Transportlinje

Transportlinje is a term used in several Scandinavian languages to denote a designated route or service for moving people or goods from an origin to a destination. In public transport planning, a transportlinje refers to a specific line with a defined route, a sequence of stops or stations, a timetable, and a fleet assignment. In logistics and intermodal transport, the term can describe a scheduled path that shipments follow across modes, including road, rail and sea, often with transfer points and handling hubs.

Public transport lines are typically numbered or named and operated by transit agencies or private contractors. They are characterized by route geometry, service frequency (headways), operating hours, and capacity. Rail and metro lines share similar features but are distinguished by fixed guideways, higher speed, and longer-distance connections. Shipping lines describe regular maritime services between ports, with published schedules and sailing patterns, while freight lines describe the preferred routes for cargo movements within a distribution network.

Planning and analysis of a transportlinje relies on data such as timetables, station or port capacity, demand, and performance metrics like on-time reliability and utilization. Modern planning uses geographic information systems and, for public transit, open data formats such as GTFS to publish line and schedule information. The concept is central to transport policy, network design, and operations management, influencing accessibility, travel times, and urban or regional development.