Denmark - General Information

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Country Name

Denmark (Danmark)

National Railway System

National Railway Operator

Danske Statsbaner (DSB).

Language

Danish

Currency

Danish Krone

UIC code

numeric 86; alpha DK

Timetable

Journey Planner

www.rejseplanen.dk. Note that this journey planner selects bus services if they provide the best journey. Click on "Advanced options" to bring up a screen enabling selection or deselection of various modes of transport.

Downloadable Timetable

Alle køreplaner (pdf) (in Danish only) will no longer provides an image of the printed timetables. Instead there is the facility to generate a personalised schedule for any journey and download that.

Working (Staff) Timetable

The Tjenestekøreplaner (in Danish only) are divided into 3 sections - Øst, Vest and S-Tog.

Printed Timetable

The DSB Køreplan ceased publication in the autumn of 2015. Arriva Tog A/S ​​​still provides timetable leaflets for its services.

A timetable - Veterantog i Danmark - is issued for most of the seasonal tourist railways by Danske Veterantogsoperatøres Fællesrepræsentation (DVF) and Lokomotivklubben KLK in printed form from Danske Jernbane-Klub, Kalvebod Brygge 40, DK-1560 København V, or at Danske Veterantogs Fællesrepræsentation (only in Danish).

Engineering Information

Trafikinformation in Danish only, then select:

  • Dagens ændringer (Today's changes)
  • Oversigtskort over sporarbejder (Overview map of track work)

Bus Information

The Journey Planner (above) selects bus services if they provide the best journey.

Maps

Printed Maps

Web-based Maps

Ticketing

A single fare structure covers both DSB and private lines. National fares apply only when a journey covers at least two regions. Local fares apply wholly within a region; these are all zonal and also cover buses. Some regions also offer day tickets. Most private operators do not accept InterRail and similar tickets. Penalty fares are charged if passengers are without a valid ticket on local lines in the København area.

Seat reservations are compulsory on trains using ferries to Puttgarden, and desirable on other long-distance services. Reservations from intermediate stations are issued until shortly before the train calls, so apparently unreserved seats may be claimed during the course of the journey.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure Authority

Infrastructure is owned by BaneDanmark, a public authority separate from DSB.

Network Statement

Railway infrastructure owned by the Danish state is described in Banedanmark's Network Statements. This contains recent Network Statements and the associated appendices, which are in Danish only. Infrastructure data for regional railways are contained in the appendices.

Gauge

Standard.

Electrification

25kV 50Hz, but most branch lines and some main lines are not electrified.

The S-train network in København is electrified with 1650V DC (negative overhead wire).

Rule of the road

Right.

Distances

Some distances are given in appendix 6.6 of the 2018 Network Statement. Some of the regional railways' Network Statements give distance information.

Other Railways

Lokaltog A/S

Lokaltog A/S and Regionstog A/S merged to form Lokaltog A/S on 1 July 2015

  • Gribskovbanen (Hillerød to Tisvildeleje and Gilleleje)
  • Frederiksværkbanen (Hillerød - Frederiksværk - Hundested Havn)
  • Hornbækbanen (Helsingør - Hornbæk - Gilleleje)
  • Lille Nord (Helsingør - Hillerød)
  • Naerumbanen (Jægersborg - Nærum)
  • Odsherredsbanen (Holbæk - Nykøbing Sj.)
  • Tølløsebanen ((Holbæk)-Tølløse - Slagelse; includes freight line to Gørlev)
  • Østbanen (Køge - Fakse Ladeplads and Rødvig
  • Lollandsbanen (Nykøbing F - Nakskov)

Midtjyske Jernbaner A/S

  • Vemb - Lemvig - Thyborøn Jernbane
  • Odderbanen (Århus - Odder) Combined with Grenaabanen to form Aarhus Letbane (Aarhus light rail).

Nordjyske Jernbaner A/S

  • Hjørring Privatbaner (Hjørring - Hirtshals)
  • Skagensbanen (Frederikshavn - Skagen)

Nordjyske Jernbaner A/S operates some freight trains over BaneDanmark lines north of Ålborg.

Arriva Tog A/S

  • Vestbanen (Varde - Nørre Nebel; includes the freight-only line to Oksbøl Syd)

Arriva Tog A/S operates passenger services under franchise over BaneDanmark lines, including services between Tønder and Niebüll (Germany).

Tourist lines

  • Blovstrødbanen (Blovstrød - Storkevad) (700mm gauge)
  • Danmarks Jernbanemuseum (Odense museum - Aløkke Allé)
  • Vestsjællands Veterantog (Høng - Gørlev, plus operation over regular passenger lines)
  • Hedelands Veteranbane (700mm gauge line, ca. 4.5km long at Hedehusene)
  • Limfjordsbanen (Aalborgs Veterantog): (Aalborg - Aalborg Øst (Grønlandshavnen))
  • Lokomotivklubben KLK (Haderslev - Vojens, plus operation over regular passenger lines)
  • Mariager-Handest Veteranjernbane
  • Museumsbanen Maribo - Bandholm
  • Syd Fyenske Veteranjernbane (Faaborg - Korinth)
  • Veteranbanen Bryrup - Vrads

The Blovstrødbanen, Limfjordsbanen, Mariager-Handest Veteranjernbane and Maribo-Bandholm lines are operated by special interest groups of Dansk Jernbaneklub.

Lemvig – Lemvig Havn. A tourist service with preserved railbuses operates in summer on the steeply-graded branch between the main station and a quayside platform (constructed 2012) in the harbour. The service was operated by the SkinneBusGruppen Vestjylland (SBGV) in 2012. The SBGV was apparently dissolved on 5 April 2014. No services operated in 2016. However, on 4 October 2016 Lemvig town council granted the line 75,000 kr. It resumed running in July 2017, operated by the BjergBanen association. However, the line was in need of renovation and it is not known if any services will operate in 2019: see BjergBanen website.

