DSB (railway company)

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DSB
Type Independent Public Company
Industry Rail transport
Founded October 1, 1885
Headquarters Copenhagen, Denmark
Key people Jesper Lok, CEO
Products Passenger rail transport
Revenue DKK 10.5 billion (2005)[1]
Operating income DKK 1.3 billion (2005)[1]
Net income DKK 745 million (2005)[1]
Owner(s) Danish Ministry of Transport
Employees 9,078 (2005 average)[1]
Subsidiaries DSB S-tog A/S, DSB Vedligehold A/S
Website www.dsb.dk
Danish State Railways
Locale Denmark
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)

DSB, an abbreviation of Danske Statsbaner (Danish State Railways), is the largest Danish train operating company, and the largest in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on most of the Danish railways, goods transport and railway maintenance are outside its scope. DSB runs a commuter rail system, called S-train, in the area around the Danish capital, Copenhagen, that connects the different areas and suburbs in the greater metropolitan area. DSB also operates some trains in Sweden.

DSB was founded in 1885 when the government-owned companies De jysk-fynske Statsbaner and De sjællandske Statsbaner merged.

History

The first railways in Denmark were built and operated by private companies. The railways in Funen and Jutland were built by Peto and Betts who also supplied the locomotives (built by Canada Works, Birkenhead). Most of the technical staff was also recruited from Britain, notably from the Eastern Counties Railway. When Peto and Betts went into insolvency, the Danish state took over Det danske Jernbane-Driftsselskab (The Danish Railway Operating Company) as of September 1, 1867 under the name De jysk-fyenske Jernbaner (The Funen and Jutland Railways), from 1874 De danske Statsbaner i Jylland og Fyn (The Danish State Railways in Jutland and Funen). The network was extended by new construction and by acquisition of the privately operated lines from Silkeborg to Herning (November 1, 1879) and from Grenaa to Randers and Aarhus (April 1, 1881).

The Danish state took over Det sjællandske Jernbaneselskab (The Railway Company of Zealand) on January 1, 1880, forming De sjællandske Statsbaner (The State Railways of Zealand). With the majority of railways on both sides of the Great Belt thus owned by the Danish state, it was not until October 1, 1885 that the companies of Jutland/Funen and Zealand merged into one national railway company, De danske Statsbaner (The Danish State Railways), the merger being finalised on April 1, 1893.

The first railway station in Copenhagen
The first Little Belt Bridge was opened in 1935.

The nineteen-thirties were a decade of innovation and modernisation for DSB. New railway bridges were built across the Little Belt (1935), the Storstrøm (1937) and Oddesund (1938), eliminating the costly and time-consuming process of transfer by steam ferry. The suburban lines in and around Copenhagen were electrified for multiple-unit operation at 1,500 Volts DC (S-trains). Early experiments with Diesel propulsion led to the development of the all-purpose MO class heavy diesel-electric railcar. Several mainline diesel-electric locomotives were also built as prototypes by Burmeister and Wain of Copenhagen and Frichs of Aarhus, but further development was cut short by the German occupation and the consequent shortage of oil supplies, forcing DSB to go back to coal-burning steam locomotives for mainline duties.

Coinciding with the opening of the Little Belt Bridge in 1935, DSB introduced their new express train concept known as lyntog ("lightning trains"). These diesel-powered three- and four-coach trains, having a power car at each end with a power pack identical to that of the MO railcar series, featured a then-impressive top speed of 120 km/h as well as a high level of comfort, and they proved themselves DSB's most commercially successful initiative of the 1930s.

World War II left DSB with a fleet of outdated and worn-out trains, and apart from a series of second-generation MO railcars and class MT shunting engines built by Frichs, domestic industry was unable to provide the kind of motive power required. Instead, DSB looked to foreign suppliers.

General Motors' diesel-electric locomotives had proved themselves in the US and Canada before the war. DSB's class MY A1A-A1A diesel locomotives, built on license from GM and delivered from NOHAB starting in 1954, were found to be very reliable and economically feasible compared to the steam locomotives, eventually putting the age of steam to an end as well as being a decisive factor in DSB's choice of motive power for nearly three decades. They were followed by the equally successful class MX with a lower axle load for branch line services and the class MZ for heavy express services.

Based on three diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotives built by Henschel and acquired by DSB, Frichs developed their own version of the class MH shunter, which replaced the steam-powered shunting engines. After the success of the Deutsche Bundesbahn's VT 11.5 class on TEE services, DSB acquired eleven power cars and matching intermediate cars to replace the first-generation lyntog.

