockholm East Station (Stockholms östra station, Stockholm Ö). It goes north and splits into three branch lines at the junction stations Djursholms Ösby and Roslags Näsby; the three branches terminate at Näsbypark, Österskär and Kårsta.

It is double track between Stockholm and Viggbyholm and between Rydbo and Åkersberga. The rest is single track, but the line to Vallentuna was being doubled in 2012[needs update] and Rydbo-Åkers Runö in 2013[needs update]. There are passing loops at some stations on the single track sections: at Altorp, Hägernäs, Österskär, Visinge, Täby kyrkby, Ormsta, Lindholmen and Kårsta.

Following a 2017 agreement between the Swedish state, Stockholm County, and the affected municipalities, the line will be extended to the centrally located underground hub T-Centralen, with construction to begin in approximately 2022.[11]

History

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The present Roslagsbanan was once just the southern part of a large narrow gauge system throughout Roslagen and eastern Uppland, connecting Stockholm and Uppsala with ports, smaller towns and parts of the countryside and used for both freight and passenger transport.

In 1885 the line from Stockholm East Station to Rimbo was opened, today the longest branch of Roslagsbanan although the northernmost part between Kårsta an Rimbo has been shut down. It was originally built and operated by the private enterprise Stockholm-Rimbo Järnväg (SRJ). In 1909 SRJ changed its name to Stockholm–Roslagens Järnvägar (with the same abbreviation) following the take-over of companies running adjacent lines.

Roslagsbanan is one of the oldest electrified railway lines for public transport in Europe. The first Stockholm–Djursholm suburban section, Djursholmsbanan, was electrified in 1892,[3] and at the time continued into the city center by way of the tram network, ending at Engelbrektsplan next to Humlegården.[citation needed]

In the beginning of the 20th century and well into the 1950s, Djursholms Ösby, a branch station on Roslagsbanan, was one of the busiest railway stations in Sweden with trains stopping every three minutes with three different branches dividing from there, transporting people and goods.[citation needed]

In the years following World War II, more and more of Swedish railways were nationalised through Statens Järnvägar (SJ), a fate also shared by Roslagsbanan. In 1969 Stockholm County took control over the Stockholm–Rimbo network (now referred to as 'Roslagsbanan') from SJ with the public transport company SL managing the railway.[citation needed]

In 1960 the Djursholmsbanan tracks to Engelbrektsplan were closed, making Stockholm East Station the system's terminus, thus passengers wishing to travel on with the Stockholm metro have had to transfer to the adjacent Tekniska högskolan metro station since 1973. One of the two Djursholm branches (Eddavägslinjen) was closed by SL in 1976.[12]

When SL took over the railway it had many problems. It was narrow gauge and not connected to the rest of the rail network in any way. It was slow, being outperformed by busses, especially to the areas near the end of line, and it was mostly single-track and had low capacity. Because of this there was a strong political interest to close the railway and replace it with buses and a metro line to Täby. The public opinion was much against this and after a referendum in 1980 the county decided to save the Roslagsbanan and invest in new trains and modernize the infrastructure and formed a new company SLJ to run Roslagsbanan. Despite this the northernmost portion, Kårsta–Rimbo was closed in 1981, and the plan was to close the part Lindholmen–Kårsta as well, but it was temporarily kept due to the poor roads in the area which would be problematic for bus transport. Even though the roads have been improved the line to Kårsta is still in use today and there are currently no plans to close it. In January 2010 the Frescati station was closed to avoid congestion and the Universitetet station was moved 500 metres (550 yards) north to better serve Stockholm University.[citation needed]

Ownership and present use

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At Stockholm East in winter

The railway, owned by the Stockholm County Council through the public transport company Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), is not part of the nationally owned network. It is the only narrow gauge railway in Sweden still in use for commercial traffic.[13]

Roslagsbanan is part of the Stockholm public transport system. It is operated under contract by Transdev Sverige AB from 15 April 2022.[14] Transdev took over operations from Arriva Sverige who had operated the network since 7 January 2013.[15] Arriva Sverige in turn took over took over from the previous contracted company Roslagståg AB [sv], which was a joint venture by the Danish DSB and Tågkompaniet.

