Kystbanen

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Kystbanen" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Kystbanen
Overhead catenary (25 kV 50 Hz AC )
Operating speed	120 km/h (75 mph)
Route map

Kystbanen ("The Coast Line") is a

Its original terminus was

Since 2023 Kystbanen has no longer been served by Øresund trains to Sweden, and is instead integrated into DSB's regional train network, with trains continuing from Copenhagen to stations on Zealand.^[1]

History

Plans for a railway between Copenhagen and Helsingør (Elsinore) had been proposed since the childhood of railways. The

The Ministry of War wanted to have a railway to Vedbæk, as long as it wasn't built so close to the coast that it could be bombarded by a foreign naval fleet in Øresund, and as long as the railway could be removed quickly. The Forestry Department didn't have any objections against the railway as long as not even a single tree was cut down. A number of citizens also were active in the debate about the choice of route and placing of stations.

Because of rules decided by the Ministry of War, the railway had to go in a large curve out over the lakes to Nørrebro and onwards towards the Øresund Coast at Hellerup. Hellerup station was built in the 1860s because it was where the North Line and the Klampenborg Line split, and not because there was a need for a station at the place.

The stretch between

In 2007 the Danish government in cooperation with Skånetrafiken announced it would invite transportation companies to take over the Coast Line. Several European operators most notably SJ, Arriva, Connex, and DSBFirst. DSBFirst won this bid due to their plan of introducing 7-Eleven to the majority of stations, keeping the current system of permanently staffed trains, and promising better scheduling. Moreover, there was a sense that it was more convenient because DSB already had trains suited to operate under the two different volt systems used for railway electrification in Denmark and Sweden. Despite serving food and coffee for passengers on their first Monday of operation, they did not win over passengers as the trains were delayed and packed. For the next few months the trains had an average delay percentage of 10, causing outcry among frequent passengers and a massive drop in rating. As of June 2009, DSBFirst managed to regain much passenger support through fewer delayed trains due to a change in timetables and better education of the train managers.

Rolling stock

The unique feature of the Coast Line is that despite that there is only between three and six minutes between each station, it has not been operated by

The replacement of

Electrification of the railway started in Nivå in 1982 and was completed on 19 March 1986 when the electric operation was initialized with litra EA locomotives.

Stations

	Station	Location	Distance from Copenhagen C (km)	Distance from Helsingør (km)
	Copenhagen Central Station	Copenhagen	0	46.2
	Nørreport station	Copenhagen	1.5	44.7
	Østerport station	Copenhagen	2.9
	Hellerup station	Hellerup	7.8
	Klampenborg Station	Klampenborg	13.3
	Skodsborg Station	Skodsborg	18.8
	Vedbæk Station	Vedbæk	22.1
	Rungsted Kyst Station	Rungsted	26.1
	Kokkedal Station	Kokkedal	29.1
	Nivå Station	Nivå	32.5
	Humlebæk Station	Humlebæk	36.3
	Espergærde Station	Espergærde	40.0	6.2
	Snekkersten Station	Snekkersten	42.7
	Helsingør	Helsingør	46.2	0

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kystbanen.

• (in Danish) Banedanmark – government agency responsible for
  traffic control of most of the Danish railway network
• (in Danish) DSB – largest Danish train operating company
• (in Danish) Danske Jernbaner – website with information on railway history in Denmark