Kiruna Iron Mine · AditNow Community

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fjällvandring
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

13 years ago

I haven't been underground at Kiruna, but I took a few pics of the enormous tips around the town, when I drove through there at 1 AM last summer. I think there are quite a few Iron mines around there. Basically the mine is operated by LKAB 'Luossavaara Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag' which also operates the railway to Narvik in Norway, basically because the Baltic Sea near Luleå in Sweden was frozen over in the Winter, so it made more sence to take the ore across country to the Norwegian sea which remained unfrozen.
I went to Narvik and got a brief guided tour of the iron ore collection site by a friend's friend, a very long concrete tunnel, in the beneath which was a chamber 100 m deep, into which the iron ore trains dropped the ore, to then be moved to large ships by conveyer-belt.
Anyone had any underground adventures in Lapland before?

jeg elsker Norge, landets dialekter, folk, landskap og naturen!

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NickPeak
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

13 years ago

I believe that tours of the mine are operated from the Kiruna tourist office, but to a worked out area set up as a show mine. The mine operation is most impressive, with much remote controlled machinery and is large enough to have its own internal bus service! Information, in English, is on the LKAB web site, including a vertical section. Parts of Kiruna are planned to be moved, as the workings are starting to undermine the town.
The railway operation to Narvik is also impressive - recent investment upgrades now allow trains of over 60 wagons, each of 100 tonne payload, hauled by permanently coupled pairs of Bombardier 7200hp (5400kW) Co-Co electric locos. They are the heaviest freight trains in Europe.

derrickman
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

13 years ago

I went there on a visit arranged by my employers-of-the-moment when I was working in the area, very impressive

''the stopes soared beyond the range of our caplamps' - David Bick...... How times change .... oh, I don't know, I've still got a lamp like that.

fjällvandring
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

13 years ago

I have seen the trains in Narvik and on the line between there and Kiruna, they are indeed huge. I remember reading a poster in Narvik about the different varieties of train used on the line, they are strong things, really must get back there :D
I have no idea how deep the workings are at Kiruna, you two evidently know more than me. The fact they are undercutting the town gives some idea of the scale. Are there any old workings accessible in the area?

jeg elsker Norge, landets dialekter, folk, landskap og naturen!