Despite its age and non-standard gauge, it is one of the most used railways in Sweden. Since the late 1980s, the railway has constantly but slowly been upgraded to a modern standard with modernised rolling stock, higher platforms and straighter and double tracks allowing for increased speeds and more departures.

There are 15 departures to and from Stockholms Östra during the morning and evening peak hours respectively.[16] In 2019, the railway had a ridership of 53,400 boardings per day.[1]

Future

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Roslagsbanan is to be diverted to a new terminus at T-Centralen via a new tunnel from Universitetet station to Odenplan station, and then parallel to the Stockholm City Line. This will allow passengers to commute faster within the city, as T-Centralen is served by all lines of the Stockholm Metro, all lines of the Stockholm Commuter Rail, as well as Spårväg City and is connected to Stockholm Central Station. When the extension is completed, Stockholms östra will become obsolete and close down. The stretch of track from Universitetet to the old terminus will be dismantled to make way for 500 apartments. The line will gain much more importance, and a further 1,500 flats are planned to be built along the line in Täby and Vallentuna municipalities, aiming to ease the ongoing housing crisis in Stockholm. The project is estimated to cost 7 billion kronor and is expected to be completed by 2026.[17][18]

A feasibility study into extending the Roslagsbanan to Arlanda Airport was completed in 2010, followed by a public consultation in 2012.[19]

Network

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Roslagsbanan is now used by Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL) for commuter transport. The present network comprises most of the southern part of what was once a much bigger network, made up of privately owned railways all over Roslagen, connecting Stockholm and Uppsala with the countryside and used for passenger and freight trains. See the § History section of this article.

Line Route Length Stations Map Notes
27 Stockholm East Station – Djursholms Ösby – Roslags Näsby – Vallentuna – Lindholmen – Kårsta 41.5 km (25.8 mi) 23  
Opened 1885
28 Stockholm East Station – Djursholms Ösby – Roslags Näsby – Åkersberga – Österskär 29.5 km (18.3 mi) 20  
Opened 1901 to Åkersberga, 1906 to Österskär
29 Stockholm East Station – Djursholms Ösby – Lahäll – Näsbypark 11.5 km (7.1 mi) 12  
Opened 1928 to Lahäll and 1937 to Näsbypark
Total 65 km (40 mi) 39

The line are only displayed on some trains; others only have the destination displayed.

In the timetables of Samtrafiken, the lines do not have the numbers as stated above, but the numbers 121 for the line to Kårsta, 122 for the line to Österskär and 123 for the line to Näsbypark.

Current networks previously connected to Roslagsbanan

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Some of the northern parts of the once bigger network are still in use, but these are not formally called Roslagsbanan. These two parts are

Closed parts of Roslagsbanan (south of Rimbo)

