Lemvig Line

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Lemvig Line
The Lemvig Line near Harboøre in 2018
Overview
Native nameLemvigbanen
OwnerMidtjyske Jernbaner[1]
Termini
Stations19
Service
TypeRailway line
SystemDanish railways
Operator(s)Midtjyske Jernbaner[1]
History
Opened20. juli 1879 (Vemb-Lemvig)
22. juli 1899 (Lemvig-Harboøre)
1. november 1899 (Harboøre-Thyborøn)[2]
Technical
Line length56.3 km (35.0 mi)
Number of tracks1
CharacterLocal railway
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
ElectrificationNo
Operating speed75 km/h (47 mph)
Route map
Map of the Lemvig Line
Legend
 Thyborøn
Thyborøn Kirke
Sprogøvej
Rønland
Harboøre
Victoria Street
Strande
Nejrup
Klinkby
Balleby
Lemvig
Armose
Bonnet
Ramme
Fåre
Sinkbæk
Bækmarksbro
Amstrup
Vemb
Esbjerg–Struer line
← Esbjerg│Struer →
This diagram:

The Lemvig Line (Danish: Lemvigbanen or Vemb-Lemvig-Thyborøn Jernbane (VLTJ)) is a 57 km (35 mi) long local railway line in Northwest Jutland, Denmark.[1] The railway links the fishing port of Thyborøn and the market town of Lemvig with the Danish railway network.

Established in sections between 1879 and 1899, the standard gauge single track railway line is mostly level. It is currently owned and operated by the regional railway company Midtjyske Jernbaner (MJBA) which runs frequent local train services from Thyborøn and Lemvig stations to Vemb station on the Esbjerg–Struer railway line, with onward connections from Vemb to the rest of Denmark.

The unelectrified railway is operated with a fleet of five double-unit Y-train railcars, but from 2025 battery trains are gradually starting to operate on the Lemvig Line, as the first railway line in Denmark.[3] VLTJ has its own workshop and servicing facilities on the line.

History

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The first section of the railway line from Vemb on the Esbjerg–Struer railway line to the market town of Lemvig on the Limfjord was opened on 20. juli 1879.[2] The second section from Lemvig to Harboøre opened on 22 July 1899, followed by the third and last section from Harboøre to the fishing port of Thyborøn by the North Sea on 1 November 1899.[2]

The railway was used to test a prototype hydrogen-powered train in 2010.[4]

Map

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Map

Operating company

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Vemb-Lemvig-Thyborøn
Jernbane A/S
Company typeAktieselskab
Founded1879
Defunct2008
FateMerged with Odderbanen
Headquarters
Lemvig
,
Denmark
Area served
Denmark
ServicesPassenger transportation
Websitewww.lemvigbanen.dk (defunct)

The Lemvig Line was built and originally operated by the two railway companies Vemb-Lemvig Railway (VLJ) and Lemvig-Thyborøn Railway (LTJ), which on August 16, 1921 were merged to form the company Vemb-Lemvig-Thyborøn Jernbane A/S (VLTJ). Until 1 January 2008, the railway was operated by VLTJ which was then merged with Hads-Ning Herreders Jernbane A/S (the operating company of the Odder Line in East Jutland) to form the regional railway company Midtjyske Jernbaner.[5]

Stations

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VLTJ MX 26 (front), previously a DSB class MX diesel locomotive, at Lemvig in 1999.

Victoria Street Station

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Lemvigbanen train at Victoria Street station (in Vejlby)

A single platform station on the line.[6] Its original name was Vejlby Stoppested. Previously, passengers who wanted to ride the train had to turn the signal themselves, a vertical pole with a plate at the top, to make the train stop. The train driver then made sure to turn the signal back before the train moved on.

This station, approximately 1 km north of Vejlby, in a popular summer tourist spot,[7] was originally open during the summer period to cater for the bathing tourists who from Vejlby Nord had to travel approximately 500m to the sea along a gravel road.

The name Victoria Street Station was assigned by some citizens, allegedly at a time when the Lemvig Line took too long to refit a nameplate at the platform. The name refers to a nearby Viktoriavej and was formally recognized by the railway company in 1991.[8]

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The railway achieved fame in Denmark, when the band Tørfisk [da] in 1985 wrote the song "VLTJ" describing a trip with the railway. This song later achieved cult status.

The song is based on the Irish folk song "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway".

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Om Midtjyske Jernbaner" (in Danish). Midtjyske Jernbaner. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Lemvigbanen, Vemb–Lemvig–Thyborøn Jernbane". danskejernbaner.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  3. ^ Lindbæk Qvesel, Nanna (14 July 2025). "VLTJ suser nu afsted som det første grønne tog i Danmark" [VLTJ is now speeding off as the first green train in Denmark]. DR (in Danish). Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  4. ^ Claus Torbensen (2008-01-01). "Demonstrating the power of hydrogen". Railway Gazette International.
  5. ^ "Midtjyske Jernbaner" (in Danish). Region Midtjylland. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
  6. ^ "Midtjyske Jernbaner, VLTJ". VisitDenmark. Retrieved 2024-05-12.
  7. ^ "Historie". Midtjyske Jernbaner (in Danish). Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  8. ^ "Vestjylland set gennem togruden". Midtjyske Jernbaner (in Danish). Retrieved 5 July 2024.

Further reading

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  • Jensen, Niels (1972). Danske Jernbaner 1847–1972 [Danish railways 1847–1972] (in Danish). Copenhagen: J. Fr. Clausens Forlag. ISBN 87-11-01765-1.
  • Jensen, Niels (1977). Vestjyske jernbaner [Railways of West Jutland] (in Danish). Copenhagen: J.Fr. Clausens Forlag. ISBN 87-11-03821-7.
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