Coast-to-Coast Line
Encyclopedia
The Coast-to-Coast Line is a 410 kilometres (254.8 mi) long Y-shaped electric
railway line between Gothenburg
via Emmaboda
to Kalmar
and Karlskrona
in southern Sweden
.
, from Borås to Alvesta
, from Växjö
to Alvesta, from Karlskrona to Växjö and the Kalmar Line. The lines were nationalized in 1940 and 1941 and operations taken over by the Swedish State Railways. By then, the section from Gothenburg to Borås had been electrified. The remaining sections were electrified between 1954 and 1962: from Alvesta to Växjö in 1953, from Växjö to Kalmar in 1954 and from Borås to Alvesta in 1962. SJ T41
locomotives were the most common during the diesel era, and replaced by SJ D
and SJ Da
locomotives after electrification. The services were also provided with SJ X9
multiple units and later SJ F
locomotives. From the 1980s, the line was served by the SJ Rc locomotives.
The section from Gothenburg to Borås has additional local traffic. SJ X7
multiple units were used from the 1960s, and from the 1990s SJ X11, SJ X12
, SJ X14
and SJ X53 units have been introduced. In 1990 the section was upgraded and all traffic halted for three months. In 1994, the brand "Coast-to-Coast" was introduced and SJ X2 high-speed trains were introduced. They remained in service until 2002, when Oresundtrain
s were introduced. In 2007, Regina
multiple units were introduced, and then again Rc-hauled trains from 2009.
, a new catenary
system, new passing loop
s at Gullberna and Vissefjärda
, upgrade of the passing loops at Spjutsbygd
and Holmsjö
, new platforms at Holmsjö Station, speeds up to 200 kilometres per hour (124.3 mph), 40 level crossings removed, 8 new tunnels and bridges, new track layout and signaling system at Emmaboda, and a rebuilt Karlskrona Station. The project will cost 950 million Swedish krona
(SEK).
There are plans to build a new railway on the section between Gothenburg and Borås. This new railway is planned to have a very high standard, prepared for up to 320 km/h. It is planned to be a part of a future high speed railway between Gothenburg and Stockholm, called Götalandsbanan
. The first part will be between Mölnlycke and Bollebygd including a tunnel station directly under the Landvetter Airport. This project will allow 2-3 trains per hour and direction, compared with 1 train today. This project has a detailed construction plan, and construction was decided to begin 2016. However this project has been put on hold, because of political hesitation over the high speed railway project.
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
railway line between Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
via Emmaboda
Emmaboda
-Geography:Emmaboda is located in the middle of the Tri-City Region Växjö, Kalmar and Karlskrona. All three places are sixty kilometers from Emmaboda.-Culture:...
to Kalmar
Kalmar
Kalmar is a city in Småland in the south-east of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 62,767 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of 233,776 inhabitants .From the thirteenth to the...
and Karlskrona
Karlskrona
Karlskrona is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 35,212 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Sweden's only remaining naval base and the headquarters of the...
in southern Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
History
The line was built as five different railways: from Gothenburg to BoråsBorås
Borås is a locality and the seat of Borås Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 63,441 inhabitants in 2005.- Geography :Borås is located at the point of two crossing railways, among them the railway between Gothenburg and Kalmar, and is often considered the Swedish city gaining the...
, from Borås to Alvesta
Alvesta
Alvesta is a locality and the seat of Alvesta Municipality in Kronoberg County, Sweden, with 7,647 inhabitants in 2005.Alvesta is an important railway junction, joining the Stockholm–Malmö–Copenhagen railway with the Gothenburg–Kalmar/Karlskrona railway.- References :...
, from Växjö
Växjö
Växjö is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden with 64 200 inhabitants in 2010. It is the administrative, cultural and industrial centre of Kronoberg County. Furthermore it is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Växjö. It has a population of about 64 200, out of a...
to Alvesta, from Karlskrona to Växjö and the Kalmar Line. The lines were nationalized in 1940 and 1941 and operations taken over by the Swedish State Railways. By then, the section from Gothenburg to Borås had been electrified. The remaining sections were electrified between 1954 and 1962: from Alvesta to Växjö in 1953, from Växjö to Kalmar in 1954 and from Borås to Alvesta in 1962. SJ T41
SJ T41
T41 is a diesel-electric locomotive used by Statens Järnvägar of Sweden between 1956 and 1988 for secondary line services and later shunting. It was built in five copies by Nydquist & Holm on licence from General Motors Electro-Motive Division....
locomotives were the most common during the diesel era, and replaced by SJ D
SJ D
D is a series of locomotives used by Statens Järnvägar of Sweden. 333 units were built by ASEA between 1925-43. It was used for both passenger and freight trains until it was taken out of service in 1988.-History:...
