Drammenbanen

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Drammenbanen
NSB BM69 local train units are used on Drammenbanen, here shown at Oslo S, the terminus of the line.
Info
Type	Railway
Terminals	Oslo S Drammen
No. of stations	17
Operation
Opened	1872
Owner	Jernbaneverket
Operator(s)	Norges Statsbaner Flytoget CargoNet
Rolling stock	BM69, BM70, BM71, BM72, BM73
Technical
Line length	52.86 km
Track length	105.72 km
No. of tracks	2
Gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)
Electrification	15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC
Line map Legend 0.00 km Oslo S (1854) Oslo Tunnel (3 632 m) 1.90 km Nationaltheatret Station (1980) Elisenberg Station planned, never built Skøyen-Filipstadlinjen 3.00 km industrial track to Skøyen 3.38 km Skøyen (1872) Rv161 Drammensveien (~ 300 m) Askerbanen, under planning 4.31 km Bestum Station (1884) Rv160 Vækerøveien Lysakerelva (36 m) 6.02 km Lysaker Station (1872) Askerbanen, under construction 7.30 km Myra (1931) 7.96 km Stabekk Station (1884) 8.74 km Strand (1931) 9.74 km Høvik Station (1874) 10.40 km Ramstad (1931) 11.27 km Blommenholm Station (1910) 13.19 km Sandvika Station (1872) Øverlandselva and Sandvikselva (155 m) E16 Ringeriksveien and Fv174 Johan Grauers gate (58 m) Askerbanen (2005) 14.42 km Jong (1959) 14.84 km Slependen Station (1873) Billingstad (372 m) 16.72 km Billingstad Station (1919) Åstad (106 m) Solhaug (253 m) Solstad (52 m/55 m) 19.25 km Hvalstad Stationd (1872) Hvalstad (183 m/29m) Hvalstad (144 m) 20.32 km Vakås Station (1957) 21.37 km Høn Station (1930) Askerfyllingen Bridge[1] Asker (410 m) 23.16 km Asker Station (1872) E18 Spikkestadbanen Lieråsen Tunnel (10723 m) Eriksrud (2003) Lier Station (1973) Lierelva (44 m) Old Drammenbanen Rv23 Røykenveien branch line to Lierstranda lumber terminal Brakerøya Station (1873) Drammenselva Bragerneløpet Holmen Bridges (546 m) sidespor til Holmen (havnespor) Drammen Bridge E18 Drammenselva Strømsøløpet Holmen Bridges (451 m) branch line to Tollbukaia (seaport line) Drammen Station (1866) Vestfoldbanen Randsfjordbanen

Drammenbanen is a 52.86 km long railway line between Oslo and Drammen which was opened on October 7, 1872 as a 1067 mm narrow gauge railway, and rebuilt to standard gauge between 1913 and 1922 ^[1]. The line was electrified in 1922. It was the first line on the national network to be electrified, although Rjukanbanen operated by Norsk Hydro was electrified 11 years earlier.

At Drammen Vestfoldbanen branches off to the south while Bergensbanen and Sørlandsbanen continue together to Hokksund. The entire line has double track due to the heavy traffic on the line. The longest Norwegian railway bridge is just before Drammen where the line crosses the Drammen river. That bridge is 454 metres long.

[edit] History

Built as a narrow gauge railway, Drammenbanen was converted to a dual gauge railway between 1917 - 1920. On November 13, 1922 the dual gauge was removed. The line from Oslo V to Brakerøya was electrified on November 26, 1922 while the line from Brakerøya to Drammen was electrified on May 6, 1930. Drammenbanen was the second railway line in Norway to be rebuilt to double track. The line from Oslo V to Sandvika was opened with double track on November 26, 1922 while the line from Sandvika to Asker was extended in three steps: Billingstad - Hvalstad on July 24, 1953, Hvalstad - Asker on November 29, 1955 and Billingstad - Sandvika on November 9, 1958.

The most significant shortening of the line came with the opening of the 10.7 km long Lieråsen Tunnel on June 3, 1973 ^[2], part of the 15.2 km line from Asker to Brakerøya, shortening the railway by 12,438 meteres. Part of the old line is still operational as the Spikkestadbanen branch line. Until the opening of Oslo Tunnel and Oslo Central Station, Drammenbanen ended at the western station in Oslo, Oslo Vestbanestasjon. In 2005 the new Askerbanen railway line opened from Asker to Sandvika, making it possible for regional- and express trains to bypass the slower local- and freight trains on Drammenbanen. Askerbanen will be expanded to Lysaker by 2011 and possibly to Skøyen some time after 2015.

[edit] References

• ^  Timeline from Norsk jernbanemuseum
• ^  Caplex entry on the Lier tunnel
• Jernbaneverket's history page (Norwegian)

v • d • e Airport Express Train Flytoget BM71  · Flytoget  · Oslo Airport, Gardermoen Lines Askerbanen  · Drammenbanen  · Gardermobanen  · Romeriksporten Stations Asker  · Sandvika  · Lysaker  · Skøyen  · Nationaltheatret  · Oslo S  · Lillestrøm  · Oslo Airport