Heavy Rail : S-Bane
These smart red units in 4 or 8 car sets serve Copenhagen's extensive "commuter" network. Here, the 'S Bane' system is shown in a maroon colour on an extract from the DSB (Danish State Railways : Danske Stats Baner) route diagram.
The various coloured lines indicate the company that operates the service.
Note three varieties of DSB InterCity/EuroCity. Note also that "tog" is 'train' and "bane", although actually meaning 'way' as with Bahn in German, is used for 'railway'.
In passing, the principle of the DSB full map is the same as Barry Doe's Train Operators' Map for Great Britain; available on-line for FREE download.
Arriva has contracts in Denmark ...
... German Rail (DB) runs through with cross border freight ...
... and DSB's InterCity stock is very smart!
The city of Aarhus has two tram lines ('letbane', i.e. light rail) ...
... whilst Copenhagen's brand new 'letbane' (tram) does not (yet?) feature on the map. fbb guesses that "tag", with the tiny circle over the 'a', is the Swedish equivalent of "tog". (see below)
But this blog is mainly about the 'S-bane' network.
There are three cross-city routes coloured BLUE and PURPLE, ORANGE and RED, GREEN and LIGHT GREEN. A semi-circle route ("Ringbane") is GOLD.
So why, you might wonder, are different colours used for the trains on the same sections of track?
This is where DSB is really clever. Basically the operator runs a ten minute frequency core timetable on all days, BUT ...
... the journeys in bold, shown with a dot above and below the columns, are removed at quieter times, e.g. in the evenings. In addition extra journeys are added to the ten minute headway where needed. Here Bx journeys run on Monday to Friday peak times only.
There are first and last trains shown in panels below the main tables. The panel below is for the BLUE PURPLE route.
The system takes a bit of gettung used to BUT, as the majority will be travelling during the main part of the day, they only need 'repeat' times to plan their journey! To reinforce this system, DSB provides a 'reduced service' map ...
This is helpful, nay necessary, because at 'normal service' times, neither BLUE nor PURPLE run the full length of the route. But when frequency is reduced, BLUE runs all the way.
The net result is a reliable service which is genuinely "turn up and go"; once you are used to your regular journeys you really do not need a timetable. The system gives sone stunning frequencies passqing through Copenhagen's central station.
The main station building is at street level ...
... but the tracks are in a shallow cutting,
This means that the ground floor has seen increasing provision for 'retail', possibly to the detriment of clear and tidy access to the trains!
When it is busy it can be really busy!
Access to the platforms, which we now have to class as "wayfinding", can also be daunting.
So the current plan is to clear away the clutter in the main circulating area, making access and signposting much clearer and more amenable to an apprehensive newcomer.
Much better.
The embryo 'S-bane' service started in the mid 1930s with stock like this ...
... replaced post WW2 with these.
A current train is seen here at a suburban station which we shall "enjoy" more fully in tomorrow's blog. Mention will also be made...
... of that unusual tower block.
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Meanwhile, yesterday's theological (?) answers ...
1. Brimstone
2. Go out
3. Lake
... and today's "God's Fire Works" questions.
Puzzle 4
Clue : Proverbially this indicates a fire of some sort. It also goes with "mirrors" in another well known (?) phrase!
Puzzle 4
Clue : incorrectly, this false god rhymes with an essential piece of cricket technology but is spelled differently. Will the answer stump you?
Puzzle 6
Clue : Not Old King, he is also spelled differently; but once the mainstay of the UK's freight network on the trains.
Answers tomorrow
P.S. it is called 'a ring' in Swedish and is treated as a separate letter.
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Next Copenhagen blog : Weds 5th November
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