Vestfoldbanen

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Vestfoldbanen
Sande Station on Vestfoldbanen
Info
Type Railway
System Norwegian railway
Terminals Drammen
Skien
No. of stations 13
Operation
Opened October 13, 1881
Owner Jernbaneverket
Operator(s) Norges Statsbaner
Character Regional passenger
Rolling stock BM70
Technical
Line length 148 km
Track length 166 km
No. of tracks 1 or 2
Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)
Electrification 15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC
Line map
LUECKE
Drammenbanen
BHF
52.86 km Drammen Station (1866) 2,2 moh.
BRÜCKE1
Kreftings gate Rv282 (ca. 40 m)
ABZrf
Randsfjordbanen
DST
Kobbervik
AKRZo
E18 (106 m)
eHST
Fjellsbyen (1930)
eHST
61.50 km Gunnarsrud (1883) 80.0 m asl
AKRZo
E18 (ca. 160 m)
ÜST
63.05 km Skoger (1881) 75.4 m asl
BS2rf eBS2lf
SBRÜCKE exSTR
Rv313 Gamle Sørlandske
STR exHST
Gutu (1928)
WBRÜCKE exSTR
Bremsa (ca. 400 m)
STR exHST
68.63 km Galleberg (1881)
STR exHST
Hallerud (1928)
STR exHST
Tømmerås (1928)
HST exBHF
73.07 km Sande Station (2001, 1881-2001)
STR exHST
Ve (1928)
SBRÜCKE exSTR
Rv319 Nylinna
STR exHST
77.01 km Holm (1884)
BS2lg eBS2rg
eBS2rf BS2lf
new corridor, construction start planned 2009
exSTR BUE
Øgarden
exSTR eHST
Øgarden (1928)
exSTR BUE
Engnesveien
exTUNNELa eHST
81.28 km Smørstein (1921)
texSTR TUNNEL1
Smørstein (255 m)
texSTR eHST
Husdalen (1929)
texSTR STR
Ramberg Tunnel (planned, ca. 6,400 m)
texSTR eHST
Tvillingbru (1935)
exTUNNELe BUE
Rv315 Langgaten
exABZlf eABZlg
exSTR BHF
86.09 km Holmestrand Station (1881) 4.8 m asl
exBHF STR
Holmestrand stasjon (new)
exTUNNELa BRÜCKE1
Rv315 Nyveien (ca. 20 m)
texSTR BRÜCKE
Rv315 Botneveien, Rv313 Fjordveien (ca. 130 m)
extKRZ eABZlg
Holmestrand-Vittingfossbanen (abandoned)
texSTR eHST
Gausen (1929)
texSTR STR
Grette Tunnel (planned, ca. 5,450 m)
texSTR eHST
Snekkestad (1928)
exTUNNELe AKRZu
E18
eBS2lg BS2rg
ÜST
Nykirke crossing loop
TUNNEL1
(ca. 150 m)
AKRZu
E18
BRÜCKE1
Nyveien Rv310 (ca. 15 m)
eHST
95.26 km Nykirke (1881)
BUE
Fv670 Kirkesvingen
eHST
Gutulsrød (1920)
eABZlf exSTRlg
Hortenlinjen
CPICl exCPICr
99.54 km Skoppum Station (1881)
SBRÜCKE
Rv306 Tokerødveien
eHST
102.97 km Adal (1881)
BUE
Fv665 Solerødveien
eHST
Jareteigen (1930)
eHST
Skotte (1932)
BS2rf eBS2lf
new double track, construction start planned 2008
ÜST exSTR
108.42 km Barkåker (1881)
BUE exSTR
Fv540 Barkåkerveien
BUE exSTR
Varåker, to Barkåker Industrial Plant
BUE exTUNNELa
Rv19 Tomsbakken
eHST texSTR
111.74 km Tomsbakken (1931)
exSTRrg eABZrl xtKRZ STRlg
Drammen-Skiensbanen til Jarlsberg points, abandoned
exSTR texSTR eHST
Kjelle (1931)
exSTR exSTRrg extKRZ eABZlg
to Stokke, planned
exSTR exSTR exTUNNELe STR
exSTR xABZrg xABZlg STR
from Barkåker, planned
exSTR STR BHF STR
115.55 km Tønsberg Station (Knapløkken) (1915) 14.5 m asl
exSTR STR BUE SBRÜCKE
Rv19 Halfdan Wilhelmsens alle / Stenmalveien
exSTR STR STRlf xABZgf
exSTR STR exKDSe
Stensarmen Tønsberg-Eidsfossbanen
exSTR STR exKDSa
Tønsberg old station (Drammen-Skiensbanen, 1881)
exSTR STR exTUNNEL1
Slottsfjell Tunnel (ca. 200 m)
exSTR eABZrg exSTRrf
exSTR BRÜCKE1
Rv308 (23 m)
exSTR eHST
Kjelleolla (1931)
exSTRlf eABZlg
Drammen-Skiensbanen from Tomsbakken
eDST
117.80 km Jarlsberg points (1901)
