Gardermobanen
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| Gardermobanen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Eidsvoll Verk Station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Type | High-speed railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Terminals | Oslo S Eidsvoll |
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| No. of stations | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | Jernbaneverket | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Norges Statsbaner Flytoget |
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| Rolling stock | BM70, BM71, BM72, BM73 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Line length | 64 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track length | 128 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. of tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | 15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating speed | 210 km/h | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gardermobanen is a high-speed speed railway line between Oslo and Eidsvoll, Norway that runs past Lillestrøm and Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. The line is 64 kilometres (40 mi) long. It now serves as the main line east of Oslo, relegating the old Hovedbanen to mainly commuter and freight traffic, except for the places where the two lines run concurrently.
The line was opened in 1998 at the same time as the airport, that gives the line its name. It is used by the Airport Express Train as well as express trains by Norges Statsbaner. It is the only high-speed railway in the kingdom.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
When the Norwegian parliament, Stortinget, on October 8, 1992 decided to build a new central airport for Eastern Norway, they also decided that the main mode of ground transport to the airport should be by railway. While the previous airport, Oslo Airport, Fornebu, was located just outside the city limits, the new airport Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, would be located some 50 kilometers north of the city, outside the reach of existing public transport. The principle of the airport construction was that it was not to be footed by the tax payers, and so the entire airport would be built with borrowed money, through Oslo Lufthavn AS, a subsidiary of the government agency Luftfartsverket. The same principle was chosen for the airport rail link, and the state railways, Norges Statsbaner (NSB) created the subsidiary limited company NSB Gardermobanen AS on November 24, 1992 to perform the construction of the line. This company would be able to charge train operators using the railway line, and could use this to cover its down payments and interest to handle the debt endured to pay for the infrastructure investment. It was planned to give a profit margin of 7.5 %.[2]
[edit] Construction
Construction of the railway started in 1994. Gardermoen is located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of Oslo, but is not located on the railway line, Hovedbanen. A different right-of-way would had to be chosen north of Kløfta. Also, Hovedbanen is very heavily trafficked with many small stops until Lillestrøm, and continues northwards only as single track.[3] Therefore an all-new railway would have to be built bypassing the intermediate railway until Lillestrøm through a tunnel, continuing northwards to the airport and onwards to Eidsvoll. This northernmost part is 16 kilometres (10 mi) and used to allow trains operating on Dovrebanen to Lillehammer and Trondheim to use Gardermobanen.[4]
Gardermobanen was the second attempt to build a high-speed railway in Norway. The first was the 35 km line from Ski to Moss on Østfoldbanen. However, no operation speeds exceeding 160 km/h was achieved due to short distances and limitations to rolling stock. Therefore, Gardermobanen became the first real high-speed railway line in Norway. Also, due to the domination of single track in Norway, the 64 kilometres (40 mi) Gardermobanen increased the total length of double track in the kingdom by more than 50 %.[1]
The projected costs of the railway line were NOK 4.3 billion ±20 %. Total costs ended at NOK 7.7 billion, including 1.3 billion extra used on extraordinary expenditures on Romeriksporten. On October 1, 1996 it was decided that the construction company, NSB Gardermobanen, would also become the operator of the Airport Express Train. However, due to limited profitability with the company, from January 1, 2001 the ownership of Gardermobanen was transfered to Jernbaneverket, who also owns the rest of railway lines in Norway. The operating company changed its name to Flytoget AS.[2]
[edit] Construction challenges
The most challenging part of the construction was the 14,580 metres (47,800 ft) railway tunnel from Ettestad, just beside Oslo S, to Lillestrøm.[1] Romeriksporten is the longest railway tunnel in Norway, and is underneath the recreational area Østmarka, in geological highly unstable ground. During the construction in 1997 the water level in some of the lakes above the tunnel, including Lutvann and Nordre Puttjern, sank dramatically. After they were discovered on February 3, 1997 sanctions were initiated by the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate requiring leakage removals in the tunnel. At the worst the tunnel leaked 3,000 liters of water per minute.[5]
