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99-682: Luossajärvi is a small 260-acre (1.1 km) lake in Kiruna in northern Sweden beside Luossavaara . The mining company LKAB has gradually emptied the southern part of the lake in 2007–8 to allow mining of iron ore in the peat bog. These drained areas today consist of mostly marshes. The remaining portion of the lake has a chemical composition which shows the influence of mining activities. The lake has high concentrations of sulphate and nitrite . The high sulfate concentrations indicate extensive weathering processes of mainly carbonate and sulphurous materials. Every winter ice fishing contests are held out on

198-442: A 25 km long track between Laimo and Salmi was built at the initiatives of the locals and finished in 1962; however, this track, called Talmavägen, is not connected to any other road. Increased communications were also beneficial for tourism. Swedish Railways had already run special trains before World War II, but started a special Dollar train in the summer months between Gothenburg and Kiruna, connecting to cruise ships from

297-424: A 70% drop in ore production, a drop that would turn into a dramatic increase on the eve of World War II . Although some tourists had already started coming to the area in the 19th century, the completion of the railway line truly made tourism possible. Tourists came for the rivers and the mountains, but also geologists and entire classes of students came to see the mine. Additionally, a yearly winter sports festival

396-528: A competing service in January 2011. There is about 0.5 million tonnes of non-ore freight transport on the Ofoten Line each year. Vy Tåg operates three daily trains from Narvik to Kiruna Central Station , of which two continue onwards, either to Luleå Central Station or Stockholm Central Station . Trains to Stockholm are night trains. Travel time from Narvik to Kiruna is 3 hours and 1 minute, travel time to Luleå

495-610: A freight corridor from the Far East to North America. The route would use the Ofoten Line and transship from rail to ship at Narvik. The main report for the project was made in 2004, but since there had been limited funding for the project. On 23 August 2007, LKAB ordered another four twin units, with delivery in 2010 and 2011, and costing €52 million. This will replace all remaining Dm3. After delivery, six locomotives are used from Kiruna to Luleå, and twenty are used from Kiruna to Narvik. By 2009, sufficient passing loops had been built along

594-621: A hill, winter temperatures are much milder than in other towns, and due to the street plan and the positioning, wind is limited. On 27 April 1900, Hallman's plan was officially accepted. Gustaf Broms proposed to name the settlements Kiruna , a short and practical name that could also be pronounced by Swedish-speaking inhabitants. The name means rock ptarmigan in Sámi and Finnish. LKAB appointed Hjalmar Lundbohm , who had finished neither high school nor his geology studies, as local manager in Kiruna. Before

693-715: A large amount of military equipment, ammunition and, secretly, troops from southern to northern Norway, via Malmbanan and Kiruna. Troops were often transported in transports declared as material transports. Despite being strictly against the rules, there was considerable interaction between the German soldiers and the Swedish locals, including trading and football matches. During the war, up to 2,000 refugees from 20 countries were kept in Kiruna. German prisoners of war, for example, from crashed airplanes, were kept in Kiruna before being transported south. However, small-scale sabotage, such as sand in

792-455: A major role as a source of national income and employment for Kiruna and the surrounding region. As with most of Northern Sweden the area is rich with Magnetite which is mined to produce various Iron ore products which are then transported by rail to Narvik port in Norway to be shipped to customers around the world. Large-scale mining in Kiruna started in the 19th century right around the time

891-455: A research mine. While 19th-century mining in Kiruna had focused on Luossavaara the large-scale operation of LKAB focused on the Kiruna ore proper because it was both larger and not subject to legal restrictions that mandate Luossavaara ore to be refined in Sweden. During the first decades of Kiruna's existence, no road connected it to the outside world. The only connection was by railway or, as in

990-426: A road up the mine was built 1949. The city line had a maximum length of 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) and was unique due to the 1-meter gauge , double-glazed windows and heated wagons. It closed in 1958 after gradually being replaced by buses. Between 1941 and 1964, a tram was used inside the mine, with wagons bought from closed tramlines throughout Sweden. The iron ore industry was good in the early 20th century. Before

1089-407: A satellite station at Salmajärvi, near Esrange, since 1989. In 1987, Umeå University started a space engineering program in Kiruna, and GIS education was started by Luleå University of Technology in 1991. In 1993, The Umeå space engineers moved to the same building housing IRF and a year later another Luleå University programme, civil engineering with specialisation in space technology, started at

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1188-574: A subsidiary. The first twin unit locomotive was delivered in 2000, and serial delivery was made from 2002 to 2004. In March 2004, LKAB decided to not purchase the option for additional hopper cars from Transnet, and instead purchase 750 heavier cars from K-Industrier. Since 1969 the ore trains have been using the Soviet SA3 coupler . However, LKAB wanted to try Janney couplers (also known as AAR coupler, used in much heavier trains in USA and South Africa), as