Dates of operation of some special trains may be given on the Danmarks Jernbanemuseum website.

There is a listing of Nordic narrow gauge tourist lines at the Scandinavian Railways Society website.

Rail cycling is possible on a number of lines; see the IG Draisinenfahrten website. Click on 'International', followed by 'Draisinenlinks' to obtain website details under the heading 'Draisinenstrecken in Dänemark (DK)'.

Metro

København (opened between 2002 and 2007; a new line is under construction).

Trams

Aarhus [Letbanen].

The Odense Letbane is under construction and due to open in 2020. It is actually a tramway rather than a light rail system.

Sporvejsmuseet Skjoldenæsholm (tramway museum line, ca. 2km) at Jystrup Midtsjælland.

Recent and future changes

Recent changes

The lines from Aarhus to Odder and Grenaa have been electrified and converted to the light rail Letbane. The first section from Aarhus H to Aarhus University Hospital opened on 21 December 2017. Both Aarhus - Odder (originally planned for 23 September 2017) and Aarhus University Hospital - Lisbjergskolen (originally planned for December 2017) opened on 25 August 2018. The final section, between Skolebakken and Grenaa and between Lisbjerg and Lystrup, opened on 30 April 2019.

Electrification of Lunderskov - Esbjerg was commissioned on 6 August 2017.

The introduction of border control checks by Sweden and the resulting congestion at København airport (Kastrup) caused by the enforced change of train there, resulted in SJ X2000 services and DSB trains from/to Ystad [for the Bornholm ferry] ceasing to call and being diverted via the airport avoiding line from 4 January 2016. By January 2017 only Ystad to København services were using the avoiding line and these were booked to call at the airport from 30 January 2017 before being completely withdrawn after loss of subsidy later in the year.

Skellebjerg – Slagelse closed to passengers on 18 January 2016 owing to condition of track, but funding was found to repair and it reopened on 1 November 2016.

DSB services were withdrawn from Aarhus to Odder and Grenaa on 26 August 2016 for electrification and conversion to light rail (the Letbane).

Doubling of Vamdrup – Vojens (the last single track section between Fredericia and Tinglev) was completed on 7 September 2015 and of Lejre – Vipperød (the last single track section between København and Holbæk) on 18 August 2014.

A relief line for the western approach to København H opened on 9 December 2012; see DK4. This was the first phase of the planned København – Køge – Ringsted line.

The line from Nykøbing Falster to Gedser closed to passengers on 13 December 2009.

In connection with construction of the København Metro, the S-train line Grøndal – Vanløse – Solbjerg – Frederiksberg was closed in stages between 1998 and 2001, instead the S-train ring line services were extended from Grøndal to Ny Ellebjerg in the alignment of a freight line made obsolete by the Øresund fixed link. The extended ring line was complete on 16 November 2006.

The first section of the København Metro, from Nørreport to Lergravsparken and Vestamager, was opened on 19 October 2002. Nørreport to Frederiksberg opened on 29 May 2003, Frederiksberg to Vanløse on 12 October 2003 and Lergravsparken to the airport (mostly on the formation of the former Amagerbanen line) on 28 September 2007.

The bridge and tunnel across the Storebælt, connecting the islands of Fyn and Sjælland, opened to rail traffic in 1997, bringing about closure of the train ferry between Nyborg and Korsør. A fixed link has been constructed between København and Malmö (Sweden): the first section, to København Lufthavn Kastrup, opened on 28 September 1998 and the remainder on 2 July 2000, whereupon the Helsingør – Helsingborg train ferry was withdrawn.

See also overview of Danish rail infrastructure history (in Danish).

Future changes

There are strong rumours that København – Hamburg services will no longer run via the Rødby Færge – Puttgarden Train Ferry from the December 2019 timetable change and be diverted via the Padborg border crossing.

An extension of the København Metro, the City Circle Line, is under construction and was scheduled to open in 2018.

A short new line serving Aalborg Airport is allegedly planned for opening in 2020 but little information is available on-line.

A new line from Vejle to Billund is planned. The possibility of a new line from Århus to Silkeborg via Galten will be investigated.

Ringsted – Nykøbing Falster - Rødby is being doubled, electrified and upgraded for 200 km/h running in conjunction with the Fehmarn belt project, whereby the train ferry between Rødby and Puttgarden (Germany) will be replaced by a tunnel from 2021. The existing bascule bridge over the Masnedsund (Vordingborg) is being replaced by a double track concrete bridge. A new bascule bridge will be built next to the existing single track King Frederik IX Bridge over the Guldborgsund at Nykøbing. Owing to delays in upgrading the line on the German side of the Fehmarn Belt, construction work in Denmark has been postponed. Completion was scheduled for the end of 2019 but has been now been postponed for at least a year.

Electrification is scheduled or in progress on the Køge - Næstved, Næstved - Ringsted - Rødby lines and the new Copenhagen - Ringsted high speed line. Funds have also been allocated for electrification of Fredericia - Aalborg, Aalborg - Frederikshavn, Vejle - Struer and Roskilde-Kalundborg.

Tracklaying began on the planned København – Køge – Ringsted line in November 2016 and it is now scheduled to open in May 2019 (see overview at New Line Copenhagen-Ringsted ). However, problems with the new signalling system may delay this.

Special Notes

Most long-distance services (IC and Lyntog) are worked by modern diesel units, and many trains split to serve several destinations. Displays within carriages indicate the destination of that portion of the train. Passengers travelling first class may help themselves to free tea and coffee on the train. Most long distance trains include a section designated for families and a "quiet" coach, where loud conversations and use of mobile phones is not permitted.

See also