Botniabanan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Botniabanan | |
| pass | |
| Info | |
|---|---|
| Type | High-speed railway |
| System | Swedish railway |
| Status | Under construction |
| Terminals | Kramfors Airport Umeå |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 2008-2010 |
| Owner | Botniabanan AB |
| Operator(s) | |
| Character | Passenger and freight |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 190 km |
| No. of tracks | 1 |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) |
| Electrification | 15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC |
| Operating speed | 250 km/h (railway) 200 km/h (trains) |
Botniabanan or the Bothnia Line is the name of a new railway line currently under construction in northern Sweden.
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Due for completion in August 2010, the Botniabana will add about 190 km of X2000-capable high-speed railway, with 140 bridges and more than 25 km of tunnels. Its route is from Kramfors airport via Örnsköldsvik to Umeå.
Construction is being carried out by Botniabanan AB, a company owned 91% by the Swedish state, and 9% by the regional governments of Kramfors, Örnsköldsvik, Nordmaling, and Umeå. Work began on the line in 1999, and reached the half-way stage at the end of 2005. When it is completed, and Botniabanan AB has recovered its investment, ownership of the line will pass to Banverket, the Swedish railway authority. The construction cost will be 15 billion kr.
It is intended that the Botniabanan will compete with road transport using the E4, which is a main road currently carrying heavy freight traffic.
[edit] Delayed stretch through the natural reservation area
Most of railway will be ready for traffic in 2008. However, the section nearest Umeå may not see operation until 2010 or 2011, due to an ongoing courtbattle over the placement of a bridge that would cross over envrionmentally sensitive areas at the Ume River. These areas are protected as a nature reserve and the process to approve its location has been opposed by environmentalists and neighbors concerned about their properties (sometimes known as "NIMBY"). Other alternatives to the present location were deemed unacceptably close to the Umeå Airport for safety reasons, and a tunnel under the airport and river would have been much too expensive. A more southerly route would have lengthened the line and been more expensive. There will be no passenger traffic before all of the railway is finished, though some freight traffic may utilize the finished sections.
[edit] Railway standard
This line is being built as a single track (although prepared for a second track), and will have 22 passing loops. The maximum axle weight will be 25 tons. The speed limit will be 120 km/h for freight trains, with 250 km/h permitted for passenger trains. All curves except two (in Örnsköldsvik, 800 m, in Nordmaling, 2000 m) will have a radius of 3200 m or greater. The maximum grade is one percent.
[edit] Times, distances and average speed
| Connection | Time | Distance | Average speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Örnsköldsvik-Umeå | 0:40 | 112 km | 165 km/h (inter-city) |
| Kramfors-Örnsköldsvik | 0:35 | 86 km | 150 km/h (inter-city) |
| Sundsvall-Umeå | 2:20 | 300 km | 130 km/h |
| Örnsköldsvik-Umeå | 0:55 | 112 km | 120 km/h (regional) |
| Stockholm-Umeå | 5:40 | 680 km | 120 km/h |
The trains will run at 200 km/h for the first few years, with a speed increase in the future. It has not yet been decided which train operator will use the line, which trains they will use, or how fast they will be. The railway will allow 250 km/h. When the trains go faster than 200 km/h, it will be the fastest single-track railway in the world. The regional trains will be owned by the two counties, since they are too expensive for an operator to buy, and take about 2–3 years to buy. The counties have started the purchasing process for the regional trains. For long-distance trains from Stockholm, it is likely that the SJ will run X2000 trains, with a top speed of 200 km/h. So far the suppliers can't guarrantee winter characteristics above 200 km/h, since there is no experience. A research project "Gröna tåget" is investigating this.
[edit] Purpose
A railway line along the coast of Northern Sweden is much needed. There is a lack of capacity on the existing main line (further inland) because of lower speed limits, curves, and grades. The Bothnia line will also improve passenger transport in the area, reducing the travel time between Umeå and Örnsköldsvik to 40–50 minutes by high-speed train. It will also be served by commuter trains, at a promised frequency of at least six trains in each direction.
[edit] Old main line
The old main railway to far northern Sweden (Bräcke–Boden) was built during the period of 1880–1895, about 30–100 km from the coast to protect it from military attacks (military airplanes didn't exist then). It is very curvy and has relatively high grades. It will remain in use by freight traffic.
[edit] Ådalsbanan
Botniabanan ends near the Kramfors Airport at the existing Ådalsbanan railway line, which goes Långsele–Kramfors–Härnösand–Sundsvall. The distance from the connection to Sundsvall is 101 km. This railway was built from 1890–1925, and is rather curvy and in a bad condition. It has almost only freight traffic today. Ådalsbanan will be improved along the existing route to allow higher speeds than today, in the range of 100–160 km/h. The improvements will include new rails, new catenary, a new signal system, and better road crossings. A few parts of it north of Härnösand (totalling 29 km) will be replaced with a new route, built to the same standard as Botniabanan. This will be finished when the Botniabanan is opened 2010. The reason for keeping most of the existing embankment is that the advantage of building a new railway is smaller when there already is a railway, but the costs are the same as if there was no railway, which is the case along Botniabanan. The construction cost for Ådalsbanan will be 3.5 billion SEK.
[edit] Norrbotniabanan
Norrbotniabanan is a planned extension of Botniabanan north of Umeå to Luleå. The distance is about 270 km, longer than the Botniabanan. The preliminary decision to build it has been made, and detailed planning is being done, including the choice of a route. Construction is planned to take place between 2010 and 2020.
