The story of Odsherredsbanen

Understandably, it caused quite a stir and considerable uproar when the Government towards the end of 1865 announced Civil Engineer Krøhnke's Concession for a concession for the construction and operation of a railway from Copenhagen to Syltholmen near Rødby and a port facility at Syltholmen. As far as is known, this was the first time that there was a question of building a railway on Lolland-Falster. The line was described in more detail as a railway from Copenhagen over Køge, as close past Næstved and Vordingborg as conditions allow, over the islands Farø and Bogø, through Falster, past Nykøbing, through Lolland to a point on the southwest coast of this island at Syltholmen, where A port will be built for the establishment of a connection with foreign countries, as well as a connection line between Næstved and a station on the West Zealand Railway. It presupposed a steamship or steam ferry connection between Syltholm and Fehmarn and a line across this island and Holstein to Hamburg.In the magazines the magnificent project with the many bridges between the islands was explained and discussed in more detail and the enthusiasm was quite great. It was, of course, the famous foreign money by whose aid the plan was to be carried out; Mr. succeeded. Krøhnke to provide the required deposit as security that there was seriousness in the matter, but with that the good prospects were also over. It proved impossible to raise the enormous capital required for the execution of the plan, and notwithstanding that, in accordance with the Act of February 9, 1866, a six-month respite was granted with respect to the implementation, they were in the case consecrated everything at the time that the project would not be realized. A lawsuit arose over the deposit made, which the government had to repay, and the whole thing ran into the sand.

C. F. TietgenC. F. Tietgen Already while this was going on, great plans were made for the formation of a company which was to take over the operation of all the railways in this country. There was already a company for the operation of the Jutland-Funen railways, the so-called Danish operating company, on the basis of which the indicated large company was to be formed, also comprising the operation of the Zealand railways. These plans also required, among other things, the construction of a line from Ringsted over Nestved to Vordingborg and the construction of lines over Falster and Lolland. On behalf of the operating company, Etatsraad Tietgen conducted the negotiations. The necessary agreements were made, among others. a. with the Zealand Railway Company, and an agreement had been concluded on the construction of the said lines with the world-famous company Peto, Betts and Brassey in London. However, the case was delayed by the fact that the Krøhnke Chimera once again had the power to stop other plans, in which there was more reality, and when Krøhnke's Project was finally shelved, and the Act of 21 June 1867, which, among other things. a. referred to the said courses, had come out, the conditions had changed so that the plans made by Tietgen and agreements made could no longer be carried out. Among other things, the head of the aforementioned English entrepreneurial company Sir Morton Peto had meanwhile gone bankrupt, and the Act of 14 March 1867 had authorized the Government to acquire the shares of the Danish Operating Company and let the State take over the operation of the Jutland-Funen Railways, which saw also happened.

The law of June 21, 1867, had a rather complicated content. It authorized the Government to grant concessions on the following tracks:a) a railway, which is run from Ringsted as far as possible in a straight line to Nestved, not further east than Herlufmagle, and from there over Vordingborg to an end point by the Sound between Zealand and Lolland-Falster by deep water;b) a railway, which from Copenhagen or a point on the West Zealand line, not further west than Viby, is carried over Kjøge and Vordingborg to an end point by the Sound between Zealand and Lolland by deep water, or over Kjøge and Præstø to Kallehave;

c) a railway from the north coast of Falster to Nykjøbing or another suitable point on the west coast of Falster by deep water, or to a harbor on the south or west side of Lolland. This course can possibly be run over Møen and Falster.Attached to this were a number of fairly combined provisions on a full or partial interest guarantee from the State for the construction cost of these lines, depending on whether concessions were granted to the Zealand Railway Company or others.

1868 concessionPursuant to this Act, the Zealand Railway Company received on 24 January 1868 a concession for the construction and operation of a line which, from Copenhagen or a point on the West Zealand Railway, not further west than Viby, is carried over Kjøge and Vordingborg to an end point at The strait between Zealand and Lolland-Falster by deep water, "in connection with a line from North Kysia from Falster to Nykjøbing". It was thus the so-called South Zealand Railway, which departed from Roskilde and in addition to Kjøge and Vordingborg came to touch Næstved. This is not the place to shed light on how many local interests fought and worked to give the Railway this Form, which was very unfortunate for the passing route, which could one day be foreseen to seek this path. On the other hand, it is of particular importance to us that by this concession the construction of a railway on Falster - the present railway from Orehoved to Nykjøbing - was proposed, while the idea of??a railway on Lolland was again abandoned for the time being.

Before the Falster line was built, however, an opportunity was once again opened in connection with this to have a line built over Lolland. On November 20, 1868, a small law was passed, according to which the Government was authorized to grant concession for the construction and operation of a railway from Maribo to Bandholm, and on January 8, 186.9, concession was granted on this line to Chamberlain Eggert Christopher Lensgreve Knuth to Knuthenborg, Etatsraad CF Tietgen, Premier Lieutenant CF Garde and Ingenieur FI Rowan, who under the name "det Lollandske Jernbane-Selskab" had formed an interest in the construction and operation of the line from Maribo to Bandholm. This small course was only about 1 mile long; it was quickly built and opened for operation as early as November 2, 1869. This case was only indirectly connected with the larger question of the construction of a main line on Lolland, but Tietgen had thereby come closer to the Lolland conditions and interests, and for the Bandholm line The construction of a main line on Lolland was, of course, of significance.

This was reflected, among other things, in the content of the Act of 26 February 1869 concerning the construction of a railway from Roskilde over Holbæk to Kallundborg - the so-called Northwest Zealand Railway. In this Act, at the instigation of the then Member of Parliament, Professor NC Frederiksen, and by agreement between him and Tietgen, a number of provisions were added, according to which the Zealand Railway Company could, on certain conditions, abandon the construction of the Falster line without losing the benefits the company had acquired by assuming this facility, namely an extension of 15 years of the company's non-termination on the part of the State. The Falster line could then be transferred to another concessionaire, who also undertook the construction of a line on Lolland, and for this whole plant the state could then grant 4 per cent. Interest guarantee, provided that a "Reinforcement Fund" was provided by the Concessionaire, consisting of an amount of 20 per cent. of fixed capital, and which was deposited in the Ministry of Finance with the provision that interest and capital were used to cover the Treasury's possible subsidies on the occasion of the interest guarantee. It was, as far as is known, the first time that this strange word "reinforcement fund" was mentioned in the legislation, or at all Ind k Indpas in the language. Who has the honor of the invention is not known, but later it was used more often.

My name is Erik Tilbud Olsen and I live in Copenhagen, Denmark.