1287-510: A travel centre, the new locations for the city hall and the church, an artificial lake, and an extension of the Luossavaara hill into the city. The location of the new section of the E10 was still uncertain, as was the location of the railway and the railway station. A more official sketch was published early in spring 2008, which was then discussed with various interest groups before a further version

1386-498: Is 7 hours and 4 minutes, and travel time to Stockholm is 18 hours and 25 minutes. In 1847, a concession was granted to build a railway from the mines at Gällivare to Töre in the Gulf of Bothnia . The line was never built, and in 1882 a new concession was granted to an English company, who between 1884 and 1888 built a railway from Malmberget to the port at Svartön in Luleå. However, the line

1485-451: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kiruna The Esrange Space Center was established in Kiruna in the 1960s. Also in Kiruna are the Institute of Space Physics and Luleå University of Technology 's Department of Space Science. Archaeological findings have shown that the region around Kiruna has been inhabited for at least 6,000 years. Centuries before Kiruna

1584-496: Is a major tourist attraction. The re-development of Kiruna is a reconstruction project, as the Kirunavaara mine, run by LKAB , undermines the existing town centre. Several buildings are to be moved or demolished. The town center is to be moved 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) to the east. In 2004, it was decided that the present centre of the municipality would have to be relocated to counter mining-related subsidence . The relocation

1683-596: Is also transported from Northland Resources ' mine in Kaunisvaara to Narvik, started in small scale December 2012. CargoNet operates two daily container trains from Alnabru Terminal in Oslo , Norway, named the Arctic Rail Express (ARE). The trains operate via Sweden and take 27 hours. The trains haul mostly food northbound and fish southbound along a distance of 1,950 kilometres (1,210 mi). DB Schenker launched

1782-429: Is built each winter, attracting tourists from all over the world. The twin cities Gällivare and Malmberget are some 120 km south of Kiruna. Kiruna became a Swedish city on January 1, 1948, and was at one time listed as the largest city in the world by area, even if most of its territory was non-urban. After the Swedish municipality reform in the 1970s, the term "city" has been legally discontinued. Today only

1881-765: Is located relatively close to both countries. This led to many soldiers being transported to the area whenever mobilisation was requested; first in September 1939 after the German invasion of Poland , then in November 1939 after the Russian invasion of Finland , but in both cases, Swedish soldiers did not engage in any fighting. In March 1940, Churchill requested permission to transport soldiers from Narvik in Norway to Finland via Kiruna and Haparanda in Operation Catherine . Out of fear that

1980-556: Is often colloquially used to also include the Ofoten Line , from Riksgränsen to Narvik in Norway , and the northernmost part of the Main Line Through Upper Norrland from Boden to Luleå . The railway from Narvik to Luleå is 473 kilometres (294 mi) long. The line is dominated by the 8,600-tonne (8,500-long-ton; 9,500-short-ton) ore freight trains operated by LKAB 's subsidiary Malmtrafik from their mines to

2079-443: Is preserved and can be seen at Hjalmar Lundbohmsgården . In 1899, 18 people were registered as living in soon-to-be Kiruna. This increased to 222 in 1900, 7,438 in 1910 and 12,884 in 1930. The residences did not fully keep up with this rapid growth; by 1910, there were 1,877 official rooms and some unrecognised residences, which meant that an average of three to four people lived in a single room; this density decreased steadily during

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2178-456: Is still one of Kiruna's biggest companies. Germany requested that Sweden provide use of the railway network to transport military equipment, but the Swedish government agreed only to transitering av human karaktär, men ej underhåll till stridande trupp (transit of humanitarian character, but no supply of fighting soldiers). Germany argued that, now that Norway was occupied, the German soldiers there were no longer fighting, and thus transported

2277-576: Is the northernmost railway in the whole of Western Europe at 68.452°N. The first section of the line, from Gällivare to Luleå, opened in 1888. By 1899, the line was extended to Kiruna, and from 1903, all the way to Narvik. Electrification took place between 1915 and 1923. Operations of the ore trains was taken over by Malmtrafik from SJ in 1996. Rockfalls from mountains have at times hit the line. LKAB operates iron ore mines in Kiruna, Svappavaara and Malmberget in Norrbotten County , Sweden. Most of

2376-553: The European Union , of which Norway was not a member. By August, SJ and NSB had offered to reduce the price from SEK 650 million to 450 million, but LKAB stated that they believed it was possible to reduce the costs further. In October 1992 the Swedish Ministry of Communications gave the final permission for LKAB to take over operations in their own right. On 26 October, SJ and NSB signed a new five-year contract with LKAB where

2475-504: The Port of Narvik and the Port of Luleå . In addition, Vy Tåg operates passenger trains and CargoNet operates container freight trains. The Iron Ore Line is single track , electrified at 15 kV  16.7 Hz AC and has a permitted axle load of 30 tonnes (30 long tons; 33 short tons). The Swedish part of the line is the northernmost railway in Sweden and the Norwegian part outside Narvik

