Malmo prepares for Citytuneln opening

Malmö's long awaited capacity increasing Citytuneln project has started trial operations in anticipation of full services within Sweden and to Denmark beginning on December 12 at the Winter timetable change. A pair of Alstom X61 Electric Multiple Units - popularly called Pågatåg - and operated by Arriva are in use but will not be allowed to cross over to Denmark.

The project is an impressive feat of engineering, with the construction of around 17km of double track electrified railway in the heart of Malmö (6km of which is in tunnels) and the creation of two new stations - Hyllie and the centrally located Triangeln, which is much more convenient for the city centre than the present Malmö C. station. Construction began five years ago at an estimated cost of SEK 8.56 billion (DKK 6.9 billion) and has been completed months ahead of the original December 2010 deadline.

Transformed services

The success of the Øresund link from Copenhagen, as well as a major increase in local traffic in Malmo, mean the city's rail network has been bursting at the seams for some years, but from December 12, the significant extra capacity is going to transform services.

That day, when the tunnel opens for regular traffic, DSB First will double the frequency of the daytime service between Denmark and Malmö - and beyond - to a 10 minute interval service. The opening of the tunnel will mean a reduction of up to four minutes in journey times between Copenhagen and Malmö but a much more noticeable reduction - of more than 20 minutes - between Copenhagen and Lund because of the elimination of the reversal in Malmö.

However, plans to run Pågatåg services from Ystad through Malmö via the Citytunnel has been postponed until late next summer, due to the recent decision to start similar services to Trelleborg in 2012. This decision necessitates doubling the connecting line south of Hyllie - and this is happening now in order to prevent disruption of Ystad services in the future. Two new stations and loops will be constructed on this busy single track  line where there is heavy freight traffic to the ferries to Poland. The passenger station in Trelleborg will be restored for passenger traffic too. Ystad services will continue to use the freight line (the Continental line) around Malmö in the meantime.

The DSB service, Intercity Bornholm, which runs from Copenhagen C to Ystad, connecting with fast ferries to the Danish island of Bornholm, will run to the Ystad line via the Citytunnel and the Continental line, through but without stopping at Malmö C, until the new connection is established.

Malmö city has decided to start a half-hourly ring line service in both directions using the Citytunnel and the Continental line. Besides this ring line, only freight services will use the Continental line in the future. The city will build a pair of new stations on the line and encourage residential development on the areas around the stations.

At a time when major infrastructure projects are viewed with suspicion by some financiers, the success of Citytuneln proves that they delivered on time and on budget - and more importantly still that the benefits of providing better transport can cross borders.

Image captions
Top: 
Train set "Birgit Nielsen" approaching Hyllie past the watertower. Hyllie is the site of a new town development and a large Park and Ride station (replacing Svågertorp which has that function today) for Swedes who are travelling to Copenhagen airport. It costs DKK 230 to take a car over the bridge and park at the airport.


Bottom:

Set nr 9 at Trianglen deep level station in the commercial and shopping heart of Malmö. This is expected to be the busiest station in the city.