Stockholm–Roslagens Järnvägar (SRJ) was a private railway company in Sweden 1885–1951, running a vast network of
narrow gauge
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 structu ...
railways in
Roslagen
Roslagen is the name of the coastal areas of Uppland province in Sweden, which also constitutes the northern part of the Stockholm archipelago.
Historically, it was the name for all the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, including the eastern par ...
north of
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
. The company was taken over by
Swedish State Railways
The Swedish State Railways ( sv, Statens Järnvägar) or SJ, originally the Royal Railway Board ( sv, Kungl. Järnvägsstyrelsen), was the former government agency responsible for operating the state-owned railways in Sweden.
It was created i ...
in 1951, formally combined into Swedish State Railways in 1959.
Parts of the SRJ network closest to Stockholm is now used for commuter traffic and called
Roslagsbanan
Roslagsbanan is a narrow gauge commuter railway system in Roslagen, Stockholm County, Sweden. Its combined route length is and there are 38 stations. It is built to the Swedish three foot () gauge. The Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL) classifies ...
, owned by
Storstockholms lokaltrafik
Storstockholms Lokaltrafik, or more formally Aktiebolaget Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (Greater Stockholm Local Transit Company), is the organisation running all of the land based public transport systems in Stockholm County. It was previously k ...
. The line between Hargshamn and Dannemora has been
converted to standard gauge and made part of the national, government owned network. Another part close to
Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...
is used as a
heritage railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
and called
Upsala-Lenna Jernväg
Upsala-Lenna Järnväg (ULJ) (literally: ''Upsala-Lenna Railway'', also nicknamed ''Lennakatten'') is a Narrow gauge railway, narrow-gauge heritage railway in Uppsala County, Sweden. It is long and is a part of the once extensive Roslagen networ ...
. All other parts are now closed.
History
The SRJ network became a large narrow gauge system throughout
Roslagen
Roslagen is the name of the coastal areas of Uppland province in Sweden, which also constitutes the northern part of the Stockholm archipelago.
Historically, it was the name for all the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, including the eastern par ...
and east
Uppland
Uppland () is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. On the small uninhab ...
through mergers and acquisitions, connecting
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
and
Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...
with ports, smaller towns and parts of the countryside and used for both freight and passenger transports.
The first parts of what became the total network were inaugurated in 1876 as the
Uppsala-Lenna railway. In 1885 the line from
Stockholm East Station (
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
) to
Rimbo
Rimbo () is a locality situated in Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 4,629 inhabitants in 2010. Rimbo is located about 20 km west of the municipal seat of Norrtälje.
Rimbo grew up as a railhead at the junction between th ...
opened, what is now the longest part of Roslagsbanan and originally built and run by the private enterprise Stockholm-Rimbo Järnväg (SRJ). These lines were connected, making Rimbo a junction on the first railway connection between Stockholm and Uppsala (the government owned standard gauge mainline straight from Stockholm C to Uppsala C was not inaugurated until some years later). In 1909 SRJ changed its name to Stockholm–Roslagens Järnvägar (with the same abbreviation) following the take-over of companies running adjacent lines, such as the Uppsala-Lenna railway and
Djursholmsbanan
Djursholmsbanan (DjB) was the original name of a network of Narrow gauge railway, narrow-gauge urban railways between Stockholm and Djursholm in Stockholm County, Sweden. This network is now a part of Roslagsbanan, but the oldest line was closed i ...
(DjB). The total SRJ network, all with the same narrow gauge, at its largest covered large parts of
Roslagen
Roslagen is the name of the coastal areas of Uppland province in Sweden, which also constitutes the northern part of the Stockholm archipelago.
Historically, it was the name for all the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, including the eastern par ...
, hence its name.
Parts of the network made up one of the oldest electrified railway lines for public transport in Europe: The first Stockholm -
Djursholm
Djursholm () is one of four suburban districts in, and the seat of Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. Djursholm is included in the multi-municipal Stockholm urban area. Djursholm is divided into a number of different areas: Djursh ...
suburban part was electrified in 1892.
and this line was at the time drawn further in to the centre of Stockholm on a tram track, ending at
Engelbrektsplan
Engelbrektsplan is a town square in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at the southern end of Engelbrektsgatan in Östermalm and is situated next to Humlegården.
History
Engelbrektsplan was first planned in 1884 when Landbyska, a former brewery, ...
next to
Humlegården
Humlegården is a major park in the district of Östermalm in Stockholm, Sweden. The park borders on Karlavägen in the north, Sturegatan in the east, Humlegårdsgatan in the south and Engelbrektsgatan in the west. It is the location of the Swedi ...
, allowing for just a short walk to the city centre or to inner city tram lines and busses; since 1960 this line now also ends at the East Station.
In the beginning of the 20th century and well into the 1950s,
Djursholms Ösby
Djursholms Ösby is a branch railway station on Roslagsbanan, a suburban commuter railway north of Stockholm in Sweden. It serves Ösby in Djursholm in Danderyd Municipality and is 6.6 km from Stockholm East Station.
The station opened i ...
, a junction station on the network, was one of the busiest railway stations in Sweden with a train stopping every three minutes and three different lines dividing from there, transporting people and goods.
In the years following World War II, more and more of Swedish railways were taken over by the government through
Swedish State Railways
The Swedish State Railways ( sv, Statens Järnvägar) or SJ, originally the Royal Railway Board ( sv, Kungl. Järnvägsstyrelsen), was the former government agency responsible for operating the state-owned railways in Sweden.
It was created i ...