2574-532: The Scandinavian Mountains , visible from the city centre. Sweden's highest mountain, Kebnekaise , is 75 kilometres (47 mi) from the city centre and can be seen from it as well. To the west is Nikkaluokta and to the northwest are Abisko , Björkliden, Riksgränsen and the Norwegian town of Narvik , 180 kilometres (110 mi) via the road. 12 kilometres (7 mi) north of Kiruna is Kurravaara , on

2673-612: The Swedish Institute of Space Physics ) was founded and established by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Esrange Space Centre is established in 1966. Here, rocket operations and ground-based observations are carried out since 1966, balloon operations since 1974, satellite operations since 1978 and testing operations since 2000 (with the Swedish Defence Material Administration ). ESA has operated

2772-482: The Swedish Metalworkers Union . This was rejected by the workers, who would both have to reduce their pay and work five more years before retirement. On 28 May, 22 train drivers, all Swedish, took out sick leave in protest towards being forced to switch labor union and receive lower wages and worse pension rights. This caused a third of the ore trains to be canceled. On 28 June , the transfer of operations

2871-522: The United States . The canoe club Kiruna Långfärdspaddlare was founded in 1972 and rafting for tourists restarted after it had been discontinued for 20 years due to the drowning of Valfrid Johansson. Until the 1980s, tourism had been mainly a summer business, but touristic exploitation of dog sledging was started in 1983 in Jukkasjärvi. In 1990, the first Icehotel was built in Jukkasjärvi and advertised as

2970-497: The 1910s, significant mechanisation was achieved. The peak of Kiirunavaara , Statsrådet , was 247.7 metres (813 ft) above Luossajärvi until it was spectacularly blown off in 1910. A general strike hit Sweden in 1909 and Kiruna was no exception. Hoping for a better future, thousands of people left Kiruna, including a group of 500 inhabitants emigrating to Brazil. Most of them returned, disappointed that life in Latin America

3069-498: The 1950s, SJ introduced the Dm locomotives, which could haul a 3,000 tonnes (2,950 long tons; 3,310 short tons) train. By the 1960s, the Dm had been rebuilt to Dm3, which consisted of a new center section. In combination of upgrades to 25 tonnes (24.6 long tons; 27.6 short tons) maximum permitted axle load, this gave a maximum train weight of 5,000 tonnes (4,920 long tons; 5,510 short tons). In 1964,

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3168-455: The German war machine. A group of people working at LKAB organised in the Wollweberliga, planning to sabotage transports to Germany. In late November 1941, Edvard Nyberg, Ernst Wollweber and others produced a mine to be attached to the ore cars. Nyberg was caught, was fired from LKAB and spent 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 years in prison. Upon his release, he founded Nybergs Mekaniska Verkstad which

3267-469: The Ofoten Line. The following day, SJ and NSB stated that they were considering establishing a joint venture that would take over the operations of the ore trains. In May 1992, LKAB stated that Norway would, through its membership in the European Economic Area , be required to allow any train operator to run trains on a line, while this was rejected by NSB who stated that this only applied within

3366-601: The SA3 couplers were not much tested with the new weights. Later LKAB went back to SA3 couplers which now are used on all ore trains. In 2003, the Iron Ore Line from Kiruna to Riksgränsen and the Ofoten Line were finished upgraded to 30 tonne axle load, allowing half the trains to operate with maximum capacity. The Northern East West Freight Corridor is an initiative by the International Union of Railways aiming to establish

3465-408: The Swedish government announced that it would help arrange replacement work for radio corporation Radiotjänst after the city had been moved from its original location. Starting in 2013, Danish explorer and photographer Klaus Thymann began a long-term project documenting the resettlement of the town. Using GPS-tagged imagery, he has returned multiple times since, replicating precise locations to show

3564-563: The Torne river and ends there. Another road connects Kiruna with Nikkaluokta close to Kebnekaise and is used by tourists to get to the mountains. It passes by or nearby several villages in the Kalix river valley. Buses connect Kiruna with major towns in Norrbotten province and villages nearby and in the wider region. The railway connects Luleå with Gällivare, Kiruna and Narvik. Although built to serve

3663-507: The amount initially invested. After a significant rebuild, the railway to Gällivare could be used again and iron ore was extracted at Malmberget by Aktiebolaget Gellivare Malmfält (AGM). At the initiative of Robert Schoug, the Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag (LKAB) was founded in 1890. In 1893, Gustaf Broms became CEO of both LKAB and AGM. LKAB pressed for continuing Malmbanan via Luossavaara and Kiirunavaara to

