If you commute between Copenhagen and Helsingør along Kystbanen, the coastal train line, brace yourself for a summer filled with annoying bus detours and other irritating transportation deviations.
From July 24-August 6, the national railway company, BaneDanmark, will be shutting down the coastal line between Helsingør and Rungsted Kyst stations for summer repairs.
Instead, buses will be set aside to transport commuters and travellers on that stretch – a move that will undoubtedly extend travelling times.
“We’ve planned the work so that it takes place during the summer break, when there are traditionally fewer passengers on the coastal line,” said Andreas Christoffer Lund, a project manager with BaneDanmark.
“Furthermore, in co-operation with DSB we have worked towards there only being one switch between the train and bus during the period that the coastal line is shut down. Finally the traffic plan has been made as clear as possible, but we can’t avoid extended travelling times.”
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First of two legs
According to BaneDanmark, the trip between Helsingør and Rungsted Kyst will take 10 minutes longer than the 20 minutes it currently takes.
The buses will take four different routes and depart every ten minutes during daytime hours.
The work will provide a much-needed facelift to the line, which has been deemed worn down. In 2018, BaneDanmark will work on another stretch of line – between Klampenborg and Helsingør. When completed, trains can increase speeds to reach 100-120 km/hour.
Tourism sites in the northern part of Zealand have complained that the planned closure will have a considerable impact as tourists will forego travelling north and running into transportation hassles.
