Lysekil Line

Lysekil Line
A railway line with overhead wires, supported by latticework gantries on its right, seen just from its side. On the left is the rear of a sign with a circular piece above an equally-sized rectangular one. Golden-colored grasses rise from in between the ties, and there is a fogged area of woodland around the tracks in the distance under clouds with blue sky above them. On the right is a road; a fence separates the track right-of-way from a green field on the left.
Tracks during the off-season in Gåseberg
Overview
Native nameLysekilsbanan
StatusSeasonally active
OwnerLysekil Railway ab, 1910–1939;
Swedish government 1939–present
LocaleBohuslän, Sweden
Termini
Stations5
Service
Services1
Operator(s)Lysekil Railway ab, 1910–1939;
Swedish State Railways, 1939–1988;
Swedish Rail Administration, 1988–2010;
Swedish Transport Administration, 2010–present
History
Commenced1911
Opened14 June 1913 (1913-06-14)
Completed1913
Technical
Line length35 km (22 mi)
CharacterAt-grade
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius300 metres (980 ft)[1]
ElectrificationOverhead catenary
Operating speed40 km/h (25 mph)
Highest elevation50 metres (160 ft)[2]
Map showing line within Sweden
Lysekil Line
Legend
km
Bohus Line
to Uddevalla
4.0
 Munkedal
0.0
 Smedberg
Bohus Line
to Strömstad
2.0
 Håbygård
Färlev älv
6.2
 Gläborg
10.5
 Hallinden
15.8
 Brodalen
19.9
Brastad
Lökebacken
25.5
 Häggvall
27.7
 Lyse
30.2
 Buahöjd
34.8
 Lysekil
Lysekil hamn
Gullmarn

The Lysekil Line (Swedish: Lysekilsbanan) is a branch railway of the Bohus Line, connecting Smedberg and Lysekil in the Swedish province of Bohuslän. Opened in 1913, it is today a single-track, electrified standard gauge line 35 kilometres (22 mi) long. Most of it is located within the Stångenäset Hundred, closely paralleling county road 162.

Because of the hilly terrain it passes through, it has the steepest grades of any Swedish rail line, up to 2.5% in some sections. This was a result of a decision to save money on explosives during construction.[3] Originally, it was a major freight line for the ports on the western coast along the Skagerrak; although those grades limited the amount of freight it could carry.[citation needed]

Regular passenger service ended in 1983, by which time the road and ferry network along the coast had made it much easier to get to Gothenburg by automobile. Thereafter the line was open only during the summer months, primarily carrying vacationers to Lysekil. That service was stopped entirely in 2015, although the track is still maintained for possible future use.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Sten, Rolf (12 November 2006). "Snabbfakta LyJ, Lysekils Järnväg" (in Swedish). historikst.nu. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  2. ^ Sten, Rolf (19 March 2003). "Banprofil LyJ, Lysekils Järnväg" (in Swedish). historikst.nu. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Lysekil Munkedal 457" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Transport Administration. Retrieved May 4, 2017.[permanent dead link]