The Assens Line

Facts

The most expensive sleepers in Denmark

Traditionally, local lines were originally built as private lines. But the Assens line opened in 1884 as a state line subsidised by the municipalities. It led to Tommerup and not directly to Odense. This decision was made based on the wishes of the locals. The aim was to keep shoppers in Assens, rather than losing their custom to Odense. But in 1966, passenger traffic ceased. Goods traffic was discontinued in 1993, but the tracks are still there. That's unusual. Normally old tracks are tarmacked over and made into cycle paths and walkways. Since 1998, it has been possible to ride down the line on bicycle trolleys". "

Public place

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Not too cheap

Story written by Poul Thestrup

Time / Periode 1884

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The process of getting the law passed for building the Tommerup-Assens line dragged on for five years from 1876-81. And the final stage of the project included a small mistake. The grant passed was too large. The funds could not be spent on engines and carriages. Some of the surplus was spent on thicker, more expensive tracks, but there was still money left over. The problem was solved when someone thought of using iron sleepers. These were very popular in Germany but hadn't been tried in Denmark, as they were almost twice as expensive as wooden sleepers. DSB finally had a chance to test whether the cheaper maintenance could justify the higher purchase price.