3762-464: The applicant had to have rail transport as their main activity. On 8 June 1995, LKAB established a Swedish and a Norwegian subsidiary dedicated to rail transport. This would bypass the rationale provided by the Ministry of Transport in denying them traffic rights, and LKAB stated that there was no way the Norwegian authorities now could deny them such rights, given EU Directive 91/440 . At this time Norway

3861-407: The branch from Kiruna to Svappavaara was opened, allowing LKAB to exploit mining there, although this was again closed in 1983. In 1990, a tunnel opened under Nuolja between Abisko and Björkliden. Passenger trains were essential for the region until 1984, when European Route E10 was constructed between Kiruna and Narvik. In December 1991, LKAB stated that they wanted to take over the operation of

3960-617: The built-up area is considered a de facto city. Being located 145 km (90 miles) north of the Arctic Circle , Kiruna has a subarctic climate ( Dfc ) with short, mild summers and long, very cold winters, although the city itself can be considerably milder than the surrounding forest. Snow cover generally lasts from late September to mid-May, but snowfall can occur year-round. The midnight sun between 28 May and 16 July (50 days), and white nights lasts from early May to early August. Polar night lasts from 11 December to 1 January (22 days),

4059-557: The changing landscape. In 2017 Thymann returned again to Kiruna to document the redevelopment of the town for Bloomberg Businessweek. Kiruna is located in the north of Sweden, 145 kilometres (90 mi) north of the Arctic Circle . The city centre is built on the Haukavaara hill at an altitude of 530 m, high above the Torne river to the north and the Kalix River to the south. Other parts of

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4158-487: The competition with their masterplan and strategy for moving the city. The competition team was led by White Arkitekter AB, lead architect Mikael Stenqvist, SAR/MSA, in collaboration with Ghilardi + Hellsten Arkitekter, lead architect Ellen Hellsten. Together with researchers from Luleå and Delft universities, it envisages a denser city centre with a greater focus on sustainability, green and blue infrastructure, pedestrians, and public transport rather than automobiles. In 2018,

4257-501: The contract to build 750 new 100-tonne hopper cars to Transnet of South Africa, after among others Norsk Verkstedindustri had been considered. In August, an agreement was reached whereby LKAB would pay for NOK 100 million of the NOK ;130 million needed to upgrade the Ofoten Line. The contract to deliver 18 Iore locomotives was signed with Bombardier on 15 September 1998. LKAB bought SJ and NSB's share of MTAB in 1999, making MTAB

4356-424: The decades to follow. Kiruna became a municipalsamhälle (a community within a municipality) in 1908. This caused unhappiness in local organisations, such as Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Arbetareförening , that had hoped for status as köping , which would have kept more of the mining income inside the locality. In return, the mining company LKAB paid for a hospital, fire station, sewerage, roads, a church (opened 1912) and

4455-541: The design for the settlement had been accepted, houses were built in a disorganized manner with illegal slums similar to those in the other mining town, Malmberget , 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Kiruna. Also, provisional buildings served as a church, a school, a hospital, a hotel and a police station. However, official residences were built at a high pace, and when the king opened the railway in 1903, all illegal residences and most other provisional buildings had been demolished and replaced. The very first building, B:1 ,

4554-419: The economy of Kiruna started to diversify. Initially, the mechanisation of the mining industry led to more mechanical workshops developing machinery for the mine, still dependent on the mining, but individual companies with spinoffs that could be sold to other areas than the Kiruna mine alone. In the 1950s, a fund, Norrlandsfonden was established, in which profits from LKAB would be invested in order to diversify

4653-533: The edge of the Torne River . The land north of Kurravaara is roadless, uninhabited, partly barren and partly birch forest, up to the Norwegian and Finnish borders at Treriksröset . The lower-lying east is dominated by boreal forest, stretching thousands of kilometres through Finland and Russia . Around 15 km east of Kiruna is a group of villages at the Torne River, most notably Jukkasjärvi , where an ice hotel

4752-459: The engines, was common and loose weapons often ended up at the bottom of the Luossajärvi lake, next to the railway stop. North of Torneträsk, at Kaivare, a radio base Kari was built in secrecy and used by the Norwegian resistance. It was also used for the smuggling of arms to Norway and refugees from Norway. In 1948, Kiruna gained city rights and started to receive large amounts of money from

4851-529: The exact boundaries depending on local topography. Even though Kiruna's winters are very cold by Swedish standards, they are still much less severe than winters on similar latitudes in North America and Siberia , and even more southerly areas in other parts of the world due to some maritime influence. Similar winter temperatures go as far south as below the 45th parallel in the Russian Far East as well as

4950-513: The findings of large amounts of ore, no mining was initiated because of the remote location and the harsh climate. Some ore was extracted in the 19th century. It was extracted in summer and transported in winter, using sleds drawn by reindeer and horses . However, the costs were high and the quality of the phosphorus ore poor, until, in 1878, the Gilchrist–Thomas process , invented by Sidney Gilchrist Thomas and Percy Gilchrist , allowed for