Passenger train showing the red/black livery introduced in 1972.

The 1960s were marked by an increasingly poor economy for DSB, leading to a steady staff reduction throughout the decade. However, this was also accompanied by the appearance of new technology, notably the utilisation of electronic equipment, improving the safety and efficiency of DSB's railway traffic. In 1972, along with the celebration of the 125th anniversary of railways in Denmark, DSB introduced a new, mainly red design (with engine rooms of locomotives painted black), replacing the traditional maroon livery with yellow winged wheel symbols. DSB's position was additionally strengthened by the oil crisis in 1973.

The IC3 trains were introduced in 1990.

In 1990, after a delay of several years, the IC3 trains came into use, initially as lyntog, and in 1991 as ordinary intercity trains. The IC3 trains, being a specimen of the Flexliner type of multiple units, have a distinct appearance due to the rubber-framed ends, allowing access between separate trainsets when coupled together.

The Great Belt fixed link was opened for railway traffic in 1997 (a year before road traffic), replacing DSB's railway ferries. In 1997, infrastructural duties were branched off into a new agency under the Danish Ministry of Transport, Banestyrelsen (now: Banedanmark), leaving DSB with the task of train operation. A new design was presented in 1998, as well as the announcement of the "Good Trains for All" plan, seeking to replace old and less comfortable trains by 2006/2007. DSB was turned into an independent public corporation on January 1, 1999.

The goods department of DSB, DSB Gods, was merged with Railion (now DB Schenker Rail) in 2001, and DSB now solely manages passenger rail service, including the operation of railway stations.[2]

Corporate structure

DSB headquarters in Copenhagen.
DSB "MR" type diesel multiple unit at Frederikshavn, August 2007.
Aalborg station.

DSB is an independent public state-owned corporation under the Danish Ministry of Transport and Energy. This has been the case since 1999, and is the result of a political desire to liberalise the Danish railways. Thus, DSB now operates on a for-profit basis, although it retains certain public service commitments via contracts with the Ministry of Transport and Energy.

As of 2005, DSB employs about 9,000 people. Keld Sengeløv, the former president and CEO, died from a not disclosed illness while traveling with friends in Scotland, UK on 3 September 2006. His successor wa Søren Eriksen, who was dismissed in March 2011 following the discovery of financial and contractual irregularities.[3]

Divisions

DSB SOV (Selvstændig Offentlig Virksomhed / Independent Public Company)

  • DSB Commercial (sales and marketing)
    • DSB International (train operations abroad), DSB Detail a/s (management of shops on DSB stations)
  • DSB S-tog a/s (operation of the S-train network)
    • DSB Sales
  • DSB Long-Distance & Regional Trains
    • IC4 Programme, Sales, Onboard Service, Traffic,
  • DSB Finance
    • DSB Property Development, DSB Property
  • DSB HR & Organisation
    • Financial Management, IT, CSR
  • DSB Vedligehold A/S (Train Maintenance)

Services

DSB-operated routes in 2006.

DSB operates several types of passenger trains, varying in number of stops and motive power. Apart from the S-trains, types available for the general public include:

  • Regional trains (RØ in Eastern Denmark, RV in Western Denmark; ØR in the Oresund region)
  • Inter-regional trains (IR)
  • InterCity trains (IC)
  • InterCityLyn (L) (express InterCity trains)
  • EuroCity trains (EC)
  • EuroNight trains (EN)

Sweden

DSB and its joint ventures have contracts to operate the Roslagsbanan in Stockholm, local trains around Gothenburg and Krösatågen services around Jönköping.[4] DSB Uppland, a subsidiary of DSB Sverige, will run Upplands Lokaltrafik’s Upptåget trains from June 2011.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 DSB. "DSB annual report 2005" (PDF). 
  2. ↑ "Railion recruits another member". Railway Gazette International. 2001-01-01. 
  3. ↑ "DSB CEO dismissed over accounting irregularities". Railway Gazette. Retrieved 2011-04-02. 
  4. ↑ "DSB wins Krösatågen operating contract". Railway Gazette International. 2009-12-02. 
  5. ↑ "Railway Gazette: DSB wins fifth Swedish passenger contract". Retrieved 2010-10-31. 
  • Koed, Jan (1997). Danmarks Jernbaner i 150 år. Forlaget Kunst og Kultur. ISBN 87-7600-199-7.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Danske Statsbaner.
National railway companies of Europe

Coordinates: 55°41′15″N 12°34′46″E / 55.68750°N 12.57944°E / 55.68750; 12.57944

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