LB (car ferries)

LB (car ferries) or locally simply LB was a car and lorry ferry line that between 1955 and 1981 operated on the HH Ferry route between Helsingør (Elsinore), Zealand, Denmark and Helsingborg, Scania, Sweden. They were the first operator on this route to challenge the informal monopoly which DSB had enjoyed ever since 1888. And since 1630, competition at the route had only occurred between 1836 and 1840. The route had further been operated by the Danish National railways with train ferries since 1892, and since 1931 with a 50-50 support deal also with the National Swedish railways. Until LB challenged the informal monopoly.

DSB had taken over from DFDS in 1888, and had from 1892 a solid income in its transportation of trains (passenger train during day time and goods train during the night). DSB was the single shipping line which were able to transport train across the Øresund, from the Scandinavian peninsula to Denmark. The fact train ferry lines also existed from both Sweden to Germany and Denmark to Germany didn't change this fact. When also the Swedish counterpart to DSB, SJ from 1931 "joined forces" by sharing all expenses and profits equally might, serious competition at the HH route required stronger economical muscles than was available before the time cars became more common. Although the official monopoly on the route was abolished by law in 1882, had no challenger on this very short international route dared to defy Danish nationally owned operators DSB before.

Eventually DSB was to be challenged though, as the privately owned shipping cooperation "Johnson Koncernen" (from 1956 by "Stockholms Rederi AB Svea"), both based in decided to make an attempt. The privately owned Swedish company AB Linjebuss International, was started as a fully affiliated company, to Johnson in 1954 and to Rederi AB Svea from 1955.

The new shipping line, Linjebuss International became at once locally known as LB , was founded in 1954 as a fully affiliate of the "Johnson koncernen" And in the spring of the following year they began to operate, as first challenger on the route for around 120 years. Their first ferry was an old steamer, chartered under the name S/S Betula was built already in 1929. Now "Stockholms Rederi AB Svea" purchased the shipping line, and they had intentions to grow. In 1961 the SL ferries, a Danish shippling line that since 1951 had operated at the cental Øresund between Copenhagen, Port of Tuborg was purchased and incorporated. And in 1966 Trave Line, a ferry line for lorries mostly which sailed twice every day at the (fairly) long distance (9-10 hrs) route between Helsingborg or Port of Tuborg and Travemünde, Schleswig-Holstein, (Western- , as of then) Germany, without any getting off service between Helsingborg and Port of Tuborg on southbound tours and vice versa. The entire concept of the three shipping lines soon became LB/SL/TL. And during the 1960s and early 1970s records were beaten annually.

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