and SJ Da
SJ Da
Da is a series of locomotives used by Statens Järnvägar of Sweden. 93 units were built by ASEA between 1953-60. They remained in service until the 1990s.-History:...
locomotives after electrification. The services were also provided with SJ X9
SJ X9
X9 is a series of four-car electric multiple units operated by Statens Järnvägar of Sweden as express trains. Twenty-three were built by Hilding Carlsson Mekaniska Verkstad between 1960–1963 and were in service with SJ until 1999...
multiple units and later SJ F
SJ F
The SJ Class F is an electric locomotive used by Statens Järnvägar of Sweden for hauling passenger trains. It was built in 24 copies by ASEA 1942-49 and was in service to 1983.-History:...
locomotives. From the 1980s, the line was served by the SJ Rc locomotives.
The section from Gothenburg to Borås has additional local traffic. SJ X7
SJ X7
X7 is a series of electric railcars operated by Statens Järnvägar of Sweden as local trains. 26 motor cars were built, with an additional 22 trailers, by ASEA in 1949-51. They were put into service on the predecessors to the Skåne and Gothenburg commuter rail systems. The X7 was in service until...
multiple units were used from the 1960s, and from the 1990s SJ X11, SJ X12
SJ X12
X12 is a series of two-car electric multiple units operated by Statens Järnvägar of Sweden as local trains. Eighteen units were built by Asea Brown Boveri in 1991-94, based on the somewhat older X10. From the late 1990s until 2003 three units were also used by Upplands Lokaltrafik. Two of the...
, SJ X14
SJ X14
X14 is a series of two-car electric multiple units operated by Statens Järnvägar of Sweden as local trains. They were built in 18 copies by Asea Brown Boveri between 1994-95, and based on the older X12-series. In addition two X12 units was converted to X14. It is operated by SJ, SSRT, Västtrafik...
and SJ X53 units have been introduced. In 1990 the section was upgraded and all traffic halted for three months. In 1994, the brand "Coast-to-Coast" was introduced and SJ X2 high-speed trains were introduced. They remained in service until 2002, when Oresundtrain
Oresundtrain
Oresundtrain or Øresundståg is a regional rail network serving the Oresund Region. The train consists of multiple units manufactured by Bombardier Transportation in Kalmar, previously known as Kalmar Verkstad and lately in Hennigsdorf by LEW Hennigsdorf...
s were introduced. In 2007, Regina
Regina (train)
The Regina is a Swedish model of electric multiple unit passenger train, manufactured by Bombardier Transportation . It is used by the national passenger railway SJ along with numerous regional and private operators, in variants designated X50, X51, X52, X53, X54 and X55, and in two- and...
multiple units were introduced, and then again Rc-hauled trains from 2009.
Future
The Swedish Transport Administration will from 2011 start upgrading the 57 kilometres (35.4 mi) section from Emmaboda to Karlskrona, with the goal to reduce travel time from 40 to 33 minutes. This will result in the line being out of use from December 2011 to June 2013, with all work being completed in 2014. The upgrades include continuous welded rails, centralized traffic controlCentralized traffic control
Centralized traffic control is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America and centralizes train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system consists of a centralized train dispatcher's office that...
, a new catenary
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
system, new passing loop
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
s at Gullberna and Vissefjärda
Vissefjärda
Vissefjärda is a locality situated in Emmaboda Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 673 inhabitants in 2005....
, upgrade of the passing loops at Spjutsbygd
Spjutsbygd
Spjutsbygd is a locality situated in Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 422 inhabitants in 2005....
and Holmsjö
Holmsjö
Holmsjö is a locality situated in Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 347 inhabitants in 2005....
, new platforms at Holmsjö Station, speeds up to 200 kilometres per hour (124.3 mph), 40 level crossings removed, 8 new tunnels and bridges, new track layout and signaling system at Emmaboda, and a rebuilt Karlskrona Station. The project will cost 950 million Swedish krona
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
(SEK).
There are plans to build a new railway on the section between Gothenburg and Borås. This new railway is planned to have a very high standard, prepared for up to 320 km/h. It is planned to be a part of a future high speed railway between Gothenburg and Stockholm, called Götalandsbanan
Götalandsbanan
Götalandsbanan is a planned high-speed railway planned to be built between Södertälje and Gothenburg in Sweden, past Linköping and Jönköping. The planned length is about 440 km...
. The first part will be between Mölnlycke and Bollebygd including a tunnel station directly under the Landvetter Airport. This project will allow 2-3 trains per hour and direction, compared with 1 train today. This project has a detailed construction plan, and construction was decided to begin 2016. However this project has been put on hold, because of political hesitation over the high speed railway project.