Trains and other things: Degerfors to Göteborg and back (via Karlstad, Öxnered, Bohus)

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Degerfors to Göteborg and back (via Karlstad, Öxnered, Bohus)

(Please note this post was re-written 2017-03-18). On a sunny summer day, I took a round trip from Degerfors via Karlstad and Vänerbanan railway to Göteborg and then back by Tågab train via Västra stambanan railway.

Degerfors is one of the stations along the Värmlandsbanan railway.

Degerfors is located near a larger town of Karlskoga, so the station is serving two towns.

Back in 2014, SJ was still operating locomotive hauled coach train from Stockholm to Oslo. A year later SJ Intercity was replaced by SJ Snabbtåg operating with X2 trains, cutting the travel time by 1,5h.

This would be my first train for today, but only a short ride to Karlstad.

I get off in Karlstad. SJ Intercity to Oslo (to the left) and terminated SJ X2 (to the right).

Terminus platform is just close enough to fit an X2 train. This problem was solved too in 2015, as the X2 trains were extended to Oslo. The few trains today terminating at Karlstad are operated with shorter X55.

The length of SJ Intercity could vary from time to time, this trains had 7 coaches.

Karlstad station has basically one long platform, plus two terminating tracks with a platform.

The rest of the railway yard is without platforms, and is serving as a parking space for passenger trains. This freight train seems to have been waiting for other trains to pass.

The station is built by Hjalmar Kumlien and it opened 1869 at the same time as Kristinhamn-Karlstad railway was opened.

The station was important along the new railway linking Norway and Sweden, which at that time were in a union.

My next train is an X52E to Göteborg. The train is one of newest Regina trains, manufactured 2012.

Other Regina trains are parked outside Karlstad station

X52

Inside X52E

After Värmlandsbanan, from Kil the train takes Vänerbanan.

Grums

Säffle

Vänerbanan is located on the west side of the lake Vänern - the largest lake in Sweden.

Åmål

Mellerud

Railway is following closely E45 road

I'm getting off in Öxnered.

Öxnered station is a junction between Väner/Norgebanan and Älvsborgsbanan.

Västtåg service Uddevalla-Borås-Varberg

X12

Next is X53 train. Here it operates Västtåg service Vänersborg-Göteborg.

The railway between Öxnered and Göteborg was upgraded to double track and 200km/h standard. The trip time is now reduced by 20min to 40min. New tunnels and bridges have been built.