Transportation in Östervallen

Östervallen, the capital city of Vittmark, is the largest urban area in the country and serves as a crucial transportation hub due to its strategic location and infrastructure. Despite not being situated at the mouth of a navigable river, Östervallen boasts the second-largest harbour complex in the nation and is a center for various industries and workshops. Over the last decades the city has transformed in a trading hub with a large commercial service sector, including finances, which set different requirements for the transportation system of Östervallen.

To and from Östervallen

Air Travel

The main airfield for passenger traffic in Östervallen was Rustning airfield, which dates back to the 7650's. It is located south of Dämmanö and accommodated airship travel only at first. Following damage during the Three Ways Conflict, Rustning was reopened in 7565. Even after the introduction of the fixed wings, heavier than air aircrafts for passenger services, Rustning remained the main port of entry för Östervallen. An 1850 m long runway 12-24 was built in 76XX, later an equally long runway 03-33 was added in 76XX. Military operation moved to a new airfield in 76XX, kaming Rusting a strictly commercial air facility. However the airport led to increasingly large problems for safety and health, so a new airport was planned in the 7670's. The new Queen Anna Airport was opened in 7685 between Östervallen and Kletudde with a single 2300 m long runway. Rusting is still in use for private, business and government travel with smaller aircrafts and only on the original 12-24 runway.

Östervallen has several docking towers for airships, like at the government complex of Östvallen, the military compound of Härstaden and in the suburb of Åstunda. Apart from Härstaden, which was left by the military in 76XX, both other towers are still operational.

A more recent addition in the form of helipad and heliports have emerged since the 7660's. Rustning has the largest heliport, but many privately owned buildings have helipads as well, as well as the federal government has a facility within the Östvallen complex.

Railways

Östervallen originally had termini for five railway lines operated by six different railway companies in two different gauges. Through the infrastructural project Sammanbindningsbanan the main railways of Ådalen serving Västerporten station were connected to Månstaplan station on the Lidenite network in the 7590's. The project got seriously delayed due to the Pan Stoldavic War of 7584-7591, but after completion Vittmark had an ongoing east-west line in 1829 mm gauge covering most of the country right through Östervallen. In the 7670's a new tunnel was constructed with stations Västra, Södra och Östra replacing the old elevated railway, also having tunnels for the extended metro network (see below). Regional trains terminated again in Västerporten and Månstaplan, connected to the Västra and Östra stations respectively. Even the Blue Mountains Railways now got diverted to Månstaplan where it got its own platforms due to its diverging gauge of 1220 mm.

From the three main stations Västra, Södra and Östra, railway traffic is fanning out in different systems. The high speed national services connect to the larger cities, while a more regional pendeltåg (commuter train) services the urban region within a travelling distance of about one hour. The shuttle service to the new airport and onward to Kletudde is a part of this system.

The old Borgö terminus for railways going south was originally intended to become a railway museum, but the building was deemed too small for this. Instead, the museum got located in the disused Dämmanö station above Söder, strategically located between other tourist attractions like the excavation site of Heligas, the Old Town, Östvallen government complex with its Royal Palace, the mixed urban renewal in Härstaden and the natural history museum in Gårdarna. Borgö was instead redeveloped into mixed commercial and public offices, business incubators, educational hub, conference center and music hall.

Cargo rail

The main cargo yards are in Åstunda east of the city center and Källby to the southeast, but there are several smaller cargo yards in Oxniehärad and Mellerstaden, as well as on the overground stations of Månstaplan and Västanport.

Waterways

Östervallen has a long history in coastal transportation. Even today, regular cargo services with passenger facilities operate on a daily basis between Skara and Talpå, especially catering for the transportation needs of coastal towns with less favourable connections to the railway network. The current service under the brand Kustvägen was started in 7656 and has two companies operating a fleet of four vessels who continuously serve the entire route with 17 stops. This leads to an asymmetrical timetable creating interesting options for overnight travel to cities like Tammerköping, Boda, Skara and Åmynningsås.

There is a regular ferry connecting the city with Kletudde. Since the 7680's the service is carried out by two smaller jetfoil passenger ferries and two catamarans with cargo capacity.

Cargo Transport

Östervallen has several harbors and docks catering to different types of cargo. Modern deep-water ships are handled in docks with regulated water levels, while smaller ships utilise open quays with floating jetties. Key harbours include Väststanvik and Almedalen in the old town, and the Nystadens Varv, which has transitioned from shipbuilding to cargo handling.

Road travel

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Within Östervallen

Tramway system

Horse-drawn tramways have been operational in Östervallen since 7532, providing essential services despite the city's challenging layout. From the early 7600's the network was electrified, with cabled tramways being added to cope with the height differences created by Klippan. Due to the expansion of the city, the relatively low speed of the trams meant that public transport could no longer cover the entire city with efficient connections. Instead, a metro system was planned and construction started in the 7640's.

Many of the tramways were closed when the metro expanded, especially those lines passing Klippan. Trams became the main complement in the New Town and 75th century Mellerstaden, providing feeder lines to the reailway and metro stations. From the late 7670's on tramways started to make a comeback, forming connections between the more radial metro lines and as such providing opportunities for creating a denser urban fabric.

Most modern tram cars can facilitate some cargo in the form of roll containers, hand trucks and standard cargo bike crates (but not the bikes themselves) at a first come, first served basis.

Metro

The first ideas of underground metro lines were developed in the 7630's. The first line from Månstaplan towards the southeast was constructed in the 7640's as a backbone for urban expansion in Grönåsen. The new residential areas Höksätra, Hagängen, Fårdalen, Högsta, Sturemossen and the preliminary terminus for the Metropolitan railway in Bagarby were built here between 7641 and 7659 with 5,000 to 10,000 inhabitants each, most often with the metro in an elevated position. The next metro line in the south-southwesterly direction was the main line for the development of Söderstaden, the collective name of the suburbs built on this line, with areas like Rustning, Hasselberg, Väringsborg and Norsby. Apart from Rustning, which was the main airport until 76XX, these areas were built as so-called BAS-areas (bo - arbete - service meaning "living - work - service") around metro stations with all of the daily functions at walking distance. The whole development was more large scale than on Grönåsen, with areas being planned for 15,000 to 20,000 residents per station and the metro lines being built underground for the vast majority. In the 7670's both lines got connected through a central tunnel, upon which more lines could be planned and built. Examples include the coastal line to the west, mainly running above ground and re-using suburban railways and tramways. To the east, the coastal metro line was built underground and on bridges due to the large variety in terrain in this part of the city. These four main branches form two lines, where most of the branches have different termini.

During off-peak hours (before 0700, between 0920 and 1520 as well as after 1820) metro carriages can be used for limited cargo transportation as well in the form of roll containers, hand trucks and standard cargo bike crates (but not the bikes themselves) at a first come, first served basis in those parts of the trains with standing capacity. Roll containers travel at the same rate as passengers, while standard crates and hand trucks up to a certain size can be transported free of charge.

Road traffic

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