Southern Main Line
The Southern Main Line (Swedish: Södra stambanan) is a 483-kilometre (300 mi) long electrified railway between Malmö and Katrineholm in Sweden. The trains continue further on to Stockholm Central Station along the Western Main Line and terminate there (at platforms 16–19).
History
The first parts of the line opened in 1856 between Malmö and Lund, and the last parts in 1874.
Present
The line entirely consists of double track. Today high-speed X 2000 trains travel at 200 kilometres per hour (120 mph) for large parts of the way.
Future
Around year 2020–2030 a new high-speed line for 300 or 320 km/h is planned to be opened between Linköping and Södertälje. It is called Ostlänken and will cut travel time by 40 minutes. There are also plans to increase the permitted speed to 250 kilometres per hour (160 mph) between Nässjö and Hässleholm around 2020. Both plans are delayed until further notice by the government, both for cost reasons, and awaiting the political discussion of how to improve the railway network.
External links
- Trafikverket page on the Southern Main Line (Swedish)
- Järnväg.net page on Southern Main Line (Swedish)