@Mikhail Ter After a very turbulent history, the future looks bright for the Österskär line and the whole Roslagsbanan. The Österskär line and the whole Roslagsbanan has been threatened with closure, many times. And many of the Roslagsbanan lines have been closed down during the years. But after many protests from people and passengers, three lines survived. The lines that are still open are: Stockholm Ö-Näsbypark, Stockholm Ö-Österskär and Stockholm Ö-Kårsta.
Roslagsbanan is today the oldest railway in the whole SL network, the first line opened 1885. Roslagsbanan was originally built as a private railway, and it was the private railway company SRJ who operated the railway. Because the railway was private they built a narrow gauge railway because it was much cheaper. And in 1885 opened the "world's first" electric railway line for regular traffic. Do not know if it really is true that it was the world's first electric railway, I know there are older electric trains. But maybe was Roslagsbanan the first railway that ran electric trains in regular traffic and after timetable? The first electric line was the Djurholms line and one of those lines that was closed.
After the World War II, SRJ got like many other private railways in Sweden large economic problems. In the late 40s SRJ was threatened by bankruptcy and Roslagsbanan threatened with closure, one of the reasons why many private railways were threatened with closure was the growing car industry.
When almost all the private railways in Sweden was very close to closure, the government decided that all private railways would be bought by the Swedish state. So SJ (Swedish State Railways) took over all railways and in 1951 took SJ over Roslagsbanan. SJ bought new trains and railcars to the lines but after that. the money ran out. SJ asked the government for more money to refurbish the ex private railways, but the government did not agree to that. SJ began to have economic problems SJ operated all railways but had an insufficient budget for it, and SJ also got fewer and fewer passengers. More and more people could afford to buy a car, and the government's vision was that every family could afford to have a car. Government stopped almost completely to invest in rail projects, they invested almost entirely in highways and roads.
They found that the railway belonged to the old and the past, and that the future belonged to the car, bus and airplane. And SJ began to close down railways and in the late 60's early 70's SJ had close down half of Sweden's rail network. One of the railroads that would be closed down was Roslagsbanan and many routes was closed down on Roslagbanan. All of Sweden's narrow gauge railways was closed down. Today is Roslagsbanan the only narrow gauge railway that is still being open to regular traffic. Maybe it was all the peoples and passengers protests that led to Roslagsbanan survived. 1970 SL (Stockholm Public Transport) took over Roslagsbanan from SJ, when SL took over was the tracks on Roslagsbanan in very bad shape. The speed limit was low and in many stretches, it was faster to take the bus than train. But SL began to slowly renovate the track, and in and during the early 90s was Roslagsbanan under critical need for new trains. The newest trains were from the 50s and older http://trainspo.com/photo/50449/ the trains were old and worn. So SL bought new trains and it became X10p that train you'll see on the picture. In the last ten years large refurbishments has been made on Roslagsbanan, they have almost replaced all old tracks with new tracks. So it now looks like that Roslagsbanan has a bright future. On many stretches they had also expanded to double track.
Now they have closed the Österskär line precisely because they will expand it out to double track, so they can run more frequent services and more trains. SL also has plans to in a few years to order new trains that will replace the current X10p. And there are also plans to build a new line to Arlanda Airport (Sweden's biggest airport). And there are also plans to build a tunnel from Stockholm Ö (Stockholm East) to the City or Odenplans subway station where Roslagsbanan can connect to the subway and commuter trains.
There are also plans to connect Roslagsbanan with future planned subway lines. Stockholm are going to need a good and efficient public transport in the future. There will not be site for more cars and Stockholm will grow much in coming years. Stockholm is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, and in a few years will Stockholm grow faster than London. So in the future will Roslagsbanan be needed.
Haha you got a little more information than you need to know! But Roslagsbanan has an interesting history, each railway has its own story!
The lines that are still open are: Stockholm Ö-Näsbypark, Stockholm Ö-Österskär and Stockholm Ö-Kårsta.
Roslagsbanan is today the oldest railway in the whole SL network, the first line opened 1885.
Roslagsbanan was originally built as a private railway, and it was the private railway company SRJ who operated the railway. Because the railway was private they built a narrow gauge railway because it was much cheaper. And in 1885 opened the "world's first" electric railway line for regular traffic. Do not know if it really is true that it was the world's first electric railway, I know there are older electric trains. But maybe was Roslagsbanan the first railway that ran electric trains in regular traffic and after timetable? The first electric line was the Djurholms line and one of those lines that was closed.
After the World War II, SRJ got like many other private railways in Sweden large economic problems. In the late 40s SRJ was threatened by bankruptcy and Roslagsbanan threatened with closure, one of the reasons why many private railways were threatened with closure was the growing car industry.
When almost all the private railways in Sweden was very close to closure, the government decided that all private railways would be bought by the Swedish state. So SJ (Swedish State Railways) took over all railways and in 1951 took SJ over Roslagsbanan. SJ bought new trains and railcars to the lines but after that. the money ran out. SJ asked the government for more money to refurbish the ex private railways, but the government did not agree to that.
SJ began to have economic problems SJ operated all railways but had an insufficient budget for it, and SJ also got fewer and fewer passengers. More and more people could afford to buy a car, and the government's vision was that every family could afford to have a car. Government stopped almost completely to invest in rail projects, they invested almost entirely in highways and roads.
They found that the railway belonged to the old and the past, and that the future belonged to the car, bus and airplane.
And SJ began to close down railways and in the late 60's early 70's SJ had close down half of Sweden's rail network. One of the railroads that would be closed down was Roslagsbanan and many routes was closed down on Roslagbanan.
All of Sweden's narrow gauge railways was closed down. Today is Roslagsbanan the only narrow gauge railway that is still being open to regular traffic.
Maybe it was all the peoples and passengers protests that led to Roslagsbanan survived.
1970 SL (Stockholm Public Transport) took over Roslagsbanan from SJ, when SL took over was the tracks on Roslagsbanan in very bad shape. The speed limit was low and in many stretches, it was faster to take the bus than train.
But SL began to slowly renovate the track, and in and during the early 90s was Roslagsbanan under critical need for new trains. The newest trains were from the 50s and older http://trainspo.com/photo/50449/ the trains were old and worn. So SL bought new trains and it became X10p that train you'll see on the picture.
In the last ten years large refurbishments has been made on Roslagsbanan, they have almost replaced all old tracks with new tracks. So it now looks like that Roslagsbanan has a bright future. On many stretches they had also expanded to double track.
Now they have closed the Österskär line precisely because they will expand it out to double track, so they can run more frequent services and more trains. SL also has plans to in a few years to order new trains that will replace the current X10p. And there are also plans to build a new line to Arlanda Airport (Sweden's biggest airport). And there are also plans to build a tunnel from Stockholm Ö (Stockholm East) to the City or Odenplans subway station where Roslagsbanan can connect to the subway and commuter trains.
There are also plans to connect Roslagsbanan with future planned subway lines. Stockholm are going to need a good and efficient public transport in the future. There will not be site for more cars and Stockholm will grow much in coming years. Stockholm is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe, and in a few years will Stockholm grow faster than London.
So in the future will Roslagsbanan be needed.
Haha you got a little more information than you need to know! But Roslagsbanan has an interesting history, each railway has its own story!