Rail transport in Norway

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The Norwegian railway system comprises 4,087 km of standard gauge (1.435m) track of which 2,622 km is electrified and 219 km double track. There are 696 tunnels and 2760 bridges.

Jernbaneverket is a state owned agency which builds and maintains all railway tracks, while other companies operate them. These companies include Norges Statsbaner, NSB Anbud, CargoNet, Flytoget, Hector Rail, Tågåkeriet and Ofotbanen.

Previously there were also private railways, but all of these were either abandoned or overtaken by NSB/Jernbaneverket.

The line from Kirkenes to Bjørnevatn used to be the northernmost railway in the world; however, it was closed down in 1997. Still, Narvik is one of the northernmost towns in the world to have a railway connection (Ofotbanen). It connects to Kiruna, Sweden, but not to Bodø, the northern terminus of the Norwegian railway network. Kiruna is, however, connected to the Swedish railway network, which again is connected to the Norwegian network at the Swedish station of Charlottenberg.

There are also several operational museum railways in Norway, including Krøderbanen, Setesdalsbanen, Urskog-Hølandsbanen, Thamshavnbanen, Rjukanbanen, Valdresbanen, Nesttun-Osbanen and Gamle Vossebanen. The Norwegian Railroad Museum is located in Hamar and includes exhibits of train hardware, related objects, as well as document and photography archives.

Contents 1 Track 2 Traction 3 Operational railways 3.1 Urban railways 4 Abandoned railways 4.1 Abandoned urban railways 5 See also

[edit] Track

The main railway network consists of 4087 km of lines, of which 219 km is double track and 60 km high-speed rail (210 km/h). In addition there is 225 km of urban railways, of which 218 km is double track. In addition there are some industrial tracks and minor brach lines and some abandoned and heritage railways. The entire main network is standard gauge (1435 mm), as are the urban railways in Oslo and Bergen. Of the operational railways in Norway, only the Trondheim Tramway has a different gauge, the meter gauge (1000 mm). Some heritage railways, though, operate with various kinds of narrow gauge.

[edit] Traction

2622 km (64%) of the railway network is electrified, all of it at 15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC with overhead wires. The only sections that are not electrified are the lines north of Mjøsa, with the sole exception of Dovrebanen. On non-electrified sections diesel locomotives are used. All of the urban railways use 750 V DC, via overhead wires on the tramways and via third-rail on the Oslo T-bane.

[edit] Operational railways

• Hovedbanen (Oslo-Eidsvoll-Hamar) (opened 1854, to Hamar 1880)
• Kongsvingerbanen (Lillestrøm-Kongsvinger) (1862)
• Randsfjordbanen (Drammen-Hokksund-Hønefoss) (1868)
• Drammenbanen (Oslo-Drammen) (1872)
  • Spikkestadlinjen (Asker-Spikkestad) (1872, originally part of Drammenbanen)
• Rørosbanen (Hamar-Røros-Trondheim) (1877)
• Jærbanen (Stavanger-Egersund) (1878)
• Østfoldbanen
  • Vestre linje (Western branch) (Oslo-Kornsjø) (1879)
  • Østre linje (Eastern branch) (Ski-Sarpsborg, freight only between Rakkestad and Sarpsborg) (1882)
• Vestfoldbanen (Drammen-Larvik-Skien) (1882)
• Meråkerbanen (Trondheim-Storlien) (1882)
• Gjøvikbanen (Oslo-Gjøvik) (1900)
• Ofotbanen (Narvik-Riksgränsen-(Kiruna, Sweden)) (1902)
• Bergensbanen (Bergen-Voss-Hønefoss) (to Voss 1883, Hønefoss 1908)
• Arendalsbanen (Nelaug-Arendal) (1910)
• Solørbanen-freight only (Kongsvinger-Elverum) (1913)
• Bratsbergbanen (Skien-Notodden) (1917)
• Dovrebanen (Hamar-Lillehammer-Dombås-Trondheim) (1921)
• Raumabanen (Dombås-Åndalsnes) (1924)
• Sørlandsbanen (Hokksund-Kongsberg-Kristiansand-Stavanger) (to Kongsberg 1871, Kristiansand 1938, Stavanger 1944)
• Flåmsbana (Myrdal-Flåm) (1944)
• Nordlandsbanen (Trondheim-Bodø) (to Sunnan 1905, Grong 1929, Bodø 1962)
• Oslotunnelen (Skøyen-Oslo) (1980)
• Gardermobanen (Oslo-Gardermoen-Eidsvoll) (1998)
• Askerbanen (Sandvika-Asker) (2005)