5049-463: The government were permitted to travel between Kiruna and Riksgränsen. After the battle at Bjørnfjell , 15 April 1940, wounded and fallen Norwegian soldiers were transported to Kiruna. Despite the conditions for Swedish neutrality , rail cars with food, skis and helmets were transported from Kiruna to the Norwegian soldiers in Bjørnfjell. Swedish iron ore from Kiruna was of major importance to

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5148-459: The great expense almost led to bankruptcy in 1901, just after the ore mining at Kiirunavaara had started. King Oscar II only opened the railway line 14 July 1903, preferring summer over winter to travel north. The architects Per Olof Hallman and Gustaf Wickman were appointed to design the city, to be built at Haukivaara, near both iron ore mines, with then-revolutionary consideration of geographical and climatological circumstances; being built on

5247-508: The high train weights, higher than anywhere else in Scandinavia, and probably anywhere in the European Union . They use special brakes and SA3 couplers instead of the screw couplings otherwise standard in Sweden. After extension of passing loops to 750 m in 2008 and 2009, the trains will have 68 cars, weighing 8600 tonnes including the locomotive, with 6800 tonnes of iron ore. The railway also carries passenger services. Vy Tåg operates

5346-440: The ice-free coast of Norway. The continuation of the railway line to Narvik was controversial, because opponents feared the influence of Russia (then controlling Finland and already connected to Sweden at Haparanda – Tornio ) on an international railway line. The decision to build was finally taken in 1898. The railway came to Kiruna 15 October 1899 and the Swedish and Norwegian sections were joined 15 November 1902. For LKAB,

5445-480: The ice. The name Luossajärvi derives from the rich number of trout that were in the lake. The original stocks consisted of perch , trout and pike , but these are now depleted to the point that now only perch naturally remain. The spawning ground for the natural brown trout populations has disappeared due to mining. However, other fish species have been introduced, including whitefish , grayling , char , rainbow trout and splake . This Swedish geography article

5544-600: The interior upper Midwest and northern New England in the United States. Kiruna however, has cooler summers than such areas, but still warm enough to stay above polar climate and below the northern tree line . Winter temperatures however are significantly colder than areas immediately affected by the Gulf Stream to a degree that the regular lows of Kiruna during January and February are similar to Tromsø 's all-time record low. The coldest confirmed temperature ever in Kiruna

5643-428: The latter would purchase transport services from the two state railway. The annual price had then been reduced from SEK 650 to 400 million. Political commentators stated that the agreement allowed LKAB to keep all the profit in the line and introduce new cost savings, while SJ and NSB kept face by keeping the operating contract. The price reduction would mean that both NSB and SJ would have to lay off employees. In 1993,

5742-582: The lines from 25-tonne (25-long-ton; 28-short-ton) to 30-tonne (30-long-ton; 33-short-ton) maximum permitted axle load. Combined with new locomotives, this would give increased efficiency in hauling the ore. The upgrade for the Ofoten Line would cost 180 million Norwegian krone , and would allow LKAB to increase the train weight from 4,100 to 8,600 tonnes (4,000 to 8,500 long tons; 4,500 to 9,500 short tons). In addition, heavier trains would have to be longer, so sufficient passing loops would have to be upgraded to 790 metres (2,590 ft). In March, LKAB awarded

5841-660: The lines would be terminated. In April 1992, LKAB was awarded traffic rights by the Swedish Rail Administration . There was a disagreement as to whether the agency had the authority to do this, and SJ stated that it was only the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications who had the authority to award traffic rights on the stem lines, in particular along the Main Line in Upper Norrland. The rights also did not affect

5940-448: The local economy. The municipality started to lend money to starting companies against very beneficial rates, a scheme that lasted until 1959 because the banks, that insisted this was false competition, had established more relaxed rules for lending out money. The industrial area east of the city was built in the 1950s to separate industry from neighborhoods. On 10 November 1960, Kiruna Airport opened to separate civilian air traffic from

6039-572: The major Swedish mining company LKAB was founded in 1890. Malmbanan For details on the Norwegian side, see Ofoten Line The Iron Ore Line ( Swedish : Malmbanan ) is a 398-kilometre (247 mi) long railway line between Riksgränsen and Boden in Norrbotten County , Sweden , owned by Trafikverket (the Swedish Transport Administration). The line also contains two branches, from Kiruna to Svappavaara and from Gällivare to Koskullskulle . The term

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6138-415: The military airplanes that had landed at Kalixfors airport and at Luossajärvi since World War I. A road to Nikkaluokta was opened in 1971 and to Riksgränsen and Narvik in 1984. The latter had been debated heavily, for alternative plans existed to build the road to Norway on the northern side of Torneträsk , via Laimo, Kattuvuoma, Salmi to Innset and Bardu in Norway. This road was never built, but

