Vestfold Line

The Vestfoldbane ( German Vestfoldbahn ) is a 149 km long railway line in Norway, which runs from Drammen by the eponymous Fylke Vestfold up to Skien in Telemark.

History

Originally, the track Grevskapsbanen or Jarlsbergbanen was called. The route Drammen Larvik was opened on October 13, 1881, the remaining piece Larvik Skien on 23 November 1882. The railway was built as a narrow gauge railway with a track width of 1067 mm.

The Vestfoldbane had some secondary lines. 1882 Hortenlinje of Skoppum Horten, 1895 Brevikbane of Eidanger was opened to Brevik. Furthermore, there was the secondary lines of Tønsberg after Eidsfoss ( railway Tønsberg Eidsfoss, opened in 1901 ) and Holme beach after Hvittingfoss ( railway Holme beach - Vittingfoss, opened in 1902 ). The latter two routes have been decommissioned in 1938. In Skien the Vestfoldbane passes into Bratsbergbane.

The Vestfoldbahn was rebuilt as the last of the Norwegian railways of narrow gauge to standard gauge. The renovation began only slowly during the Second World War and did not arrive until after the war a stalemate at, so that the line was completed in 1949 as a standard gauge railway. Between Eidanger and Skien was in the meantime, a third rail, so that it was possible, in addition to schmalspurigen also to drive vehicles with standard gauge, which were used by Brevik to Notodden and Rjukan further. The Vestfoldbane 1957 electrified. On the branch line to Brevik passenger transport in the 1960s was discontinued.

2001, a new line of twelve km between Skoger and Holm north of Holme beach was opened in January 2008, a new breakpoint in two kilometers from the airport ( Oslo) Sandefjord Torp. A shuttle bus takes care of the transport from the breakpoint to the airport. 2009, the construction of two new routes between Holm- Holme beach began ( nine kilometers ) and Barkåker -Tønsberg ( six kilometers ). With the new lines a top speed of 200 km / h was planned; but they are used only with a maximum of 160 km / h.