Wikipedia

South Line (Denmark)

(Redirected from Zealand South Line)

The South Line (Danish: Sydbanen) is a government-owned railway line in Denmark. Technically, the line connects Ringsted with Nykøbing Falster, from which it branches to Gedser and Rødbyhavn. In practice, Ringsted is not the terminal station, so the line is often said to continue to Copenhagen.

South Line
Overview
Native nameSydbanen
OwnerBanedanmark
Termini
Stations9
Service
TypeHigh-speed rail
Operator(s)DSB
History
Planned opening2024 (partial)
2027 (whole)
Technical
Line length142.3 km (88.4 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Operating speed200 km/h (125 mph)
SignallingERTMS
Route map
Ringsted - Rødby Færge railway

The railway is part of the Vogelfluglinie from Copenhagen to Hamburg. On Sydbanen's southwestern end at Rødby, a Scandlines ferry line exists to the German coastal town of Puttgarden, from where the Lübeck–Puttgarden railway and Lübeck–Hamburg railway lead to Hamburg. The Fehmarn Belt Tunnel, to be completed in 2029, will replace the ferry service.[1] From 2020 until 2028 trains go only to Nykøbing, with frequent closures due to rebuilding.

History

edit
 
The first station in Køge on the original Zealand South Line.

The original Zealand South Line was completed for the privately owned Zealand Railway Company (Danish: Det Sjællandske Jernbaneselskab) and opened on 4 October 1870. It connected Roskilde (and thus Copenhagen via the West Line) with Masnedsund on the south coast of Zealand via Køge, Næstved and Vordingborg.[2] From Masnedsund there was a steamship connection across the Storstrømmen strait to Orehoved on the north coast of the island of Falster.

In 1880, the Zealand Railway Company was taken over by the Danish state, and in 1885 became part of the national railway company DSB.[3]

After the opening of the Ringsted-Næstved Line in 1924, most trains between Copenhagen and South Zealand used the route via Ringsted instead of the original route via Køge. The rump section between Roskilde and Næstved via Køge became known as the Little South Line (Danish: Lille Syd).

Future developments

edit

The line is being upgraded to ERTMS, (Køge-)Næstved-Nykøbing in 2021, and the rest in 2028.[4] Furthermore, 55 km of new tracks are being laid, to smooth out curves, allowing for 200 km/h (125 mph) when done. These works are expected to finish in 2021. Afterwards, the line will be electrified, slated for partial introduction in 2024, and completion all the way in 2027 when a new Storstrøm Bridge will open.[5] The railway Nykøbing–Rødby will be in operation only when the Fehmarn Belt Tunnel is opened around 2029.

Route

edit

Between Copenhagen and Næstved there are four routes that trains can use:

Stations

edit

Stations with passenger stops from Ringsted and southbound are:

References

edit

Citations

edit
  1. ^ David Burroughs (7 February 2020). "Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link rail consultancy contract awarded". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Roskilde-Køge-Næstved-Masnedsund". danskejernbaner.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  3. ^ "SJS Det Sjællandske Jernbaneselskab". danskejernbaner.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  4. ^ Om fjernbanens nye signalsystem
  5. ^ "Faser i arbejdet" (in Danish). Banedanmark. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2020.

Bibliography

edit
edit
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ringsted-Rødby Færge.
Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

 

This article about transport in Denmark is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Line_(Denmark)&oldid=1252794336"