6237-491: The mine, Swedish Rail runs daily passenger traffic on the line: a night train from Narvik to Stockholm , a day train from Narvik to Luleå (connecting with a second night train to Stockholm and Gothenburg ), and trains to Luleå and Narvik that start and finish in Kiruna. The latter is known as Karven and popular for day trips to the mountains near Abisko, Björkliden and Riksgränsen , particularly in winter. Additional long-distance trains are run by Transdev in summer. In 2013,

6336-399: The mine. The city centre was renovated starting in 1953; most buildings built before 1920 were demolished and replaced, and many of the current buildings were built in the following period. The town grew and new neighborhoods were built, as well as new apartment buildings and villas in existing neighborhoods. The area is currently known as Lombolo was built in the 1960s. After World War II,

6435-656: The national border to the Port of Narvik, the trains use only a fifth of the power they regenerate . The regenerated energy is sufficient to power the empty trains back up to the national border. Although the trains and hopper cars are all owned by LKAB, the line is owned by the Swedish Transport Administration and the Norwegian National Rail Administration . The Ore and Ofoten Lines are also used by passenger and container trains. Iron ore

6534-589: The new companies taking over operations from 1 January 1996. In late January, the committee concluded that LKAB met the criteria to receive traffic rights. The report also showed that 55 jobs would be lost in Narvik and that the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate had concerns regarding the safety of LKAB's operations. The labor unions protested after LKAB demanded that the employees switch union from Swedish Union for Service and Communications Employees to

6633-408: The ore trains from NSB and SJ. This became possible due to new legislation. At the time, they were paying 0.15 Swedish krona (SEK) per tonne kilometer in Sweden and 0.30 Norwegian krone (NOK) per tonne kilometer in Norway, while comparable rates abroad were between SEK 0.03 and 0.10 per tonne kilometer. While SJ had several times during the 1980s agreed to reduce their rates, NSB had not offered

6732-478: The other hand, did not support a solution where they did not operate the trains themselves. LKAB stated that if an agreement with NSB could not be reached, they would shift all their transport to the Port of Luleå . In February 1992, a report ordered by Kiruna Municipality recommended that LKAB, SJ and NSB create a common company to operate the ore trains. At the same time, SJ stated that the consequence of LKAB taking over operation could be that passenger trains on

6831-584: The output is transported by rail to the ice-free Port of Narvik , a route named the Northern Circuit. A minority of the ore is transported to Luleå on the Southern Circuit. Located on the Baltic Sea, ore is shipped to Baltic customers, or delivered to furnaces operated by SSAB in Luleå and Oxelösund . The Ore and Ofoten Lines are 536 kilometres (333 mi) long, including the branch to Svappavaara, with

6930-411: The period between April and August account for 73% of Kiruna's annual sunshine according to the 1961-1990 normals, whereas the five darkest months between October and February contain only around 10% of the annual sunshine. Kiruna is on the E10 road, connecting Luleå with Norway and passing near Gällivare (south of Kiruna) and Narvik (on the Norwegian coast). A short road connects to Kurravaara at

7029-547: The presence of British soldiers near the Kiruna ore mine would provoke a German attack on Sweden, the request was declined. After the German invasion of Norway , at least ten soldiers were stationed along every bridge along Malmbanan , to blow up the bridges should the German army invade Sweden. Additionally, foreigners were banned from visiting Kiruna or the iron ore line, and only the Sami , military personnel, locals and people working for

7128-434: The priest's home. In April 1907, a tram began operation in Kiruna, the northernmost in the world. This meant miners would no longer have to walk several kilometres through the sub-arctic cold, nor would they need to climb a hundred meters up the mining hill. The network consisted of three lines: bergbanan ( funicular ), stadsspårvägen (city tramway) and gruvspårvägen (mine tramway). The funicular closed in 1955 after

7227-482: The railway station was moved 2 km away from the city centre, so walking is possible but not recommended. There is a free shuttlebus for every departure and arrival which starts from Kiruna bus station in the city centre. Kiruna Airport is southeast of the city, 8 km by road. A few daily flights connect Kiruna with Stockholm, either directly or via Luleå or Umeå . An airport bus is available for all flights to and from Stockholm-Arlanda Airport . Mining plays

7326-475: The reported finding Swedish senior enforcement officer and cartographer Anders Hackzell mapped the Kiruna area in 1736. He gave the mountains of the area their Swedish language names Fredriks berg (original Finnish name still in use as well: Kiirunavaara) and Berget Ulrika Eleonora (original Finnish name still in use as well: Luossavaara), after the King of Sweden Fredrik I and his wife Ulrika Eleonora . Despite