(Statens Järnvägar, SJ), a fate also shared by the SRJ network. In 1969 the Stockholm Landsting took over the southern network (Stockholm-Rimbo, which is what now goes under the name Roslagsbanan) from
SJ, since then using it for passenger use only, with the newly formed commuter transport company
SL managing the railway. The northern network (
Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...
-
Rimbo
Rimbo () is a locality situated in Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 4,629 inhabitants in 2010. Rimbo is located about 20 km west of the municipal seat of Norrtälje.
Rimbo grew up as a railhead at the junction between th ...
and
Rimbo
Rimbo () is a locality situated in Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 4,629 inhabitants in 2010. Rimbo is located about 20 km west of the municipal seat of Norrtälje.
Rimbo grew up as a railhead at the junction between th ...
-
Hallstavik
Hallstavik is a locality situated in Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 4,476 inhabitants in 2010. The town is famous for its papermill and the Speedway team Rospiggarna.
The modern Hallstavik
An established project organ ...
) was kept for freight use only by SJ.
When SL took over the southern part of the railway network and renamed it Roslagsbanan, it had many problems, but it has since been modernized. The
Djursholm
Djursholm () is one of four suburban districts in, and the seat of Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. Djursholm is included in the multi-municipal Stockholm urban area. Djursholm is divided into a number of different areas: Djursh ...
branch (Eddavägslinjen) was closed by SL in 1976. In 1977 the most northern line,
Dannemora-
Hargshamn
Hargshamn is a locality situated in Östhammar Municipality, Uppsala County
Uppsala County ( sv, Uppsala län) is a county or ''län'' on the eastern coast of Sweden, whose capital is the city of Uppsala. It borders the counties of Dalarna, S ...
which had been already
converted into a
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 ...
freight line (1970), was extended to
Hallstavik
Hallstavik is a locality situated in Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 4,476 inhabitants in 2010. The town is famous for its papermill and the Speedway team Rospiggarna.
The modern Hallstavik
An established project organ ...
by SJ and the remaining northern
narrow gauge
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 structu ...
network was abandoned and dismantled,
except for the oldest line,
Uppsala-Lenna, which is kept as a
heritage railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
with tourist traffic in summertime. It has no connection to the commercially run Roslagsbanan anymore.
Pictures of formerly used parts
File:Stocksundbrücke (alt).jpg, Old bridge of Stocksund
Stocksund () is an upper class suburb in Metropolitan Stockholm, Sweden.
Located immediately across the Edsviken and Stocksundet from Bergshamra, Stocksund is one of four parts of Danderyd Municipality north of Stockholm, which is the most af ...
, dismantled in 1997
Image:Bf Stocksund (alt).jpg, Old station of Stocksund, now replaced with a station some hundred metres to the north-west, where the rails goes straighter allowing for higher speed.
File:Ställverk Ösby mars 2010.jpg, Old signal box at Djursholms Ösby
Current networks
These were previously connected to each other.
*
Roslagsbanan
Roslagsbanan is a narrow gauge commuter railway system in Roslagen, Stockholm County, Sweden. Its combined route length is and there are 38 stations. It is built to the Swedish three foot () gauge. The Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL) classifies ...
, used as a modern commuter railway for the north-east suburbs of
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
*
Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...
–
Länna
Länna (old spelling Lenna) is a locality situated in Uppsala Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is ...
–
Faringe (opened in 1876 to Länna, 1885 to Faringe); Tourist traffic only, see
Upsala-Lenna Jernväg
Upsala-Lenna Järnväg (ULJ) (literally: ''Upsala-Lenna Railway'', also nicknamed ''Lennakatten'') is a Narrow gauge railway, narrow-gauge heritage railway in Uppsala County, Sweden. It is long and is a part of the once extensive Roslagen networ ...
*
Dannemora–
Gimo–
Hargshamn
Hargshamn is a locality situated in Östhammar Municipality, Uppsala County
Uppsala County ( sv, Uppsala län) is a county or ''län'' on the eastern coast of Sweden, whose capital is the city of Uppsala. It borders the counties of Dalarna, S ...
–
Hallstavik
Hallstavik is a locality situated in Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 4,476 inhabitants in 2010. The town is famous for its papermill and the Speedway team Rospiggarna.
The modern Hallstavik
An established project organ ...
(Opened 1878; Dannemora–Hargshamn
turned to
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 ...
in the 1970s and extended in to Hallstavik 1977;
SJ/
Green Cargo
Green Cargo AB is a Swedish state-owned logistics company transporting various types of goods by train. It was created on 1 January 2001 out of the logistics division of Swedish State Railways (SJ) and became a government-owned limited co ...
freight
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including transp ...
only; connected to
Upptåget
Kollektivtrafikförvaltningen UL (English: Public transport administration UL) (formerly Upplands Lokaltrafik until 1 January 2012) is the integrated transport authority ( sv, Trafikhuvudman) responsible for public transport buses and trains at ...
commuter rail at Örbyhus, before Dannemora)
Closed parts of the network
*Faringe-Gimo (1921–1960)
*Rimbo-
Norrtälje
Norrtälje is a locality and the seat of Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 17,275 inhabitants in 2010. It is one of the largest towns in Roslagen.
History
Norrtälje’s early history dates back to the Iron Age. Around 225 ...
(1884–1969)
*Uppsala-Rimbo-Hallstavik (1884–1977)
*Stocksund-Långängen (1915-standard gauge tram) line, then turned to narrow gauge in 1934, closed in 1966)
*Stockholm östra stn-Engelbrektsplan (1895–1960)
*Djursholms Ösby-Edddavägen (1890–1977)
*Kårsta-Rimbo (1885–1981)
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stockholm-Roslagens Jarnvagar
Defunct railway companies of Sweden