Varde–Nørre Nebel railway line

The Varde–Nørre Nebel railway line (Danish: Varde-Nørre Nebel Jernbane), also called the West Line (Danish: Vestbanen) and the Nebel Line (Danish: Nebelbanen), colloquially referred to as Nebelgrisen (literally meaning the Nebel pig), is a 37.6 kilometres (23.4 mi) long local railway line in West Jutland, Denmark. It was opened for traffic in 1903. It has standard gauge and is not electrified.

"Vestbanen (company)" redirects here. For other uses, see Vestbanen.

Varde–Nørre Nebel railway line
Overview
Other name(s)	Vestbanen Nebelbanen
Native name	Varde-Nørre Nebel Jernbane
Owner	Vestbanen
Termini	Varde 55.616100°N 8.484255°E / 55.616100; 8.484255 (Varde railway station) Nørre Nebel 55.777381°N 8.290450°E / 55.777381; 8.290450 (Nørre Nebel railway station)
Stations	17
Service
Type	Railway
System	Danish railways
Operator(s)	Arriva
Rolling stock	Alstom Coradia LINT
History
Opened	15 March 1903
Technical
Line length	37.6 km (23.4 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Character	Local railway
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	No
Operating speed	75 km/h (47 mph)
Route map Legend km 37.3 Nørre Nebel 32.2 Lunde 29.1 Løftgård 27.7 Outrup 25.0 Henne 23.6 Dyreby 19.6 Jegum 18.2 Vrøgum 16.4 Baunhøj 15.1 Oksbøl 11.7 Billum 8.9 Janderup 7.4 Hyllerslev 3.5 Boulevarden 2.4 Varde Vest 1.5 Frisvadvej 0.0 Varde Esbjerg–Struer line ← Esbjerg│Struer → This diagram: view talk edit

Varde Vest station was originally the terminus for the trains, but today almost all the trains connect with the Esbjerg–Varde railway line and continue to stations like Esbjerg, Ribe, Tønder and Niebüll.

History

The railway line opened on 15 March 1903 to connect the market town of Varde with Nørre Nebel by way of Oksbøl. In 1913, the railway line was extended from Nørre Nebel to the railway town of Tarm on the Esbjerg–Struer railway line, but this section was closed again in 1940.

During The second world war, the rail line saw a huge increase in traffic, mainly because of the German expansion of Oksbøllejren and Nymindegablejren as part of the Atlantic wall.

The Vestbanen railway company

Train owned by the company, going along the railway

The railway line is owned and was previously operated by the railway company Vestbanen A/S, previously known as Varde-Nørre Nebel Jernbane (VNJ). Formerly owned by Ribe County (until the Danish Municipal Reform of 2007), the company leased its trains and infrastructure to Arriva, which has operates Vestbanen's railway line since 2002. Established in 1903, the company was originally headquartered in Varde, but is now administered from the county's offices in Ribe. The company is wholly owned by the Region of Southern Denmark.

Route

Route map of the Varde–Nørre Nebel railway line.

The Varde–Nørre Nebel railway line starts at Varde railway station where it branches from the Esbjerg–Struer railway line. After curving east and north of the town centre of Varde, it reaches Varde Vest on the northwestern edge of the historic town centre. From there it continues almost due west to the village of Oksbøl. From Oksbøl, the line continues north to its terminus at Nørre Nebel.

Stations

List of stations on the current Vestbane from Varde to Nørre Nebel^[1]

Station	Opened[2]	Total Boadings (2021)[3]	Distance from Varde st. (km)[4]	Notes
Varde	1874	104743	0,0
Frisvadvej	1962	9868	1,5	Request Stop
Varde Vest	1903	40583	2,4
Boulevarden	1987	2351	3,5	Request Stop
Hyllerslev	1903	143	7,4	Request Stop
Janderup	2002	5949	8,9	Request Stop
Billum	1903	4215	11,7	Request Stop
Oksbøl	1903	23199	15,1
Baunhøj	1942	11407	16,4	Request Stop
Vrøgum	1903	7529	18,2	Request Stop
Jegum	1992	841	19,6	Request Stop
Dyreby	1945	289	23,6	Request Stop
Henne	1903	3491	25,0	Request Stop
Outrup	1903	28938	27,7	Request Stop
Løftgård	1945	865	29,1	Request Stop
Lunde	1903	8075	32,2	Request Stop
Nørre Nebel	1903	25344	37,3

See also

• Rail transport in Denmark