Dovre Line

The Dovre Line (Norwegian: Dovrebanen) is a Norwegian railway line with three slightly different lines which all lead to the historic city of Trondheim.

Dovre Line
Dovrebanen at Kvam Station
Overview
Native nameDovrebanen
OwnerBane NOR
Termini
Stations25
Service
TypeRailway
Operator(s)SJ Norge
Vy
CargoNet
Rolling stockClass 73, El 14, El 16, El 18
History
Opened1921, the original Dovre Line
Technical
Line length553 km (344 mi)
Number of tracksSingle or double
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Electrification15 kV  16.7 Hz AC
Operating speedMax. 200 kilometres per hour (120 mph)
Route map

year
closed
Trondheim Central
Skansen
Nidareid tunnel
Marienborg
Stavne
Hoem tunnel
Selsbakk
Selsbakk tunnel
Lerbroelva bridge
Heimdal
Hegstad
1987
Stamvei E6.svg E6
Kvammen
1987
Melhus
Melhus
Kvål
Ler
Lundesokna bridge
Lundamo
Gulfoss
1993
Gulfossen bridge
Hovin
Støren
Basmoen
Snøan
Soknedal
Garli
Berkåk
Ulsberg
Orkla bridge
Orkla tunnel
Granholtet
1951
Indsetveien
1966
Gisna
1966
Byna bridge
Fagerhaug
Myrplass
1966
Rønningen
1951
Garå
1966
Oppdal
Hevle
1966
Driva
Holan
Kolstad tunnel
Drivstua
Driva
Øilien tunnel
Klemma tunnel
Kleivane tunnel
Stølan tunnel
Hestekrubben tunnel
Grimsdal tunnel
Nystubekk tunnel
Høgsnyta tunnel
Gammelhullet tunnel
Kongsvoll
Svoni
summit (1,024.4 m)
Hjerkinn
Gjeitberget tunnel
Vålåsjø
Fokstua
Grønbogen tunnel
Dombås tunnel
Dombås
Dovre
Tallerås bridge
Brennhaug
Sel
Otta
Sjoa
Kvam
Vinstra
Harpefoss
Hundtorp
Ringebu
Kvitfjell
Fåvang
Losna
Tretten
Øyer
Hafjell
Hunderfossen
Hunder
Fåberg
Hovemoen
Lillehammer
Bergseng
Brøttum
Ring
Moelv
Ringsaker
Rudshøgda
Veldre
Brumunddal
Jessnes
Nordvika
Hamar
Akersvika
Ottestad
Stange
Sørli
Timber freight terminal
Steinsrud
Tangen
Skaberud
Espa
Strandlykkja
Skrårud
1980
Morskogen
Korslund
1980
Ørbekk
1980
Minnesund bridge
Minnesund
Bunes
1980
Dokknes
1967
Eidsvoll
year
closed

Definition

The most inclusive of these meanings of Dovre Line thus includes the other two. To complicate the pattern even more, the first use of the Dovre Line was on the section between Dombås and Støren, completed in 1921. When this last section of the new standard gauge main line between Oslo and Trondheim via Lillehammer and Dombås was opened in 1921, the originally 49 km long narrow gauge section between Støren and Trondheim was made the northern part of the new Dovre Line. When talking about construction of railways in Norway, Dovre Line is the 158,1 km long Dombås - Støren section.[3]

Sections of the most inclusive use of Dovre Line (Dovrebanen)

SectionKmOriginal NameOpenedRemarkIllustration
Oslo - Eidsvoll64Gardermobanen1998Replaced Hovedbanen
Eidsvoll - Hamar59Eidsvold-Hamarbanen1880
Hamar - Tretten88Eidsvold-Trettenbanen1894
Tretten - Otta83Eidsvold-Ottabanen1896
Otta - Dombås46Eidsvold-Størenbanen/Syd1913
Dombås - Støren158Dovrebanen1921
Hjerkinn station at the Dovre Line, 1970
Støren - Trondheim51Trondhjem-Størebanen1864Narrow gauge until 1919, dual until 1921[4]