7425-522: The route from Kiruna to Narvik being 170 kilometres (110 mi), and from Malmberget to Luleå being 220 kilometres (140 mi). Operations are handled by LKAB's subsidiary Malmtrafik i Kiruna (MTAB) in Sweden, and Malmtrafikk (MTAS) in Norway. Daily there operate 11 to 13 trains in each direction on the Northern Circuit, and five to six trains on the Southern Circuit. The trains hauled by Iore -class locomotives are 68 cars long and weigh 8,600 tonnes (8,500 long tons; 9,500 short tons). From Riksgränsen on

7524-786: The same location. Since 2006, the Erasmus Mundus Master Course in Space Science and Technology has started with at least one semester spent at LTU. In 2007, education along IRV was split and only the Department of Space Science, belonging to Luleå University of Technology, remained, while the Umeå University programme in Space Engineering quit. The Kiruna Icehotel has been built in Jukkasjärvi each winter since 1990 and

7623-411: The same, and was making a profit of NOK 60 to 70 million per year. LKAB stated that they, by taking over operations themselves, could save SEK 200 million per year. In addition, they stated that they could save between SEK 50 to 100 million in auxiliary fields. LKAB had sent an application to Swedish authorities for permission to take over operations, and had received positive feedback from SJ. NSB, on

7722-527: The separation of phosphorus from the ore. In 1884, a concession for a railway from Luleå to Narvik was granted to The Northern Europe Railway Company . The provisional railway between Luleå and Malmberget was finished in 1888 and the first train left Malmberget in March. Around the same time, the English company went bankrupt and had to sell the line to the Swedish state for 8 million Swedish crowns , around half

7821-414: The start of the work, Hjalmar Lundbohm worried whether the Kiruna winter would allow for working outside at all, but despite early research into underground mining, mountaintop removal mining was the primary method in the early years. Mechanisation was attempted early using steam powered excavators, but the cold climate led to considerable difficulties and only when electrical machinery became available in

7920-532: The state railways were losing money on the ore trains. In January 1994, SJ and NSB stated that they were going to merge the operations of the Iron Ore Line and the Ofoten Line. In May 1994, LKAB applied for traffic rights on the Ofoten Line. This was rejected in December 1994 by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications, who stated that the company did not meet the criteria in the law, including that

8019-424: The time before the railway, by boat (in summer) via the Torne and Kalix rivers to Jukkasjärvi and Håmojåkk and then proceeding by foot. A road from Kiruna was built to Tuolluvaara in 1901, Poikkijärvi in 1909, Alttajärvi in 1913 and connected to Svappavaara in 1926, from where roads already connected via Vittangi to Pajala and via Lappesuando to Gällivare and further south. The Great Depression led to

8118-531: The town are Lombolo and Tuolluvaara. Near Kiruna are the mountains Kiirunavaara and Luossavaara . Kiirunavaara is an iron ore mine that is the town's primary economic resource. Luossavaara is a former mine and now used as a skiing slope. The city is built near the lake Luossajärvi with outflow to the Luossajoki that flows in the Torne River at Laxforsen. The area around Kiruna is very sparsely populated. The northwest, west and southwest of Kiruna are dominated by

8217-406: The transition rules for employees. While the strike lasted, there was increased shipments to Luleå. In November, the new ore port in Luleå opened, having cost LKAB more than half a billion Swedish kronor and a capacity of six million tonnes of ore per year. In 1998, LKAB estimated a gradual 35% increase in production until 2005, and demanded that the track owners grant sufficient funding to upgrade

8316-521: The whole line from Narvik to Luleå to allow all trains to operate with full capacity. By 2011, LKAB's will be able to replace all the Dm3, and convert all the ore trains to 68 cars. This will increase the capacity from 28 to 33 million tonnes per year, and at the same time reduce the number of departures per day from 21 to 15. A well managed ore train going downhill may have an electricity consumption of around zero due to regenerative braking . In March 2021 it

8415-608: The world's largest igloo. It had been built using techniques from the building of Malmbanan 90 years before and was also inspired by the Snow Festival, that had started in 1986 to celebrate the Swedish Viking satellite. Since 1998, a special tourist area exists in the mine and since 1999, tourists can visit the various areas of research going on in Kiruna. In 1957, the Kiruna Geophysical Observatory (KGO) (now

8514-583: The years 2012-2013, an international architectural competition concerning the vision, strategy, and design of a new city centre for a new Kiruna was arranged by the Municipality of Kiruna in partnership with the Swedish Association of Architects. White Arkitekter AB, based in Stockholm , together with Ghilardi + Hellsten Arkitekter, based in Oslo , Spacescape AB, Vectura Consulting AB, and Evidens BLW AB, won

8613-465: Was announced that Hitachi Rail had been awarded a contract by Trafikverket to roll out ERTMS level 2 signalling system on the line between Gällivare and Boden. In December 2023 a fully laden train derailed near Vassijaure. The line was subsequently repaired and reopened in February 2024, however another derailment took place a week after it reopened near the same location. A preliminary investigation

