Hirtshalsbanen

The Hirtshals railway line (Danish: Hirtshalsbanen) is a 17.7 km (11.0 mi) long standard gauge single track railway line between Hjørring and Hirtshals, Denmark.[3] The railway links the fishing and ferry port of Hirtshals with the Danish rail network.

Hirtshals Line
Overview
Native nameHirtshalsbanen
OwnerNordjyske Jernbaner[1]
TerminiHjørring
Hirtshals
Stations13
Service
TypeRailway
SystemDanish railways
Operator(s)Nordjyske Jernbaner[1]
Rolling stockDesiro
History
Opened18 December 1925[2]
Technical
Line length17.7 km (11.0 mi)[3]
Number of tracks1
CharacterLocal railway
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
ElectrificationNo
Operating speed100 km/h (62 mph) (Hjørring–Tornby)
75 km/h (47 mph) (Tornby–Hirtshals)[3]

The railway line opened in 1925.[2] It is currently owned and operated by the railway company Nordjyske Jernbaner (NJ) which runs frequent local train services from Hirtshals station to Hjørring station with onward connections from Hjørring to the rest of Denmark.[1]

History
Railcar from Hjørring Privatbaner in the fog at Hirtshals ferry port in 1975.

In 1915, the Danish Parliament agreed to build a new railway line between Hjørring and Aalbæk station on the Skagen Line with a possible branch line from Vellingshøj to Hirtshals. The main line to Aalbæk was never constructed however, but the branch line to Hirtshals was built instead. Construction started in April 1924, and the railway was opened on 18 December the following year.

From the start, the railway line was operated together with the Hjørring-Løkken-Aabybro Line and the Hjørring-Hørby Line in the joint operating company Hjørring Privatbaner (HP).

In 2001, the operating company Hjørring Privatbaner A/S merged with Skagensbanen A/S (SB) to form the railway company Nordjyske Jernbaner (NJ).[4][5] Headquartered in Hjørring, the company is now responsible for running the Hjørring–Hirtshals and Frederikshavn–Skagen lines.[1]

In 2005 the current Siemens Desiro trains, which have a maximum speed of 120 km/h (75 mph), were introduced.

Operations

Local trains
An NJ Desiro DMU at the Herregårdsparken halt between Hjørring and Hirtshals.

Nordjyske Jernbaner (NJ) runs frequent local train services from Hirtshals station to Hjørring station with onward connections from Hjørring to the rest of Denmark.[1]

Express service

An international passenger service, Nordpilen, between Hirtshals and Hamburg, connecting with the ferries to and from Norway, ceased many years ago.

Freight

Apart from local passenger traffic, there are transit freight trains linking Norway to the European continent. The freight cars are transferred on the railway ferry from Hirtshals to Kristiansand.

Stations
Hirtshalsbanen
 The Vendsyssel Line to Frederikshavn
0,0
 Hjørring
 The Vendsyssel Line to Aalborg
0,5
 Kvægtorvet - opened in 2005
NJ railway depot
1,6
 Teglgårdsvej
3,2
 Herregårdsparken
4,0
 Vellingshøj
 Langholm - closed in 2003
6,9
 Vidstrup
9,4
 Sønderby
10,4
 Tornby
 Raundrup - closed in 2003
13,6
 Horne
15,1
 Emmersbæk
16,6
 Lilleheden
 Color Line - closed in 2008
17,8
 Hirtshals

Previous stations
  • Color Line halt - between Lilleheden halt and Hirtshals station
  • Raundrup halt - between Horne station and Tornby station
  • Langholm - between Vellingshøj station and Vidstrup station

See also

References
  1. "Om Nordjyske Jernbaner" (in Danish). Nordjyske Jernbaner. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  2. Jensen (1976)
  3. "Line information (TIB)" (in Danish). Nordjyske Jernbaner. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  4. "Nordjyske Jernbaner A/S". Central Business Register (CVR). Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  5. "Historien bag Nordjyske Jernbaner" (in Danish). Nordjyske Jernbaner. Retrieved 23 July 2019.

Bibliography
  • Gregersen, A. (1965). Hirtshalsbanen. 1925 - 19. december - 1965 (PDF) (in Danish). Jernbanehistorisk Selskab.
  • Thomassen, P. (1975). Hirtshalsbanen gennem 50 år. 1925 - 19. december - 1975 (in Danish). Bestyrelsen for Hirtshalsbanen.
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