Rail transport in Norway
| Norway | |
|---|---|
The Bergen Line at Finse, the highest point of the Norwegian railways.
|
|
| Operation | |
| National railway | Norwegian State Railways |
| Infrastructure company | Bane NOR |
| Statistics | |
| Ridership | 58.4 million (2010) |
| Passenger km | 3,134 million (2010) |
| Freight | 27.2 million tonnes (2010) |
| System length | |
| Total | 4,087 kilometres (2,540 mi) |
| Double track | 242 kilometres (150 mi) |
| Electrified | 2,622 kilometres (1,629 mi) |
| High-speed | 64 kilometres (40 mi) |
| Track gauge | |
| Main | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Electrification | |
| Main | 15 kV 16 2⁄3 Hz AC |
| Features | |
| No. tunnels | 696 |
| Longest tunnel | Romerike Tunnel |
| No. bridges | 2,760 |
| Longest bridge | Strømsløpet Bridge |
| Highest elevation | 1,237 metres (4,058 ft) |
| at | Finse |
The Norwegian railway system comprises 4,087 km of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge) track of which 2,622 km is electrified and 242 km double track. There are 696 tunnels and 2760 bridges.
The Norwegian Railway Directorate manages the railway network in Norway on behalf the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Bane NOR is a state enterprise which builds and maintains all railway tracks, while other companies operate them. These companies include Norges Statsbaner, NSB Anbud, CargoNet, Flytoget, Hector Rail, Tågåkeriet and Ofotbanen.
Norway is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Norway is 76.
The first railway in Norway was the Hoved Line between Oslo and Eidsvoll and opened in 1854. The main purpose of the railway was to freight lumber from Mjøsa to the capital, but also passenger traffic was offered. In the period between the 1860s and the 1880s Norway saw a boom of smaller railways being built, including isolated railways in Central and Western Norway. The predominant gauge at the time was 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) (narrow gauge), but some lines were built in 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge). The height of the era came in 1877 when the Røros Line connected Central Norway to the capital. In 1883 the entire main railway network was taken over by NSB, though a number of industrial railways and branch lines continued to be operated by private companies.
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