8712-556: Was built with an inadequate standard, and the mining company lacked sufficient funds to finance the upgrades. In 1891, the line was nationalized and taken over by the Swedish State Railways . In 1890, Luossavaara–Kiirunavaara AB was established to start mining in Kiruna . By 1899, a railway had been built from Kiruna to Gällivare. In 1898, the Riksdag passed legislation to build a railway from Kiruna to Narvik in Norway. The line

8811-486: Was completed in November 1902 and was officially opened on 14 July 1903 by King Oscar II . To begin with, the line used two or three conventional steam locomotives for each ore train. Later dedicated ore-hauling steam locomotives were introduced. In 1915, the section from Riksgränsen to Kiruna was electrified, with the rest of the line electrified in 1922. The first electric locomotives were Oa , and allowed trains weighing 1,900 tonnes (1,870 long tons; 2,090 short tons). In

8910-595: Was finalized following a vote in the Parliament of Norway . Malmtrafik took over operations from 1 July 1996. The company bought the Dm3-locomotives from SJ, NSB's six El 15 locomotives, and a number of workshops, depots and shunters. Post-nationalization, it became the first private railway company in Europe to haul international freight trains. from 26 September to 27 October 200 employees in Narvik were on strike regarding

9009-515: Was founded in 1900, the presence of iron ore at Kiirunavaara and Luossavaara had been known by the local Sámi population. In 1696, Samuel Mört, a bookkeeper of the Kengis works, wrote on rumours about the presence of iron in the two hills. The ore became better known after it was reported by Mangi, a Sámi man, in 1736 to Swedish authorities that had gathered in Jukkasjärvi Church . Soon after

9108-411: Was introduced, but during the fabulous twenties , it increased to a record nine million tonnes in 1927. In 1921, mining started at Kiruna's other hill, Luossavaara . However, the total amount of ore that could be mined in open pit mining here was small compared to Kiirunavaara, and LKAB preferred to concentrate resources in one place. Nevertheless, mining here continued until 1974 and later it became

9207-450: Was not what they had hoped it to be. Hjalmar Lundbohm personally lent money for the trip home to some of the emigrants. During World War I , iron ore production dropped to the lowest level in LKAB's history, and when exports increased again, a successful three-month strike in 1920 led to a 20% increase in salaries for the miners. Production dropped to a minimum in 1922 and a three-day work week

9306-501: Was opened to consider the possibility of sabotage. To cope with the heavy ore transports this line was first equipped with the most powerful steam locomotives in Sweden and later powerful electric locomotives, the most famous being the Dm+Dm3+Dm that today are being replaced with modern Iore locomotives after serving on the line for over 40 years. Apart from special locomotives, the iron ore trains have some special equipment to allow

9405-536: Was part of the European Economic Area (and Sweden of the EU) meaning EU directives were valid in both countries. On 27 June 1995, LKAB, SJ and NSB reached an agreement where the three would establish a joint venture owned 51% by LKAB and 24.5% each by NSB and SJ. At the time there were 350 employees in the three companies involved in the transport, and the new company would recruit its employees among these, although it would need significantly fewer employees. The plans called for

9504-490: Was recorded at the nearby weather station with −43.3 °C (−45.9 °F) recorded in January 1999. The weather station recorded 31.6 °C (88.9 °F) in July 1945, which is the all-time record. The warmest month on record at the weather station was July 2018, with average high temperatures of 24.3 °C (75.7 °F). Kiruna has a gloomy climate, affected by Atlantic low-pressure systems. Due to its extreme daylight cycle,

9603-625: Was started, which attracted people from a wide area. The Sami population was already a tourist attraction in the early days of Kiruna's existence. In the early 1920s a movement that became known as "Kirunasvenskarna" (the Kiruna Swedes ) decided to emigrate to Soviet Russia , the land where they hoped for better working conditions and higher wages and general standards. They were the last Swedes who emigrated in groups. Most of these emigrants lived in Kiruna prior to their move. The municipality of Kiruna shares borders with Norway and Finland and Kiruna

9702-474: Was to be made gradually over the coming decade. On January 8, 2007, a new location was proposed, northwest to the foot of the Luossavaara mountain, by the lake of Luossajärvi . The first actual work on moving the town was done in November 2007, when work on the new main sewage pipe started. In the same week, the first sketches for the layout of the new part of the town became available. The sketches include

9801-407: Was to be produced. In June 2010, the municipal council decided that the town would be moved eastwards (to 67°51′1″N 20°18′2″E  /  67.85028°N 20.30056°E  / 67.85028; 20.30056 ), in the direction of Tuolluvaara, instead of the proposed northwestern location. The moving of the town was started in 2014, and the plan describes a process that continues to 2100. In

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