Carfree summer vacation with extensive train travel using #InterRail starts!
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First ride is an electric accordion bus. This is a standard one, but the town has even bought so called superbusses, which have two "accordions", not just one. This is part of an ongoing transformation of traffic: Electric busses, Bikes, less cars, more trees. I love it.
A week ago, the town has introduced a new line network. This is the first time we ride with the completely new line 9, which will take us to the central station.
2/n
Now on to the Öresundstrain, which will take us in 34 minutes to Copenhagen central station. These go every 15 minutes, making Malmö sort of a suburb of Copenhagen. They are not 100% reliable, unfortunately, so on such trips, we go early and then have breakfast in Copenhagen.
3/n
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Now on to the Öresundstrain, which will take us in 34 minutes to Copenhagen central station. These go every 15 minutes, making Malmö sort of a suburb of Copenhagen. They are not 100% reliable, unfortunately, so on such trips, we go early and then have breakfast in Copenhagen.
3/n
This train goes over the Öresund bridge, which just filled 25 years! It's a smashing success and has completely transformed the region, causing Scania to now be a part of the Greater Copenhagen Area.
The cars go on the top lane, whereas the train is on the lower lane. That means unfortunately that the view is not so great, but let's not complain.
After the bridge, the train goes into a tunnel starting on the artificial island Pepparholm, where we pass Copenhagen airport (and don't get out!).
Now on to breakfast at Copenhagen Central station!
4/n
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This train goes over the Öresund bridge, which just filled 25 years! It's a smashing success and has completely transformed the region, causing Scania to now be a part of the Greater Copenhagen Area.
The cars go on the top lane, whereas the train is on the lower lane. That means unfortunately that the view is not so great, but let's not complain.
After the bridge, the train goes into a tunnel starting on the artificial island Pepparholm, where we pass Copenhagen airport (and don't get out!).
Now on to breakfast at Copenhagen Central station!
4/n
On to the train from Copenhagen to Hamburg. This connects Scandinavia to the rest of Europe and it is run jointly by DB and DSB. It is also notoriously unreliable and it is rare that one arrives in Hamburg on time. Indeed, already wagon 8 is locked and travelers on that one are relegated to a replacement bus.
The 4.5 hours trip is slow. Also, the wagons being used are old and not very comfortable. Today, we have old german InterCity wagons, I guess from the 90s. Often, the wifi is turned off once on enters Germany.
But better times are ahead: Denmark is building a tunnel that will shorten the trip by two hours, a game changer for Scandinavia! The construction is currently on time, and due to finish 2029. So yay Denmark!
Both the german and the swedish government behave quite ignorant of this, and the followup construction in both countries is at best in a planning stage.
Nevertheless, good times ahead for train travel in northern Europe!
5/n
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On to the train from Copenhagen to Hamburg. This connects Scandinavia to the rest of Europe and it is run jointly by DB and DSB. It is also notoriously unreliable and it is rare that one arrives in Hamburg on time. Indeed, already wagon 8 is locked and travelers on that one are relegated to a replacement bus.
The 4.5 hours trip is slow. Also, the wagons being used are old and not very comfortable. Today, we have old german InterCity wagons, I guess from the 90s. Often, the wifi is turned off once on enters Germany.
But better times are ahead: Denmark is building a tunnel that will shorten the trip by two hours, a game changer for Scandinavia! The construction is currently on time, and due to finish 2029. So yay Denmark!
Both the german and the swedish government behave quite ignorant of this, and the followup construction in both countries is at best in a planning stage.
Nevertheless, good times ahead for train travel in northern Europe!
5/n
@philippbirken it is actually not that awfully slow, the average speed is a respectable 108 km/h for EC 392, for instance. But sure, that is much less than the SJ Snabbtåg between Stockholm and Malmö (around 130–140 km/h), not to mention actual high-speed trains on high-speed lines.
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@philippbirken it is actually not that awfully slow, the average speed is a respectable 108 km/h for EC 392, for instance. But sure, that is much less than the SJ Snabbtåg between Stockholm and Malmö (around 130–140 km/h), not to mention actual high-speed trains on high-speed lines.
@tml I would argue that Copenhagen-Odense-Kolding is the most important train line in Denmark and that should be high-speed.
But the real slow part of the ride is Kolding-Padborg. Additionally, it's boring with only flat fields and meadows!
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@tml I would argue that Copenhagen-Odense-Kolding is the most important train line in Denmark and that should be high-speed.
But the real slow part of the ride is Kolding-Padborg. Additionally, it's boring with only flat fields and meadows!
@philippbirken
It's getting there. Here are the steps:1) Build bridge. 30 years the trains were still carried by ferry across the Great Belt.
2) The new line Copenhagen-Ringsted is high speed, built for 250 km/h. But trains going faster than 200 need their approval renewed every year instead of every three, so they don't. And till the new rolling stock is approved, only DB trains go over 180.
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@philippbirken
It's getting there. Here are the steps:1) Build bridge. 30 years the trains were still carried by ferry across the Great Belt.
2) The new line Copenhagen-Ringsted is high speed, built for 250 km/h. But trains going faster than 200 need their approval renewed every year instead of every three, so they don't. And till the new rolling stock is approved, only DB trains go over 180.
@philippbirken
3) Electrify the whole stretch. That was stupidly postponed in the 90s. Happened sine 2015.4) A new 250 km/h line is under construction Odense-Middelfart. I passed by on the motorway recently, they move lots of soil.
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@philippbirken
3) Electrify the whole stretch. That was stupidly postponed in the 90s. Happened sine 2015.4) A new 250 km/h line is under construction Odense-Middelfart. I passed by on the motorway recently, they move lots of soil.
@philippbirken
5) Ringsted-Korsør can be cheaply upgraded to 200 km/h most of the way. The slowest sections can also get faster, but not 200. So high speed, barely.6) The Great Belt tunnel can probably also do 200 with hardly any change. The bridge can't.
7) All of Denmark is replacing old analog mish mash signals with new EU standard. It's slow and expensive. Point 5 and 6 have not been decided, but look more likely to happen along with new signals, maybe 2028-9?
@tml -
@philippbirken
5) Ringsted-Korsør can be cheaply upgraded to 200 km/h most of the way. The slowest sections can also get faster, but not 200. So high speed, barely.6) The Great Belt tunnel can probably also do 200 with hardly any change. The bridge can't.
7) All of Denmark is replacing old analog mish mash signals with new EU standard. It's slow and expensive. Point 5 and 6 have not been decided, but look more likely to happen along with new signals, maybe 2028-9?
@tml@philippbirken
So in five years most of it could be high speed. The rest is either in cities or on bridges, except for 40 km which is mostly 180 km/h, some 160 and 140, not much to gain.A lot is happening on Danish railroads.
If anyone wants to check this out (or any other railroad worldwide) I recommend https://openrailwaymap.org
@tml -
@philippbirken
So in five years most of it could be high speed. The rest is either in cities or on bridges, except for 40 km which is mostly 180 km/h, some 160 and 140, not much to gain.A lot is happening on Danish railroads.
If anyone wants to check this out (or any other railroad worldwide) I recommend https://openrailwaymap.org
@tml@philippbirken
And there is lots of interest from rail companies wanting to run from Stockholm/Oslo/Copenhagen to Hamburg, even before the Femern Belt Fixed Link opens. So better times ahead, probably.
@tml