The substance Rhoca-Gil was taken into use of to fix the leakages, but the substance failed to work properly. Not only did it not polymerize and not tighten the leak, but it also intoxicated the surroundings with acrylamide. The entire process of fixing the leak and cleaning up the toxic delayed the process of building the tunnel one year, and it was first opened on August 22, 1999. The entire process was complicated further due to conflicts between NSB Gardermobanen and the construction company. Retrospective surveys have shown lack of control- and reporting procedures during incidents that should have been addressed in 1995, but never taken seriously. About sixty houses received damages due to the construction of the tunnel. An evaluation performed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications showed that NOK 500 million was used on fixing the leaks; however the report claimed this to a large extent a waste of money due to inefficient engineering procedured. The same report criticized the planning and organization of the entire construction of the railway.[5]
[edit] Opening
When the new airport opened on October 8, 1998 the Airport Express Train started its first normal working day. Trains had to use the old Hovedbanen form Oslo S to Lillestrøm, but could use the new high-speed line from Lillestrøm to Gardermoen. Regular operations using Romeriksporten started on August 22, 1999.[2] To be able to use the new Gardermobanen infrastructure, Norges Statsbaner had to buy new trains capable of higher speeds. Twenty-two locomotive designated El 18, based on the Swiss lok 2000, where delivered in 1996. They are capable of speeds up to 200 km/h. However, the B7 passenger carriages used are not permitted to operate at more than 150 km/h. Full utilization of long-distance trains is only possible with the BM73 units that started operation on Dovrebanen in 2000. These trains are nearly identical to those used by the Airport Express Train, and capable of 210 km/h on Gardermobanen. They are equipped with tilting technology allowing quicker operation on the rest of the line to Trondheim. Other trains used on the line by NSB are only capable of 160 km/h.[4]
[edit] Future expansion
Plans for an expansion of the high-speed line to Hamar have been launched, but have not been incorporated into any specific plans. This suggestion would increase the length of the high-speed rail north of Oslo with 62 kilometers, almost a doubling. This project is competing for very limited funding with expansion projects to more populated areas, most notably with Vestfoldbanen and Østfoldbanen that seem to be higher prioritized by politicians.
[edit] Operations
The railway is used by both Norges Statsbaner, Flytoget and SJ for their passenger services, as well as freight trains with jet fuel for the airport.
[edit] Airport Express Train
The Airport Express Train is the largest user of Gardermobanen, with six hourly departures from Oslo S to Oslo Airport. The trains only use the line up to Gardermoen, and not the northernmost 16 kilometers. Service is provided using sixteen BM71 three-car units, and served 5.4 million passengers in 2007.[6] Direct services to Oslo S take 19 minutes. Half of the services make an intermediate stop at Lillestrøm, and continue on past Oslo S to Asker. Flytoget has a 34 % market share on ground transport to Oslo Airport.
[edit] Norges Statsbaner
NSB uses Gardermobanen for express and some regional trains north of Oslo. This includes five daily departures to Trondheim (including one night train. There are two regional services northbound along the railway, including the BM70 service between Lillehammer and Vestfold, as well as BM72 used between Eidsvoll and Kongsberg. Both these have one hour headway, and are only capable of 160 km/h on the line due to limitations with the rolling stock. The southernmost part of the line is used by commuter trains heading to Kongsvingerbanen. These trains demerge from Gerdermobanen at Lillestrøm. Also the commuter trains operating to Dal along Hovedbanen use Gardermobanen until Lillestrøm.
[edit] Other services
Because there is a parallel line, Hovedbanen, running all the way from Oslo S to Eidsvoll, some trains can choose to use this line instead. This is primarily done by some commuter trains, as well as all freight trains. The only exception to this are trains hauling jet fuel to the airport, who have to use Gardermobanen from Kløfta. This service is provided by CargoNet.
The Swedish state railways, SJ also operate on the southern part of Gardermoen on their intercity services. This was for some years provided by Linx, a joint venture between SJ and NSB, using X2 stock, but the company was later dissolved.
[edit] Stations
| Station | Distance | Opened | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Oslo Central Station | 0.00 km | 1854 |
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Lillestrøm | 20.95 km | 1854 |
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Oslo Airport | 51.85 km | 1998 |
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Eidsvoll Verk | 63.30 km | 1998 |
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Eidsvoll | 67.51 km | 1998 |
[edit] External links
- Airport Express Train web site
- Jernbaneverket's page stations on Gardermobanen
- Jernbane.net page on Gardermobanen
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Jernbaneverket (2007). Jernbanestatistikk 2006.
- ^ a b c Flytoget. History. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
- ^ Norsk Jernbaneklubb (1994). Banedata '94 (in Norwegian). ISBN 8290286155.
- ^ a b Aspenberg, Nils Carl (2001). Elektrolok i Norge (in Norwegian). Oslo: Baneforlaget. ISBN 82-91448-42-6.
- ^ a b Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications (1999). Særskilt om Romeriksporten (Norwegian).
- ^ Flytoget (2008). Annual Report 2007 (Norwegian).
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