eBS2rf BS2lf
Tønsberg-Eidsfossbanen (abandoned)
eHST
Jarlsberg landbane (1932)
WBRÜCKE
Aulielva (45,8 m)
eHST
120.26 km Auli (1932)
BRÜCKE1
Rv312 Semslinna (ca. 30 m)
eBHF
121.03 km Sem (1881)
BUE
Viksveien, kommunal vei
eHST
124.21 km Vølen (1929)
eHST
125.27 km Grytingen (1928)
eHST
126.96 km Grimestad (1929)
BUE
Fv560 Storgata
BHF
128.24 km Stokke Station (1881)
eHST
129.84 km Kile bru (1929)
eHST
132.17 km Stavnum (1928)
eHST
Sandefjord Airport, Torp (1953)
eHST
133.31 km Tue (1929)
eHST
134,97 km Torp Station (Sandefjord Airport) (1881)
BUE
Fv272 Feensveien
eHST
136.69 km Unneberg (1928)
BUE
Haraldsrødveien
BUE
Sneklokkeveien
eHST
137.56 km Gokstad (1929)
BUE
Nedre Haslevei
eHST
138.45 km Hosle (1929)
BHF
139.52 km Sandefjord Station (1881) 14.5 m asl
BUE
Peter Castbergs gate
BRÜCKE1
Sandefjordsveien Rv305 (21 m)
eHST
141.00 km Virik (1930)
BUE
Apolloveien
eHST
142.33 km Skiringssal (1928)
eHST
143.27 km Bærløkka (1929)
BUE
Furustadlia
eHST
Førstad (1929)
eHST
144.71 km Jåberg (1881)
eHST
Istre (1929)
eHST
146.52 km Hybbestad (1929-1978)
BUE
Hybbestad plo
eHST
147.33 km Skalberg (1928)
SBRÜCKE
Rv303
ÜST
149.80 km Lauve (1881)
BUE
Vikveien
eHST
151.17 km Vikvegen (1929-1978)
BUE
Viksfjord plo
eHST
151.97 km Viksfjord (1904-1978)
BUE
Østbyveien Fv154
eHST
153.23 km Guri (1929)
eHST
154.25 km Kaupang (1928-1978)
BUE
Grøttinglia
eHST
155.09 km Grøtting (1885)
BUE
Skogsborg plo
eHST
156.12 km Skreppestad (1929)
SBRÜCKE
Rv303 Tjøllingveien
BS2rf BS2clo
WBRÜCKE
Numedalslågen (164,5 m)
eABZrg exKDSl
Lågens Dampsag
STRrg ABZrf
STR eHST
156.86 km Lågen (1929)
BUE SBRÜCKE
Rv40 Elveveien
KDSe ABZrg eABZ3rg STRlg
Larvik tranformer station
STR exKDSe STR
Alfred Andersen
STR BUE
Rv303 Tjøllingveien
STR DST
Elveveien
STR exSTRrg eABZrf
STR exSTR KDSe
Norsk Impregneringskompani
STR exKDSe
Revet (nedlagt 2007)
BS2lg BS2clu
eHST
Torstrand (1930-1942)
BRÜCKE1
Rv303 Dronningens gate (20,6 m)
TUNNEL1
Herregårdssletten (102 m)
BHF
158.66 km Larvik Station (1881) 1.7 m asl
BRÜCKE1
Stavernsveien Rv301 (ca. 30 m)
WBRÜCKE
Farriselva (102 m)
eABZlf
new line Larvik-Porsgrunn, planned
SBRÜCKE
E18
TUNNEL1
Vassvik (ca. 350 m)
TUNNEL2
Skautvet (ca. 200 m)
TUNNEL2
Sandviksodden (ca. 150 m)
BUE
Fv70 Kjoseveien
BUE
Kjose plo
HST
169.41 km Kjose Station (1882)
eHST
171.84 km Strandsmyr (1938)
HST
174.44 km Eikenes Station (1891)
eHST
Bakke (-1978)
BHF
182.10 km Oklungen Station (1882)
eHST
188.65 km Bjørkedal (1882)
eHST
Tjølsrud
BRÜCKE1
Rv36 Movegen (ca. 30 m)
KMW
ABZrg
Brevikbanen
eBHF
192.60 km Eidanger Station (1882)
eABZrg
new line Larvik-Porsgrunn, planned
SBRÜCKE
Rv356 Jernbanegata
ABZrg
branch line to Norsk Hydro Herøya
BHF
190.12 km Porsgrunn Station (1882)
BUE
Rv36 Lilleelvgata
eHST
Slotsbrogaten (-1978)
SBRÜCKE
Rv36 Menstadbrua
eHST
188.84 km Osebakken (1883-1978)
BUE
Storgata
eHST
Vidarsgate (-1970)
eHST
187.10 km Borgestadholmen (1883)
BUE
Stasjonsvegen
eBHF
186.80 km Borgestad (1916)
SBRÜCKE
Rv36
eHST
185.95 km Bøle (1883)
BRÜCKE1
Rv36 Gunnar Knudsens veg (ca. 70 m)
eHST
Kjær (-1970)
eDST
183.84 km Eikonrød (1916)
BS2rf eBS2lf
Bratsbergbanen
LUECKE exSBRÜCKE
Rv36 Sandviksvegen
LUECKE exTUNNEL1
(ca. 120 m)
LUECKE exKDSe
185,74 km Skien Old Station (1882)
BHF
180.50 km 'Skien Station (1917)