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Stations

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Section Station km Opened Closed
Kårsta (Rimbo) branch Rimbo 56 1884 1981
Rö 50 1885 1981
Sparren 48 1885 1981
Kårsta 41.7 1885
Ekskogen 38.5 1885
Frösunda 34.6 1885
Lindholmen 28.8 1885
Molnby 25.5 1885
Ormsta 24.1
Vallentuna 22.7 1885
Bällsta 21.5
Kragstalund 19.9 1993
Byle 19.0 1910 1993
Täby kyrkby 18.8 1885
Visinge 14.2 1986
Ensta 13.2 1911
Tibble 11.9
Österskär branch Österskär 29.4 1906
Tunagård 28.6 1919
Åkersberga 27.2 1901
Åkers Runö 25.5 1901
Täljö 23.2 1928
Rydbo 20.2 1901
Arninge 17.2 2021
Hägernäs 15.6
Viggbyholm 14.3 1907
Galoppfältet 13.1 1913
Täby Centrum 12.5 1968
Main line Roslags Näsby 11.0 1885
Enebyberg 09.9 1909
Djursholms Ekeby 08.3 1885
Bråvallavägen 07.4
Näsbypark branch Näsbypark 11.7 1937
Näsbyallé 11.0 1937
Lahäll 10.2 1928
Altorp 08.5
Östberga 07.8 1910
Vendevägen 07.2 1910
Svalnäs branch (closed) Svalnäs 12.9 1912 1933
Eddavägen 12.1 1901 1976
Vikingavägen 10.7 1901 1976
Djursholms Framnäsviken 09.9 1890 1976
Germania 09.5 1890 1976
Restauranten 08.7 1890 1976
Djursholms Sveavägen 08.3 1890 1976
Bragevägen 7.5 1890 1976
Main line Djursholms Ösby 06.7 1890
Mörby 05.6 1906
Stocksund (new) 04.6 1996
Långängen branch (closed) Långängen 1911 1966
Stockby 1911 1966
Stocksund (original) 04.5 1885 1996
Main line Ålkistan 03.5 1885 1923
Freskati 03.0 1885 2009
Universitetet (new) 02.5 2010
Universitetet (original) 01.7 2009
Stockholm East 00.0 1885
Engelbrektsplan 01 1895 1960

Rolling stock

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X10p

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X10p at Stockholm East Station with UBp and UBxp in 2007

The present train sets were manufactured by ABB Railcar (now Bombardier) and delivered in 1988–1995. The train sets are owned by SL, but maintained and operated by Transdev. After refurbishment until 2016, it is planned to keep them in service at least until 2025.

The trains are made up of three different bogie vehicle types:

  • Motor coach X10p Number of vehicles: 35, Seating capacity: 72, Length: 19.9 metres (65 ft), Weight: 27.7 tonnes (27.3 long tons; 30.5 short tons), Power rating: 400 kW (540 hp), Maximum speed: 80 km/h (50 mph)
  • Driving trailer UBxp Number of vehicles: 34, Seating capacity: 76, Length: 19.9 metres (65 ft 3 in), Weight: 16.3 tonnes (16 long tons; 18 short tons)
  • Intermediate trailer UBp Number of vehicles: 32, Seating capacity: 80, Length: 19.9 metres (65 ft 3 in), Weight: 16 tonnes (15.7 long tons; 17.6 short tons)[20]

The trains were completely refurbished in 2012–2016 with new seatings, LED illumination, and electronic destination displays. The intermediate carriages were rebuilt with low floors, enabling wheelchair and pram access, but reducing seats from 80 down to 66 including some folding seats next to the new and wider doors. The refurbishment also included the exterior painting, where the surrounding white stripe is lower now.[21]

The other problem with the old rolling stock: the trains are also very noisy, especially considering the railway mostly goes through built up suburban areas. The SL experimented with shrouds ("skirts") around the wheels between spring 2008 and spring 2010 to reduce noise. However, the attempt did not turn out well because the covers hit support rails. Instead, it was decided to build noise barriers of reinforced concrete, which today can be found along several stretches that pass through densely built-up areas, including Djursholm and Österskär.

X15p

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New X15p (left) and refurbished X10p 145 at Österskär in 2022

In addition, in 2010 SL began the process of finding a company from which to order modern, less noisy and less vibrating trains to meet the rising demand for departures on Roslagsbanan and reduce the impact on the surrounding population. 22 new trains were ordered from Stadler Rail in August 2016 with an option for a further 45 more. They new EMU typ is named X15p,[22] with a new depot, Vallentunadepån, having been built just north of Vallentuna in 2020.[23] The trains are designed for a speed of 120 km/h and can accommodate 312 passengers, with seating for 162. The EMU is equipped with multiple-unit train control and will run in a triple-train configuration in the future, after all platforms have been extended to 180 meters. The first vehicle was delivered to Sweden in October 2020 and used for extensive test drives between Lindholmen and Kårsta from February to summer 2021 during evenings. The first train entered service on 31 October 2023.[24] Four trains were re-ordered at the beginning of 2022.

