Rimso Letbane

Rimso Letbane

A combino of the purple line travelling between Rimso H and Markesø
Overview
Native name	Rimsø Letbane (Mescon)
Owner	City of Rimso (50%) Government of Mesconia (50%)
Area served	Greater Rimso Oxvang Jystrup Klemenskirke Siem
Transit type	Rapid light rail
Number of lines	8
Number of stations	122
Annual ridership	50.7 million
Headquarters	Rimso Letbane hoveddepot 114 Gælisksgade Rimso
Website	www.srt.sk/letbane
Operation
Began operation	1975
Operator(s)	Musse-Broskov Transportere Ltd.
Number of vehicles	198
Technical
System length	138.6 km (86.1 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge)
Electrification	750 V DC OHLE
Network map

The Rimso Letbane (Mescon: Rimsø Letbane, "Rimso Light Rail"), commonly referred to as just the Letbane (/lɛt'beɪn/), is the primary rapid transit system for the city of Rimso, the capital of Scovern, also serving the neighbouring municipalities of Jystrup, Klemenskirke, Oxvang and Siem. The Letbane is the largest urban light rail network in Euclea by track length and annual ridership.

The Letbane first opened in 1975, serving the centre of Rimso and providing connections to the main station and the airport. Four lines (Green, Pink, Purple and Yellow) originally opened in 1975, with the network doubling its network with the Silver line in 1980, the Red line in 1987, the Orange line in 1994 and the Blue line in 2000. Expansions to the network have been continual since its opening in 1975 and it has since become known as one of Euclea's most efficient rail networks.

History

A train of the Rimso Letbane running through Emb in 1976

Light rail in Rimso has its origins in horsecars in the late 19th century. Hennish engineers Hendricus Lier and David Hutterd designed and operated (under Hutterd & Lier a/s) the first horse-drawn trams in Rimso, which operated between Kongensgade and Vesteliensgade. These horsecars were electrified gradually between 1904 and 1912, and by 1920 horsecars had been phased out of urban transit in Rimso altogether.

By the 1960s, there were greater calls for an overhaul of Rimso's urban transit system. At this time, Rimso's trams were fairly slow and inefficient, and motorcars were generally favoured as a means of urban transport. In 1969, discussions began between the Rimsonian government, under mayor Marius Frandsen, and the Scoverne government, then led by Frank Kristan Sandberg. By 1972, a provisional plan for the Letbane was agreed, ownership to be split dually between the city government and the devolved Mescon government that was created in 1962 under ongoing federalisation of the country.

The first lines opened in 1975, operating in the centre of the city, connecting the airport and station with the city's busiest areas (Korsholm, Markesø and Vesteliensgade. The success of the Letbane led to further extensions, connecting the residential areas of outer Rimso with the centre and increasing the frequency and speed of the trains. In 1988, the last piece of track running in conjunction with road traffic was diverted at Gothbergstorv, which greatly increased the efficiency of the network.

The last line to open was the Blue line in 2000, with the last extensions to the network being completed in 2018, connecting Prins-Alberts-Kaj to the Purple line.

Lines and operation

Line		Termini	Year opened	Year last extended	Length	Stations	Frequency
	Blue	Lufthavn (Rimso Airport, Fejøbugt) – Kvie–Esplanaden loop	2000	2009		22	Every 8–10 minutes
	Green	Hovedbanegård (Rimso H) – Visby / Knepholt–Gosmer loop	1975	1999		20	Every 8–10 minutes
	Orange	Aggerskaj – Idumlund	1994	2008		16	Every 8–10 minutes
	Pink	Unionskanalen – Slangeby–Skjolde loop	1975	1989		15	Every 8–10 minutes
	Purple	Lufthavn (Rimso Airport, Fejøbugt) – Prins-Alberts-Kaj	1975	2018		14	Every 8–10 minutes
	Red	Gravens – Ristinge	1987	2011		19	Every 10–12 minutes
	Silver	Korsholm – Rå–Dalstrup loop	1980	2017		31	Every 13–15 minutes
	Yellow	Markesø – Oxvang	1975	2016		21	Every 10–12 minutes

Network map

Network map of the Rimso Letbane as of 26 November 2024