Dovrebanen
Encyclopedia
The Dovre Line is the main line of the Norwegian railway system
between Oslo
and Trondheim
. The 64 km section south of Eidsvoll
has been replaced by the Gardermo Line, the only high-speed line in the country. The line between Eidsvoll
and Dombås
is from old times the Eidsvoll–Dombås Line. The line from Støren
to Trondheim
is called the Støren Line. The entire line from Oslo
to Trondheim
is 553 km.
It is a more heavily traveled line than the older Røros Line and is electrified. Before electrification, Dovrebanen was served by some of Norway's largest steam locomotive
s, 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
.
Type 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 InterCity Express
trains from Lillehammer to Oslo. In the northern end, the Dovre Line is served by the Trøndelag Commuter Rail.
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 kilometre north of Tretten
station, killing 27 people and wounding 25. There were approximately 800 people on the two trains.
(note: most trains do not stop at the smaller stations)
Rail transport in Norway
The Norwegian railway system comprises 4,087 km of track of which 2,622 km is electrified and 242 km double track. There are 696 tunnels and 2760 bridges....
between Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
and Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. The 64 km section south of Eidsvoll
Eidsvoll
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet.-Name:...
has been replaced by the Gardermo Line, the only high-speed line in the country. The line between Eidsvoll
Eidsvoll
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet.-Name:...
and Dombås
Dombås
The village of lies in the Dovre municipality and serves as an administrative center in the upper Gudbrandsdal, Norway. It lies at an important junction of roads: south leading to the current capital of Norway, Oslo, west via Lesja leading to Åndalsnes on the sea and north to the old capital,...
is from old times the Eidsvoll–Dombås Line. The line from Støren
Støren
is a former municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality is located in the north-central part of the present-day municipality of Midtre Gauldal. The municipal center of Støren was the village of Støren, where Støren Church is located....
to Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
is called the Støren Line. The entire line from Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
to Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
is 553 km.
It is a more heavily traveled line than the older Røros Line and is electrified. Before electrification, Dovrebanen was served by some of Norway's largest steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s, the 2-8-4 NSB Class 49
NSB Class 49
The NSB Class 49, nicknamed Dovregubben , locomotives were 2-8-4 steam locomotives used to pull heavy trains on the Dovre Line. It is the largest type of steam locomotive in the history of the Norwegian State Railways....
"Dovregubben" ("Dovre Giant").
Compared to the Røros Line, the Dovre Line takes a more westerly course running through the town of Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
and over the mountainous stretches of Dovre
Dovre
Dovre is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Dovre. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dovre....
, before merging with the Røros Line again at Støren
Støren
is a former municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality is located in the north-central part of the present-day municipality of Midtre Gauldal. The municipal center of Støren was the village of Støren, where Støren Church is located....
. There is one branch line, the Rauma Line which leaves the Dovre Line at Dombås
Dombås
The village of lies in the Dovre municipality and serves as an administrative center in the upper Gudbrandsdal, Norway. It lies at an important junction of roads: south leading to the current capital of Norway, Oslo, west via Lesja leading to Åndalsnes on the sea and north to the old capital,...
.
Service
Norges Statsbaner is the sole operator of passenger services on Dovrebanen. In each direction they operate four express trains between Oslo and Trondheim, of which two daily departures with the tiltingTilting train
A tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide about or seated passengers to feel squashed by the outboard armrest due to...
Type 73
NSB Class 73
NSB Class 73 is a class of 22 electric multiple units built by Adtranz for the Norwegian State Railways. The four-car trains were modifications of Class 71, which was again based on the Swedish X2. The A-series consists of 16 intercity trains; they were delivered in 1999 and 2000 and are used on...
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
NSB Night Train
NSB Night Train is a night sleeping car service provided by the Norwegian State Railways on four routes; Oslo - Bergen , Oslo - Stavanger , Oslo - Trondheim and Trondheim - Bodø .The service is provided using El 18 locomotives with WLAB2 and B7 cars on the electrified lines in Southern Norway,...
with sleeper cars. In addition there is a morning service from Dombås to Oslo. At Dombås there is correspondence with Møre og Romsdal
Møre og Romsdal
is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
via the Rauma Line.
The southern part of the line has hourly departures with InterCity Express
NSB InterCity Express
NSB InterCity Express or ICE is a premium medium distance railway service provided by Norges Statsbaner on the routes Lillehammer–Oslo–Skien and Oslo–Halden–Göteborg with hourly headway...
trains from Lillehammer to Oslo. In the northern end, the Dovre Line is served by the Trøndelag Commuter Rail.
Accidents
The 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 disasterNidareid train disaster
The Nidareid train disaster was a train collision on 18 September 1921 on the Trondhjem-Størenbanen railway line, between the stations of Marienborg and Skansen in Trondheim, Norway. The accident occurred the day after the inauguration of the new line to Trondheim, Dovrebanen, and one of the trains...
the next day. The worst Norwegian railway disaster in peacetime also happened on the Dovre Line on 22 February 1975 when two trains collided
Tretten train disaster
The Tretten train disaster occurred on 22 February 1975 when a northbound train from Oslo and a southbound express train from Trondheim collided head-on north of Tretten station. With 27 killed, including seven children under 16, and 25 injured, it was the worst train crash in Norwegian...
one kilometre north of Tretten
Tretten
Tretten is a parish and a small village in the northern part of the Øyer municipality, Norway.Its population is 880. Tretten is located on the Losna lake, which is part of the Gudbrandsdalslågen river. The village had its own sports team Tretten IL until 1990, when a merger created Øyer-Tretten...
station, killing 27 people and wounding 25. There were approximately 800 people on the two trains.
Future plans
The government has plans for building double track on the section between Eidsvold and Doknes and Minnesund–Kleverud–Steinsrud between 2010 and 2019, to increase the speed and capacity on the today very crowded section between Eidsvold and Hamar. There are also plans for new crossing sections and expand existing crossing sections to at least 600 meters. For a later introduction there are plans of double track all the way between Eidsvold and Hamar. These plan have no timeplan, but are included in the long-term plan until year 2040.External links
(note: most trains do not stop at the smaller stations)