General description and short history

The section south of Eidsvoll was until 1998 Norway's first public railway, Hovedbanen, from 1854, 68 km long. The present line between Oslo and Eidsvoll is the 4 km shorter Gardermoen Line, the only high-speed line in the country. Hovedbanen is still in service for freight trains (and local commuters to Dal), but is not considered as a part of Dovre Line. The entire line from Oslo to Trondheim is 548 km today. It is a more heavily traveled line than the older Røros Line and electrification was completed 1 November 1970.[2] Between 1935 and 1958, the Dovre Line was served by some of Norway's largest steam locomotives, the 2-8-4 NSB Class 49 "Dovregubben" ("Dovre Giant").

Compared to the Røros Line, the Dovre Line takes a more westerly course running through the town of Lillehammer and over the mountainous stretches of Dovre, before merging with the Røros Line again at Støren. There is one branch line, the Rauma Line which leaves the Dovre Line at Dombås.

To avoid the fairly regular river flooding on the railway line along the river Gaula, the Gulfoss Tunnel was completed in 1918 in the Hovin area of Melhus in what is now Trøndelag county.

On 14 August 2023, the line was severed when the Randklev Bridge, which crosses the Lågen River in Ringebu, slid into the river. The river was swallowed by floodwater, a result of Storm Hans. The bridge was 172m in length and was opened in 1957. It had been closed when the collapse occurred. An adjacent road bridge, which is a former railway bridge, was not affected by the floodwater, but it has been closed as a precautionary measure.[5]

Service

The Norwegian State Railways used to be the sole operator of passenger services on the Dovre Line. Since June 2020, the service is operated by SJ Norge under the brand "SJ Nord".[6] In each direction they are four express trains between Oslo and Trondheim, of which two daily departures with the tilting Class 73 units, offering travel times down to 6:37, with departures in the morning and afternoon. There is also a locomotive-hauled afternoon train and a night train with sleeper cars. In addition there is a morning service from Dombås to Oslo. At Dombås there is correspondence with Møre og Romsdal via the Rauma Line.

The southern part of the line has hourly departures with regional trains from Lillehammer to Oslo operated by Vy. In the northern end, the Dovre Line is served by the Trøndelag Commuter Rail.

Accidents

The original Dovre Line was completed and officially opened on 17 September 1921. The inauguration ended on a tragic note when the train returning from the celebrations collided just after leaving Trondheim in the Nidareid train disaster the next day. The worst Norwegian railway disaster in peacetime also happened on the Dovre Line on 22 February 1975 when two trains collided one kilometer north of Tretten station, killing 27 people and wounding 25. There were approximately 800 people on the two trains.

Plans

The section between Eidsvoll and Hamar is currently being rebuilt and partly realigned as a double track line capable of 200-250 km/h. Some sections has already been opened, and the whole section is scheduled to be complete by 2027.

Further north, there may be constructed some shorter double track sections between Hamar and Lillehammer. North of Lillehammer there are no plans for lager expansions. Longer crossing loops and renewal of the existing line and its infrastructure are the only plans in the foreseeable future.

References

  1. "Norway rail trips: The Dovre line - Fjord Travel Norway". Fjord Travel Norway. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  2. Bjerke & Holom 2004, p. 75.
  3. Bjerke & Holom 2004, pp. 74–75.
  4. Bjerke & Holom 2004, p. 90.
  5. Bryant, Miranda (14 August 2023). "Storm Hans: railway bridge collapses in southern Norway". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 14 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  6. "Om SJ Norge". www.sj.no. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  • Bjerke, T.; Holom, F. (2004). Banedata 2004. Hamar/Oslo: Norsk Jernbanemuseum & Norsk Jernbaneklubb.
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