Nordlandsbanen

Nordlandsbanen
A NSB BM93 unit on Nordlandsbanen at Saltfjellet
Info
Type	Railway
Start station	Trondheim
End station	Bodø
Operation
Opened	1882 (to Hell) 1962 (to Bodø)
Owner	Jernbaneverket
Operator(s)	Norges Statsbaner CargoNet
Character	Long-haul passenger/freigh Commuter trains
Rolling stock	BM92, NSB BM93, Di 4, CD66
Technical
Line length	729 km
No. of tracks	1
Gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)
Electrified	15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC

Nordlandsbanen (in English: the Nordland Line) is a railway line in Norway between Hell (a junction station near Trondheim) and Bodø. Running for 694 km, it is the Norwegian railway system's longest line, and the only one in Norway to cross the Arctic circle. (The Ofot Line to Narvik lies further north but crosses the Arctic circle in Sweden). It is also the longest line in the country technically to be classified as a branch line, since it diverges at Hell from the Meråker line from Trondheim to Storlien in Sweden.

After leaving Hell Junction, the line passes through the towns of Stjørdal, Levanger, Verdal, Steinkjer, Mosjøen, Mo i Rana, and Fauske. A former branch line from Grong to Namsos is currently closed, although its reopening as a freight line is under consideration.

Unlike most of the Norwegian rail network, the Nordlandsbane is not electrified. Passenger traffic is fairly heavy between Trondheim and Steinkjer, but is significantly lighter further north. Most passenger services are provided by diesel multiple units (DMUs), while the night train service, conveying sleeping-cars is locomotive-hauled. The use of DMUs on Norway's longest railway route has been somewhat controversial, given the lower level of comfort offered by this type of train.

The first part of the route towards Bodø, from Trondheim to Hell, was opened in 1882 as part of the Meråkerbane, which links Trondheim to the Swedish border and the Swedish railway system. The Nordlandsbane proper branches off the Meråkerbane at Hell station, with a first stop at Trondheim Airport Værnes. The line reached Levanger in 1902, Verdal in 1904, and Sunnan in 1905. It subsequently reached Snåsa in 1926 and Grong in 1929. The branch line from Grong to Namsos, Namsoslinjen, was opened in 1933. Before the German occupation of Norway in 1940, the Nordlandsbane had reached Mosjøen. Construction continued under German supervision during the war, and by 1945 it had reached Dunderland. The section to Fauske opened in 1958 and the final part to Bodø opened in 1962.

External link

• Jernbaneverket's list of stations on the Nordlandsbane