Stockholm commuter rail

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Stockholm commuter rail
Locale	Stockholm County
Transit type	Commuter rail
Began operation	1967
System length	200 km (124 mi)
Number of lines	3
Number of stations	50
Daily ridership	230,000
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge)
Owner	Storstockholms Lokaltrafik / Banverket
Operator(s)	Stockholmståg

Stockholm commuter rail (Swedish: Stockholms pendeltåg) is the commuter rail system in Stockholm County, Sweden. The system is an important part of the public transport in Stockholm, and is controlled by Stockholm Transport on the state-owned tracks administered by the Swedish Rail Administration. The trains are operated by the independent contractor Stockholmståg.

Contents 1 History 2 Lines 3 Stations 4 Rolling stock 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

Local trains have been operated on the railroads around Stockholm since late 19th century. From the beginning, the local rail services were merely an integrated part of the Swedish State Railways. But in 1967, the responsibility of these services was transferred to the Stockholm County, which incorporated it with the ticketing system of Stockholm Transport. New trains were bought, stations were modernized, and the Stockholm commuter rail network was aimed to be more metro-like.

During the years 1986 to 1996, the railroads around Stockholm were given important improvements. Single track stretches were upgraded to double tracks, and some double track stretches were upgraded to four-track, allowing the commuter trains to run less dependent of other rail services. The service frequency was gradually increased, and from 2001 most stations of the network are served by trains in regular 15-minutes intervals, with additional trains during rush hours.

The latest extension to the commuter rail network is the outer stretch between Kungsängen and Bålsta that was opened 2001. Årstaberg station was inaugurated in 2006, giving connection to the newly built Tvärbanan light rail system.

The Stockholm commuter rail has been operated by private companies since 2000. The new order meant longer working hours and worse retirement benefits for the personnel, and many drivers refused to sign up with the new contractor. The first year was chaotic with huge delays and lots of train services being cancelled. The situation has gradually improved, but the commuter rail is still facing problems with low punctuality and shortage of railroad engineers. The network is currently operated by Stockholmståg that happens to be a subsidiary of SJ AB, the former Swedish State Railways company.

[edit] Lines

Stockholm commuter rail

Märsta J36 Rosersberg Upplands Väsby Rotebro Norrviken Häggvik Sollentuna Helenelund Ulriksdal Solna Bålsta J35 Bro Kungsängen Kallhäll Jakobsberg Barkarby Spånga Sundbyberg Karlberg Stockholm C Stockholms södra Årstaberg Älvsjö Farsta strand Trångsund Skogås Handen Jordbro Västerhaninge Krigslida Tungelsta Hemfosa Segersäng Ösmo Nynäsgård Nynäs havsbad Nynäshamn J35 Stuvsta Huddinge Flemingsberg Tullinge Tumba Rönninge Östertälje Södertälje centrum J36 J37 Södertälje hamn Södertälje syd Järna Mölnbo Gnesta J37

Line	Stretch	Travel time	Length	Stations
J35	Bålsta – Västerhaninge – Nynäshamn	1:44	107 km	27
J36	Märsta – Södertälje centrum	1:21	74 km	24
J37	Södertälje centrum – Gnesta	0:31	30 km	6
Entire commuter rail system			200 km	50

There are three lines in the Stockholm commuter rail system; two long lines across the county in south-northwest (J35 Nynäshamn–Bålsta) and southwest-north (J36 Södertälje–Märsta) directions, both through central Stockholm, and a shorter one in southwest between Gnesta and Södertälje (J37). The total track length of the system is 200 kilometers (124 miles).

Due to short platforms and lack of passing loops on the single track portion of the Nynäs railway south of Västerhaninge a train change takes place in Västerhaninge. Platform lengthening and construction of passing loops are planned to be completed in fall 2008 ^[1][2]. However, the line will probably remain divided for some time, in order to sustain a higher level of punctuality in the more central parts of the network^[3].

Trains are operating every 30 minutes from 5 am to 1 am every day, with 15-minutes intervals during daytime. Additional trains during rush hours give an average of 7½ minutes intervals for many stations, and trains every 4 minutes on the central parts. Line J37 and outer parts of line J35 are served less frequently, with up to two hours between trains on weekends.

All trains stop at all intermediate stations, except a few trains during rush hours that skip some smaller stations. 230 000 passengers travel with the Stockholm commuter rail during an ordinary weekday.

[edit] Stations

There are 50 stations in the network, with 2 stretching beyond the Stockholm County borders. 8 stations connect with regional and long-distance trains, 1 connects with light rail system Tvärbanan, and 3 stations have access to the Stockholm Metro. Several stations are important interchanges to local buses.

Most stations are of a similar style; island platform in a ground-level location with one or two exits, with turnstiles and a staffed ticket office. A few interchange stations have multiple platforms. The stations south of Västerhaninge and Södertälje are smaller and have no ticket vending facilities. Tickets are bought from the train conductor on these parts of the network.

Stockholm Central Station is by far the biggest station in the network, with more than 50,000 boarding commuter rail passengers per day. The smallest station is Hemfosa, which have approximately 75 boarding passengers per day.

The 10 biggest stations (number of boarding passengers on a normal winter weekday 2005):

#	Station	Boarding passengers
1.	Stockholm C	53 800
2.	Stockholms södra	16 200
3.	Älvsjö	12 100
4.	Karlberg	10 600
5.	Jakobsberg	10 300
6.	Flemingsberg	9 500
7.	Sundbyberg	7 600
8.	Sollentuna	7 400
9.	Södertälje centrum	7 100
10.	Tumba	6 800

[edit] Rolling stock

Three types of rolling stock are currently used on the commuter rail network. The oldest type, X1, was build between 1967 and 1975, and was complemented by a second generation train, X10, delivered between 1982 and 1993. X1 and X10 units are 50 meters (160 ft) long and are completely compatible with each other. A train consists of two to four units, making the train 100-200 meters long.

The older stock is currently being replaced by the new type X60 (Coradia Lirex) by Alstom. The first was delivered in 2005, and a total of 71 units will be delivered until 2008. A full-length train with two X60 units is 214 meters (700 ft). The maximum speed is 160 km/h (99 mph).

[edit] See also

• List of suburban and commuter rail systems
• Public transport in Stockholm

[edit] References

• Banverket (2007). Linjebok Stockholms trafikledningsområde, Utgåva 4, ätr 4. BVF 646.4.  (Swedish)
• Tekniska fakta - pendeltåg. Storstockholms Lokaltrafik. Retrieved on 2007-07-10. (Swedish)
• Pendeltågen i Stockholms län : Historisk bakgrund och utveckling 1957-2003. Regionplane- och trafikkontoret, Stockholms läns landsting (2003-12-09). (Swedish)
• Fakta om SL och länet år 2005. Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (2006-05-18). (Swedish)
• (2007) Stockholm commuter rail timetables. Storstockholms Lokaltrafik.  J35 J36 J37

[edit] External links

• Media related to Stockholms pendeltåg from the Wikimedia Commons.
• Stockholm Transport - official website
• Map of all Stockholm Transport rail lines

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