Vestfoldbanen is a Norwegian railway line which runs from Drammen, through a number of towns in Vestfold and ending in the town of Skien in Telemark. At Skien, the line continues as Bratsbergbanen to Notodden. Service is provided by Norges Statsbaner with their InterCity Express service.

[edit] History

The first stretch from Drammen to Larvik was opened on October 13, 1881 while the remaining stretch to Skien opened on November 23, 1882. At first the line was called Grevskapsbanen and the line was originally narrow gauge at 1067 mm, but rebuilt to standard gauge (1435 mm) in 1949. Between Eidanger and Skien though there was before this three parallel tracks, making it possible to use both narrow gauged cars and the standard gauged cars used from Brevik to Notodden and onwards to Rjukan. The line was electrified at 15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC in 1957.

Vestfoldbanen has had many branch lines. The first opened in 1881 from Skoppum to Horten and named Hortenlinjen. In 1895 the line from Eidanger to Brevik, Brevikbanen, was opened and in 1901 Tønsberg-Eidsfossbanen between Tønsberg and Eidsfoss. The following year, in 1902, Holmestrand-Vittingfossbanen opened between Holmestrand and Vittingfoss. The latter two branch lines were abandoned in 1938. Brevikbanen was closed for passenger traffic in the 1960s, and completely abandoned in the 1980s with part of the tracks removed. The line Porsgrunn - Norcem Cement Factory is still used for freight trains.

In 2004 much of the service between Larvik and Skien was curtailed, leaving only peak-hour departures on that stretch. This part of the line is somewhat tortuous, and there have been plans for a tunnel, Eidangertunnelen, to shorten this leg.

[edit] Future plans

Because Vestfoldbanen sill follows the same right-of-way as it did in 1881, NSB is not able to operate trains at any higher speed, with the average operating speed being at 67 km/h. Jernbaneverket is working on plans to gradually rebuild Vestfoldbanen to double track and considerably higher speeds. At the same time the motorway E18 is being built to four lanes through the county, transferring passengers from train to car.

The upgrades will allow speeds up to 200 km/h between stations, double track between Drammen and Larvik, and single track with two crossing loops from Larvik to Porsgunn. The plans are to build lines in shorter stretches, allowing a steady increase in capacity. After completion, total travel time from Oslo to Tønsberg will be one hour (half an hour shorter than today), and travel time to Grenland will be reduced by about one hour. Some of the time reduction also comes from the construction of Askerbanen just west of Oslo.

The expansion of the line started in 1993, and in 1995 a four kilometers past Skoger was modernized. In 2001 13 km through Sande was upgraded. 2002 saw the opening of a new crossing loop at Nykirke. This plan prioritizes parts north of Tønsberg as well as cutting times significantly between Larvik and Porsgrunn, where the line takes a long trip around, and will reduce travel time from 34 to 12 minutes. Current approved political plans include four new stretches to be completed before 2015:

  • Barkåker – Tønsberg (7.7 km)
  • Holm – Holmestrand (13.6 km)
  • Farriseidet – Porsgrunn (Eidangertunnelen, 23 km)
  • Holmestrand – Nykirke

[edit] External links