West Coast Line (Sweden)

The West Coast Line (Swedish: Västkustbanan) is a railway line between Gothenburg and Lund,[1] which runs along the West Coast of Sweden. It is electrified all the way. It was originally built in 1880-1995, but it is since 1980 being rebuilt to a fast fairly straight double track railway along a mostly new route, basically a new railway. This was as of 2024 was still not completed, as the part through Varberg and through Helsingborg are both single-track.

West Coast Line
Halmstad Station
Overview
OwnerSwedish Transport Administration
LocaleSweden
Termini
Service
Operator(s)Swedish Transport Administration
Technical
Line length283 kilometres (176 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Operating speed200 km/h (125 mph)

In northern Helsingborg the track follows a 150 year old right of way, which has tight curves together with a steep climb.[2] Passing trains must not run faster than 30 km/h during inclement weather. Double track construction takes place between 2020 and 2023.[3] although the track in northern Helsingborg will remain as it is for several more years.

A doubletrack tunnel under the city of Varberg is under construction since 2019.[4]

Stations with passenger stop

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  • Gothenburg (fast, regional and local trains)
  • Liseberg (local trains)
  • Mölndal (regional and local trains)
  • Kållered (local trains)
  • Lindome (local trains)
  • Anneberg (local trains)
  • Hede (local trains)
  • Kungsbacka (regional and local trains)
  • Åsa (regional trains)
  • Varberg (regional trains)
  • Falkenberg (regional trains)
  • Halmstad (fast, regional and local trains)
  • Laholm (regional and local trains)
  • Båstad (regional and local trains)
  • Förslöv (local trains)
  • Barkåkra (local trains)
  • Ängelholm (regional and local trains)
  • Kattarp (local trains)
  • Ödåkra (local trains)
  • Maria (local trains)
  • Helsingborg (fast, regional and local trains)
  • Ramlösa (local trains)
  • Rydebäck (local trains)
  • Glumslöv (local trains)
  • Landskrona (regional and local trains)
  • Häljarp (local trains)
  • Dösjebro (local trains)
  • Kävlinge (local trains)
  • Gunnesbo (local trains)
  • Lund (fast, regional and local trains)

The local trains are branded Västtågen between Gothenburg and Kungsbacka and branded Pågatågen between Halmstad and Lund. The regional trains are branded Öresundståg and the fast trains are operated by SJ. All trains continue south of Lund.

References

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  1. ^ "Västkustbanan". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 6 September 2010. (subscription required)
  2. ^ "Ängelholm–Helsingborg, Romares väg. Trafikverket (swedish)". Archived from the original on 12 July 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ Double tracks between Ängelholm and Helsingborg, Romares väg. Trafikverket, last updated: 2019-06-26
  4. ^ The Varberg tunnel Trafikverket, last updated: 2021-10-14