The Skagen railway line ( da, Skagensbanen) is a long

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...

single track railway line between Skagen and Frederikshavn in Vendsyssel, Denmark. The railway links the fishing port and seaside resort of Skagen with the Danish rail network. The railway line opened as a

narrow gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structur ...

in 1890 and was

converted Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

in 1924. It is currently owned and operated by the railway company Nordjyske Jernbaner (NJ) which runs frequent local train services from Skagen station to Frederikshavn station with onward connections from Frederikshavn to the rest of Denmark.

History

Work on the railway line started on 26 July 1889, and was completed on 16 March 1890. It was opened on 24 July 1890 in the presence of King Christian IX, Crown Prince Frederick, and the

Interior Minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Hans Peter Ingerslev Hans Peter Ingerslev (3 May 1831 – 20 April 1896) was a Danish politician and minister. He was born in 1831 on Marselisborg Manor in Aarhus, owned by his parents Caspar Peder Rothe Ingerslev and Marie Meulengracht. Hans Peter Ingerslev graduat ...

. Operations on the line commenced the following day with two trains daily in each direction. Until 1924 it was a

, with a maximum speed of . In 1924 the railway line was

to avoid the need to transfer cargoes of fish in Frederikshavn. As a consequence of the conversion, the layout of Skagen station was extensively changed. As part of the conversion, the right-of-way between Frederikshavn and Rimmen halt was changed so the railway line passed by the coastal town of

Strandby Strandby is a coastal town in Denmark, located in Region Nordjylland. Its population was 2,226 as of 1 January 2022.Elling. In 2001, the operating company Skagensbanen A/S (SB) merged with Hjørring Privatbaner A/S (HP) to form the railway company Nordjyske Jernbaner (NJ). With headquarters in Hjørring, the company is now responsible for running the Hjørring–Hirtshals and Frederikshavn–Skagen lines. In 2005 the current Siemens Desiro was introduced. The maximum speed is between Frederikshavn and Hulsig and between Skagen and Hulsig the maximum speed is .

Route

The Skagen line runs north from Frederikshavn, following the tracks of the

Vendsyssel Line The Vendsyssel railway line ( da, Vendsysselbanen) is a long standard gauge single track railway line in Denmark which runs through the historical region of Vendsyssel between Aalborg and Frederikshavn in North Jutland. It constitutes the north ...

out of the city. As the Vendsyssel Line branches west towards Hjørring, the Skagen Line continues north following the curve of the coast line of the

Ålbæk Bay Ålbæk (alternative spelling: ''Aalbæk'') is a small coastal town in Frederikshavn Municipality, Region Nordjylland, Denmark, with a population of 1,437 (1 January 2022).

, serving the towns of

Strandby Strandby is a coastal town in Denmark, located in Region Nordjylland. Its population was 2,226 as of 1 January 2022.Jerup Jerup is a village, with a population of 544 (1. January 2023).BY3: Population 1. Januar ...

and

Ålbæk Ålbæk (alternative spelling: ''Aalbæk'') is a small coastal town in Frederikshavn Municipality, Region Nordjylland, Denmark, with a population of 1,437 (1 January 2022).

. From Ålbæk the line continues north, passing through Bunken Plantation,

Hulsig Heath Hulsig is a settlement and area of moorland and grey sand dunes in the Råbjerg Mile of the Skagens Odde peninsula, in northern Jutland, northern Denmark. The village lies along the Danish national road 40, to the southwest of the town of Skage ...

and

Skagen Plantation Skagen () is Denmark's northernmost town, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalborg. The Port of Skage ...

before passing through the western part of Skagen to reach its terminus in central Skagen.

Operations

Local trains

The railway company Nordjyske Jernbaner (NJ) operating in the North Jutland Region runs frequent local train services from Skagen station to Frederikshavn station with onward connections from Frederikshavn to

Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aalb ...

and the rest of Denmark.

InterCity service

For a period in the 1990s there were direct InterCity connections between Copenhagen and Skagen, operated by DSB.

Bus services

In 2005, NJ replaced the bus connections between Skagen and Frederikshavn with more frequent train connections.

Stations

Previous stations

Højen station Højen or Gammel Skagen on the west side of Skagen Odde is an old fishing community which now forms part of the town of Skagen in the far north of Jutland, Denmark. History The first building in the Skagen area was built in Højen in the 12th c ...

— between Frederikshavnsvej Halt and Hulsig Station. * Sandmilen halt — between Højen Station and Hulsig Station *

Elling station ''Elling'' is a Norwegian Black comedy film directed by Petter Næss. Shot mostly in and around the Norwegian capital Oslo, the film, which was released in 2001, is primarily based on Ingvar Ambjørnsen's novel ''Brødre i blodet'' ("Blood brot ...

— between Rimmen Halt and Frederikshavn Station. * Apholmen halt — between Strandby Station and Frederikshavn Station.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * *

External links

Nordjyske Jernbaner
– Danish railway company operating in North Jutland Region
Danske Jernbaner
– website with information on railway history in Denmark
Nordjyllands Jernbaner
– website with information on railway history in North Jutland *{{in lang, da}
Skagensiden.dk
– website with information on Skagen Railway lines in Denmark Railway lines opened in 1890 1890 establishments in Denmark Metre gauge railways in Denmark Rail transport in the North Jutland Region Skagen