[edit] Urban railways

• Holmenkollbanen (Oslo T-bane) (1898)
• Gråkallbanen (Trondheim Tramway) (to Ila 1893, Lian 1933)
• Røabanen (Oslo T-bane) (1912)
• Fløibanen (Bergen) (1914)
• Lilleakerbanen (Oslo Tramway) (1919)
• Sognsvannsbanen (Oslo T-bane) (1933)
• Kjelsåsbanen (Oslo Tramway) (1934)
• Kolsåsbanen (Oslo T-bane) (1924)
• Østensjøbanen (Oslo T-bane) (1926)
• Lambertseterbanen (Oslo T-bane) (1957)
• Grorudbanen (Oslo T-bane) (1966)
• Furusetbanen (Oslo T-bane) (1970)

[edit] Abandoned railways

• Losbylinja (Østmorksaga-Fjellhamar) (1861-ca 1940)
• Kalvskinnet-Heimdallinjen (Kalvskinnet-Heimdal) (1864-1884)
• Krøderbanen (Vikersund–Krøderen) (1872 - 1985)
• Sulitjelmabanen (Finneid-Sulitjelma) (1892-1972)
• Nesttun-Osbanen (Nesttun-Os) (1894-1935)
• Setesdalsbanen (Kristiansand-Byglandsfjord) (1896-1962)
• Urskog-Hølandsbanen (Sørumsand-Skulerud) (1896-1960)
• Lillesand-Flaksvandbanen (Lillesand-Flaksvann) (1896-1953)
• Hafslundbanen (Hafslund–Sundløkka) (1898–1973)
• Tønsberg-Eidsfossbanen (Tønsberg-Eidsfoss) (1901-1938)
• Holmestrand-Vittingfossbanen (Holmestrand-Vittingfoss) (1902-1938)
• Skreiabanen (Reinsvoll–Skreia (1902–1987)
• Lierbanen (Lier-Svangstrand) (1904)
• Flekkefjordbanen (Sira-Flekkefjord) (1904-1990)
• Valdresbanen (Eina-Fagernes) (1906-1988)
• Grimstadbanen (Grimstad-Rise) (1907-1961)
• Havnebanen (Loenga–Filipstad) (1907–1983)
• Thamshavnbanen (Løkken-Thamshavn) (1908-1974)
• Rjukanbanen (Rjukan-Mæl) (1908-1991)
• Tinnosbanen (Tinnoset-Notodden) (1908-1990)
• Kirkenes-Bjørnevatnbanen (Kirkenes-Bjørnevatn) (1910-1997)
• Treungenbanen (Nelaug-Treungen) (1913-1967)
• Vestmarkabanen (Skotterud–Vestmarka) (1918–)
• Askim–Solbergfoss (1918-)
• Ålgårdbanen (Ganddal-Ålgård) (1924-1988)
• Sperillbanen (Hen-Sperillen) (1926-1957)
• Numedalsbanen (Kongsberg-Rødberg) (1927-1988)
• Kragerøbanen (Neslandsvatn-Kragerø) (1927-1988)
• Namsoslinjen (Grong-Namsos) (1933)
• Hardangerbana (Voss-Granvin) (1935)
• Røykenvikbanen (Jaren–Røykenvik)
• Ilsvikbanen (Skansen–Fagervika)
• Hauerseter-Gardermobanen (Hauerseter–Gardermoen)

[edit] Abandoned urban railways

• Ladelinjen (Trondheim Tramway) (1901–1988)
• Elgeseterlinjen (Trondheim Tramway) (1913–1983)
• Singsakerlinjen (Trondheim Tramway) (1927–1968)

[edit] See also

• Rail transport by country
• Transportation in Norway
• Norwegian railway signalling