Meråker Line

Meråker Line
Container train hauled by a CD66 locomotive from CargoNet in Malvik
Overview
Native name	Meråkerbanen
Type	Railway
System	Norwegian Railway
Termini	Trondheim Central Station Storlien Station
Stations	6
Operation
Opened	22 July 1882
Owner	Norwegian National Rail Administration
Operator(s)	Norwegian State Railways CargoNet
Character	Regional trains Freight
Rolling stock	Class 92
Technical
Line length	70 km (43 mi)
Number of tracks	Single
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	No

The Meråker Line (Norwegian: Meråkerbanen) is a 72 kilometers (45 mi) railway line which runs through the district and valley of Stjørdalen in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. The line branches off from the Nordland Line at Hell Station and runs eastwards to the Norway–Sweden border, with Storlien Station acting as the border station. There the line continues as the Central Line. Traditionally the Meråker Line was regarded as the whole line from Trondheim Central Station to the border, a distance of 102 kilometers (63 mi). There are two daily passenger train services operated by the Norwegian State Railways and a limited number of freight trains hauling lumber and wood chippings.

Proposals for a railway were first made in 1870. Routes via Verdal and Røros were soon discarded and the Meråker Line was approved on 5 June 1873. The first revenue services ran in 1879 and the line was officially opened on 22 July 1882. The line gave a boom to the local economy, allowing for same-day transport of produce to Trondheim. The line has been upgraded several times to increase the axle load. During World War II, the line was the scene of both the Hommelvik train disaster and the Meråker train disaster. Steam trains were in use until 1971, following the introduction of diesel locomotives in 1961. From 1900 to 2005 Meraker Smelteverk was a major customer, using the line to haul carbide, and later microsilica, from their mill at Kopperå to the port at Muruvik. The Norwegian National Rail Administration plans to have electrified and installed centralized traffic control by 2023.