Older trains

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The trains which were still in use until the early 1990s contained some vehicles dating from near the beginning of the 20th century. Some of these old brown and wooden wagons have been saved, the oldest ones being from 1914. They are owned by Spårvägsmuseet (Stockholm Tramway Museum) and are managed by Roslagsbanans Veterantågsförening (RBV) ("the Veteran Train Club for Roslagsbanan"), and can be chartered for events.

Some old trains have also been sold to other Swedish three foot gauge railways, which are now only heritage railways, where they are used for tourists.

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Present day

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Historical

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  •  
    Old bridge of Stocksund with the swing span visible in the end, during dismantling in 1997
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    Old station of Stocksund, now replaced with a station some hundred metres to the north-west, where the rails go straighter allowing for higher speed
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    Old signal box at Djursholms Ösby

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Fakta om SL och regionen 2019" (PDF) (in Swedish). Storstockholms Lokaltrafik. p. 34. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  2. ^ SL annual report for the fiscal year 2007: Page 34 (PDF) (Report). Storstockholms Lokaltrafik. 2008-06-27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  3. ^ a b "Historia". sl.se (in Swedish). SL. 2006-06-01. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  4. ^ "Tekniska fakta - Roslagsbanan". sl.se (in Swedish). Storstockholms Lokaltrafik. 2006-06-01. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  5. ^ "Arninge resecentrum". taby.se (in Swedish). Täby Municipality. Retrieved 2019-08-12. opens 2021
  6. ^ BANVAKT.se Bandel [Timetables] (317, 318, 319, 321, 323 & 325)
  7. ^ Historiskt om Svenska Järnvägar Bandelar i Nummerordning [Swedish Railways historic timetables in numeric order] (317, 318, 319, 321, 323 & 325)
  8. ^ jarnvag.net: Roslagsbanan [https://web.archive.org/web/20140115033544/http://www.jarnvag.net/index.php/banguide/banor-svealand/stockholm-karsta Archived 2014-01-15 at the Wayback Machine]
  9. ^ "SSÄ Banbok för Roslagsbanan" (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm Regional Council. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Official Map" (PDF).
  11. ^ Toll, Michael; Andreas, Jennische (2017-03-30). "Beskedet: Här får Storstockholm ny tunnelbana och spårvagn". Stockholm Direkt. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  12. ^ "DHJ, Dannemora - Hargs Järnväg, Innehållsförteckning. Table of content".
  13. ^ "Banguide - Roslagsbanan Stockholm-Kårsta m fl". järnväg.net. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  14. ^ "98,9 procent punktlighet första helgen då Transdev började köra Roslagsbanan". Mynewsdesk. Transdev Sverige AB. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  15. ^ "Stockholm/Roslagsbanan | Arriva". www.arriva.se. Archived from the original on 2012-05-05.
  16. ^ "H27-29" (PDF). Tidtabeller - SL. Retrieved 2022-09-13.
  17. ^ "Så ska Roslagsbanan till city byggas snabbare". mitti.se (in Swedish). 6 February 2019.[permanent dead link‍]
  18. ^ "Stockholm to invest SEK30.2 billion in public transport infrastructure by 2035". Global Mass Transit. 31 March 2017. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  19. ^ "Tvärförbindelse Roslagsbanan–Arlanda". Stockholm County Council. Archived from the original on 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2017-03-30.
  20. ^ "Roslagstag.se – Sida 4".
  21. ^ Upprustade och nya tåg på Roslagsbanan
  22. ^ Stadler to supply new trains for Stockholm's Roslagsbanan
  23. ^ "Roslagsbanans depå i Vallentuna".
  24. ^ "Narrow gauge commuter trains enter service in Stockholm". Railway Gazette International. 6 November 2023.
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