| Iron Ore Line | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Native name | Malmbanan |
| Owner | Swedish Transport Administration |
| Locale | Norrbotten County, Sweden |
| Termini | |
| Service | |
| Type | Railway |
| System | Swedish railway network |
| Operator(s) | Malmtrafik CargoNet Vy Tåg |
| History | |
| Opened | 1888 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 398 km (247 mi) |
| Number of tracks | Single |
| Character | Passenger and freight |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC |
| Operating speed |
|
| Highest elevation | 540 m (1,770 ft) |
The Iron Ore Line (Swedish: Malmbanan) is a 398-kilometre (247 mi) long railway line between Riksgränsen and Boden in Norrbotten County, Sweden, owned by Trafikverket (the Swedish Transport Administration). The line also contains two branches, from Kiruna to Svappavaara and from Gällivare to Koskullskulle. The term is often colloquially used to also include the Ofoten Line, from Riksgränsen to Narvik in Norway, and the northernmost part of the Main Line Through Upper Norrland from Boden to Luleå. The railway from Narvik to Luleå is 473 kilometres (294 mi) long.[1]
The line is dominated by the 8,600-tonne (8,500-long-ton; 9,500-short-ton) ore freight trains operated by LKAB's subsidiary Malmtrafik from their mines to the Port of Narvik and the Port of Luleå. In addition, Vy Tåg operates passenger trains and CargoNet operates container freight trains. The Iron Ore Line is single track, electrified at 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC and has a permitted axle load of 30 tonnes (30 long tons; 33 short tons). The Swedish part of the line is the northernmost railway in Sweden and the Norwegian part outside Narvik is the northernmost railway in the whole of Western Europe at 68.452°N.
The first section of the line, from Gällivare to Luleå, opened in 1888. By 1899, the line was extended to Kiruna, and from 1903, all the way to Narvik. Electrification took place between 1915 and 1923. Operations of the ore trains was taken over by Malmtrafik from SJ in 1996.
Rockfalls from mountains have at times hit the line.[2]
- ^ "Malmbanan" (in Swedish). Järnväg.net. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ^ Rudberg, Sten (1997). "Sweden". In Embleton, C.; Embleton-Hamann, C. (eds.). Geomorphological Hazards of Europe. Elsevier. p. 457. ISBN 9780444888242.