Drammen Line

Drammen Line
NSB BM69 local train units are used on tbe Drammen Line, here shown at Oslo S, the terminus of the line.
Overview
Type	Railway
Termini	Oslo S Drammen
Stations	17
Operation
Opened	7 October 1872
Owner	Norwegian National Rail Administration
Operator(s)	Norges Statsbaner Flytoget CargoNet
Rolling stock	Type 69, Type 70, Type 71, Type 72, Type 73
Technical
Line length	52.86 km (32.85 mi)
No. of tracks	Double
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC
Operating speed	Max. 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph)
Route map Legend Hoved Line to Eidsvoll 0.27 km Oslo S (1854) Oslo Tunnel (1980, 3 632 m) 1.40 km Nationaltheatret Station (1980) (0,00 km) Oslo V (1872–1989) (1.58 km) Filipstad (1989) 2,29 km Elisenberg Station (1980, not completed) (1.90 km) Skarpsno Station (1882) Skøyen–Filipstad Line 3.00 km industrial track to Skøyen 3.38 km Skøyen Station (1872) Asker Line, planned 4.31 km Bestun Station (1884) 6.02 km Lysaker Station (1872) Asker Line, under construction 7.30 km Myra Station (1931) 7.96 km Stabekk Station (1884) 8.74 km Strand Station (1931) 9.74 km Høvik Station (1874) 10.40 km Ramstad Station (1931) 11.27 km Blommenholm Station (1910) 13.19 km Sandvika Station (1872) Ringerike Line, planned Asker Line (2005) 14.42 km Jong Station (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 Station (1872) Hvalstad (183 m/29 m) Hvalstad (144 m) 20.32 km Vakås Station (1957) 21.37 km Høn Station (1930) Asker (410 m) 23.16 km Asker Station (1872) Spikkestad Line Lieråsen Tunnel (10,723 m) Lier Station (1973) Old Drammen Line Lierstranda lumber terminal Brakerøya Station (1873) Drammenselva Holmen Bridge (546 m) Holmen (port line) Drammenselva Holmen Bridge (451 m) Tollbukaia Drammen Station (1866) Vestfold Line Sørland Line

The Drammen Line (Norwegian: Drammenbanen) is a 52.86-kilometre (32.85 mi) railway line between Oslo and Drammen, Norway, which was opened on 7 October 1872. It serves all trains west of Oslo Central Station and is owned by the Norwegian National Rail Administration.

The line opened as a 1067 mm narrow gauge railway, and rebuilt to standard gauge between 1913 and 1922 ^[1]. The line was electrified in 1922, as the first line on the national network to be electrified. The Lieråsen Tunnel shortened the line in 1973, and in 1980 the Oslo Tunnel was built, allowing the line to connect to the new Oslo Central Station. The Asker Line that is under construction will run parallel to the Drammen Line.

At Drammen, the Vestfold Line branches off to the south while the Bergen Line and the Sørland Line continue together to Hokksund along the Randsfjord Line. 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.

History

Both Drammen and Oslo were important ports serving Eastern Norway, and both had by the 1870s their own railway lines. Oslo was connected to Romerike by the Hoved Line and to Sweden by the Kongsvinger Line, while Drammen was connected to Ringerike by the Randsfjord Line. The most important use of the lines were shipment of lumber to the respective ports for export, but the lines also saw an increasing passenger traffic. Due to the cheap and quick construction method propagated by NSB at the time, the Randsfjord Line was built in narrow gauge; the lines connecting to Oslo were on the other hand built in standard gauge, to ensure compatibility with the Swedish railway network. There was a considerable feeling of rivalry between the two cities at the time, and particularly in Drammen there was skepticism of building a line that could dilute the cities regional influence on behalf of the capital.

Radical forces eventually succeeded in changing the tide of opinion, and Drammen politicians allowed the construction of the line. The rail gauge issue still created a problem, as did the location of the railway station in Oslo; Oslo East Station was located at the then east end of the city, and a line from Drammen—located to the west of Oslo—would either have to take the long trip around the north of the city, or terminate at a separate station on the west end. The latter solution was chosen, and Oslo West Station was opened along with the new line.

Electrification and double track

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

Lieråsen Tunnel

Main article: Lieråsen Tunnel

The most significant shortening of the line came with the opening of the 10.7-kilometre (10,700 m) long Lieråsen Tunnel on 3 June 1973,^[2] part of a new 15.2-kilometre (9.4 mi) line from Asker to Brakerøya. This concluded the double track to Drammen, and shortened the railway by 12,438 metres (40,807 ft). Part of the old line, from Asker to Spikkestad, has been kept as the single-tracked Spikkestad Line, used by commuter trains.

Oslo Tunnel

Main article: Oslo Tunnel

After decades of planning, the 3,632-kilometre (2,257 mi) Oslo Tunnel opened in 1980, extending the Drammen Line from Skøyen to the new Oslo Central Station, that replaced Oslo East Station. The former terminus of Oslo West Station was closed, and has since been converted into the office of the Nobel Peace Prize. The railway from Skøyen to Oslo V has been reclassified to the Skøyen–Filipstad Line, and is used for freight trains serving the Oslo Port. The former Port Line that connected the east and west stations was removed.

Asker Line

Main article: Asker Line

The Asker Line is an under construction line that will supplement the Drammen Line between Skøyen and Asker. Construction started in 2001, with the first section from Asker to Sandvika opening in 2005. The section section, from Sandvika to Lysaker is planned to open in 2009, while the last section from Lysaker to Skøyen is postponed until after 2020. The line will only serve the four main stations, and will allow the capacity west of Lysaker to increase from 12 to 26 trains per hour. The Asker Line, allowing speeds at 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph), is used by express and regional trains, along with the Airport Express Train. It is also used by freight trains at night.

References

• ^ Timeline from the Norwegian Railway Museum
• ^ Caplex entry on the Lieråsen Tunnel
• The Norwegian National Rail Administration's history page (Norwegian)