At the construction of the first Swedish mainline railway network 1856–1891 there was a principle to avoid the coasts.

This was for military reasons (protect against attacks, aircraft did not yet exist) and to bring steam powered transport to areas without any.

Gävle, Söderhamn and Sundsvall which today are located along the East Coast Line were then connected by branches from the mainline.

It was called the East Coast Line, and was built by a company mainly owned by the government and the cities along it.

As Stockholm's main train depot is located in Hagalund, on the East Coast Line, this part was also electrified at the same time.

Some curvy sections were rebuilt in the 70s and the 80s, but most of the improvements were done in the 90s, with the introduction of the tilting high-speed train X2000.

In the middle of the 90s, the line was completely overloaded with heavy commuter and long distance services north of Stockholm.

Ostkustbanan is the busiest line in Sweden, with 60 trains per hour north of Stockholm.

Here is a list of trains which use the line: X2000: Stockholm – Falun, Sundsvall, Östersund and Härnösand, via Arlanda.