Varde–Nørre Nebel railway line

The Varde–Nørre Nebel railway line (Varde-Nørre Nebel Jernbane), also called the West Line (Vestbanen) and the Nebel Line (Nebelbanen), colloquially referred to as Nebelgrisen (literally meaning the Nebel pig), is a 37.6 km long local railway line in West Jutland, Denmark. It was opened for traffic in 1903. It has standard gauge and is not electrified.

Varde Vest station was originally the terminus for the trains, but today almost all the trains connect with the Esbjerg–Varde railway line and continue to stations like Esbjerg, Ribe, Tønder and Niebüll.

History
The railway line opened on 15 March 1903 to connect the market town of Varde with Nørre Nebel by way of Oksbøl. In 1913, the railway line was extended from Nørre Nebel to the railway town of Tarm on the Esbjerg–Struer railway line, but this section was closed again in 1940.

During The second world war, the rail line saw a huge increase in traffic, mainly because of the German expansion of Oksbøllejren and Nymindegablejren as part of the Atlantic wall.

The Vestbanen railway company
The railway line is owned and was previously operated by the railway company Vestbanen A/S, previously known as Varde-Nørre Nebel Jernbane (VNJ). Formerly owned by Ribe County (until the Danish Municipal Reform of 2007), the company leased its trains and infrastructure to Arriva, which has operates Vestbanen's railway line since 2002. Established in 1903, the company was originally headquartered in Varde, but is now administered from the county's offices in Ribe. The company is wholly owned by the Region of Southern Denmark.

Route
The Varde–Nørre Nebel railway line starts at Varde railway station where it branches from the Esbjerg–Struer railway line. After curving east and north of the town centre of Varde, it reaches Varde Vest on the northwestern edge of the historic town centre. From there it continues almost due west to the village of Oksbøl. From Oksbøl, the line continues north to its terminus at Nørre Nebel.

Stations
List of stations on the current Vestbane from Varde to Nørre Nebel