Røros Line: Difference between revisions
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At the time of the construction of Rørosbanen, there was a [[Carl Abraham Pihl#Gauge controversy|gauge controversy]] in Norway. While [[Hovedbanen]] already in [[1854]] had been built with [[standard gauge]], it was argued, notably by railway director [[Carl Abraham Pihl|Carl A. Pihl]], that [[narrow gauge railway|narrow gauge]] was more suitable for Norwegian [[landscape]] and also less expensive. Unfortunately, this became the choice for Rørosbanen, and all other lines constructed in Norway in years to come, unless they connected to the [[Sweden|Swedish]] railways. |
At the time of the construction of Rørosbanen, there was a [[Carl Abraham Pihl#Gauge controversy|gauge controversy]] in Norway. While [[Hovedbanen]] already in [[1854]] had been built with [[standard gauge]], it was argued, notably by railway director [[Carl Abraham Pihl|Carl A. Pihl]], that [[narrow gauge railway|narrow gauge]] was more suitable for Norwegian [[landscape]] and also less expensive. Unfortunately, this became the choice for Rørosbanen, and all other lines constructed in Norway in years to come, unless they connected to the [[Sweden|Swedish]] railways. |
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The extension of [[Hovedbanen]] to Hamar (1880) was built with standard gauge and caused an unconvenient [[break-of-gauge]] for transport at Rørosbanen, and a change |
The extension of [[Hovedbanen]] to Hamar (1880) was built with standard gauge and caused an unconvenient [[break-of-gauge]] for transport at Rørosbanen, and a change to standard gauge was debated repeatedly, however without any decision made. For the opening of Dovrebanen in 1921, the Støren to Trondheim section was transferred to standard gauge, leaving Rørosbanen with break-of-gauges at both terminals, and eventually it was decided to convert the line as well. The Hamar to Koppang line was ready in 1931, but it would take another 10 years until the Koppang to Støren line was converted by the [[Germany|Germans]] during the war in [[1941]]. |
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=== Åsta Accident === |
=== Åsta Accident === |
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Revision as of 07:48, 12 August 2008
| Rørosbanen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Owner | Jernbaneverket |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 28 |
| Service | |
| Type | Railway |
| System | Norwegian railway |
| Operator(s) | Norges Statsbaner |
| Rolling stock | BM92, BM93 |
| History | |
| Opened | 13 October 1877 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 383 kilometres (238 mi) |
| Character | Regional passenger |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Highest elevation | 670 metres (2,198 ft) |
Rørosbanen or Røros Line is a 383 km long railway line in Norway running between the towns of Hamar and Støren via Elverum and Røros. It connects into Dovrebanen at Hamar to Oslo and at Støren to Trondheim. The narrow gauge line was opened in 1877, running between Hamar and Trondheim, a total of 431 km. With the opening of Dovrebanen in 1921, the northern section from Støren to Trondheim became a part of this line.
Route
The Rørosbane follows the Østerdal valley, running alongside the River Glomma for much of the way. In terms of the Norwegian railway system the Rørosbane is a secondary route between Oslo and Trondheim, the primary route between those two places being by way of the Dovrebane.
As well as being connected to the Dovrebane, the line also has connections to the Meråkerbane (at Trondheim) and Solørbane (at Elverum). The summit of the line, at Harborg, is 670 metres above sea level – a fairly low elevation for a Norwegian main line. The Rørosbane is Norway's second longest stretch of unelectrified railway, the longest being the Nordlandsbane.
Today, passenger trains on the Rørosbane are operated exclusively by small diesel multiple units of the types BM92 and BM93 operated by Norges Statsbaner
History
Rørosbanen was built between 1862 and 1877. The first part, between Hamar and Elverum (Grundset) opened as Hamar-Grundsetbanen (38 km) in 1862, and was later extended to Rena (Aamot) as Aamotbanen (26 km) in 1871. The northern part was opened as Trondhjem–Størenbanen (49 km) in 1864. Rørosbanen itself was built in sections from north and south, Rena–Koppang (56 km) opened in 1875, Støren–Singsås (30 km) in 1876, Singsås–Røros (79 km), and Røros–Koppang (153 km) in 1877.
On 14 August 1877 the lines from south and north was connected at the farm Skjøten in Alvdal, and the official opening of Rørosbanen took place at Røros on 13 October 1877. The route is Norway's oldest mainline railway, defined as one connecting two regions of the country: in this instance eastern and central Norway. The connection southwards from Hamar was with boat over the lake Mjøsa to Eidsvoll, and Hovedbanen to Oslo (Kristiania). The railway connection between Eidsvoll and Hamar opened as Eidsvold-Hamarbanen in 1880.
Gauge
At the time of the construction of Rørosbanen, there was a gauge controversy in Norway. While Hovedbanen already in 1854 had been built with standard gauge, it was argued, notably by railway director Carl A. Pihl, that narrow gauge was more suitable for Norwegian landscape and also less expensive. Unfortunately, this became the choice for Rørosbanen, and all other lines constructed in Norway in years to come, unless they connected to the Swedish railways.
The extension of Hovedbanen to Hamar (1880) was built with standard gauge and caused an unconvenient break-of-gauge for transport at Rørosbanen, and a change to standard gauge was debated repeatedly, however without any decision made. For the opening of Dovrebanen in 1921, the Støren to Trondheim section was transferred to standard gauge, leaving Rørosbanen with break-of-gauges at both terminals, and eventually it was decided to convert the line as well. The Hamar to Koppang line was ready in 1931, but it would take another 10 years until the Koppang to Støren line was converted by the Germans during the war in 1941.
Åsta Accident
The Åsta accident occurred on January 4 2000, a northbound BM92 multiple unit and a southbound passenger train headed by a Di 3 locomotive collided on the line near Åsta station, killing 19 people. The accident caused a temporary closure of the route while the line's safety was investigated. The Rørosbane being a non-electrified line, the method of cutting the power to trains seen to be on a collision course was not available. Furthermore, the line was not equipped with Automatic Train Control. When the train traffic controller became aware that the trains involved were heading for a collision he tried to send a warning to the train drivers by mobile phone, but the phone numbers were either wrong or did not work. There was controversy in the aftermath about whether the driver of the northbound train had ignored or overlooked a red danger signal or whether the signal system itself was faulty. [1]
Future developments
The Rørosbane competes for traffic with a main road through the Østerdal and some people have called for the permanent closure of the line to save money, arguing that trucks and buses can handle the extra traffic if the line is closed. Other people have opposed such a closure. [2]
There are plans for a completely new high speed railway net in Norway. In 2007, a German university suggested that the high speed Oslo-Trondheim railway should follow the Rørosbanen route. This would be cheaper, as cities along the present main line Dovrebanen are rather small. It would be difficult to achieve a travel time competitve with air travel, even with a 250 km/h cruise speed. See High-speed rail in Norway.
Photographs
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Hamar Station in Hamar is the terminus of Rørosbanen, where the line meets Dovrebanen and Hovedbanen -
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References
- ^ Risks Digest Vol 21
- ^ Østlendingen (2005-11-23). "Rørosbanen vital for us" (in Norwegian).
External links
Media related to Rørosbanen at Wikimedia Commons