Holmestrand Station
Encyclopedia
Holmestrand Station is a railway station on Vestfoldbanen
located in the town of Holmestrand
in Vestfold
, Norway
.
The station was opened in 1881 with the opening of the railway line. It is located 86.09 km from Oslo Central Station. The station is at an altitude of 4.8 metres above mean sea level.
As well as serving Holmestrand, the station has become the primary choice for commuters in Horten
who prefer this station to Skoppum Station
. Although Skoppum is closer to Horten, the road access to Holmestrand is vastly superior.
The track both north and south of Holmestrand are tortuous, with many curves and at places poor foundations making it prone to landslides. Due to this, trains cannot run at high speeds in the area. Plans are in the works to straighten most of this 16.7 km section of line by placing it in tunnels, while implanting a double track
at the same time.
In 2009, the Norwegian National Rail Administration recommended building a new station inside the mountain, just west of the current station. The proposed station will have four tracks, two of them with platforms, and two intended for passing trains. Building the track inside the mountain instead of around it will allow express trains to pass through at 250 km/h instead of 130 km/h.
Vestfoldbanen
The Vestfold Line 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 the Bratsberg Line to Notodden...
located in the town of Holmestrand
Holmestrand
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Holmestrad. The city was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The neighboring rural municipality of Botne was merged into the municipality of Holmestrand on 1 January...
in Vestfold
Vestfold
is a county in Norway, bordering Buskerud and Telemark. The county administration is in Tønsberg.Vestfold is located west of the Oslofjord, as the name indicates. It includes many smaller, but well-known towns in Norway, such as Larvik, Sandefjord, Tønsberg and Horten. The river Numedalslågen runs...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
The station was opened in 1881 with the opening of the railway line. It is located 86.09 km from Oslo Central Station. The station is at an altitude of 4.8 metres above mean sea level.
As well as serving Holmestrand, the station has become the primary choice for commuters in Horten
Horten
is a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the villages of Borre, Åsgårdstrand, Skoppum, and Nykirke....
who prefer this station to Skoppum Station
Skoppum Station
Skoppum Station is a railway station on Vestfoldbanen in the village of Skoppum, in Horten, Norway. The station is served with InterCity Express trains operated by Norges Statsbaner. The station was built as part of Vestfoldbanen in 1881. There is a connecting bus service to Horten .-External...
. Although Skoppum is closer to Horten, the road access to Holmestrand is vastly superior.
The track both north and south of Holmestrand are tortuous, with many curves and at places poor foundations making it prone to landslides. Due to this, trains cannot run at high speeds in the area. Plans are in the works to straighten most of this 16.7 km section of line by placing it in tunnels, while implanting a double track
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
at the same time.
In 2009, the Norwegian National Rail Administration recommended building a new station inside the mountain, just west of the current station. The proposed station will have four tracks, two of them with platforms, and two intended for passing trains. Building the track inside the mountain instead of around it will allow express trains to pass through at 250 km/h instead of 130 km/h.