Vestfoldbanen
| Vestfoldbanen | |
| Info | |
|---|---|
| Type | Railway |
| System | Norwegian railway |
| Start station | Drammen |
| End station | Skien |
| No. of stations | 13 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | October 13 1881 |
| Owner | Jernbaneverket |
| Operator(s) | Norges Statsbaner |
| Character | Regional passenger |
| Rolling stock | BM70 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 148 km |
| Track length | 166 km |
| No. of tracks | 1 or 2 |
| Gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) |
| Electrified | 15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC |
Vestfoldbanen is a Norwegian railway line which runs from Drammen, through a number of towns in Vestfold and ending in the town of Skien in Telemark. At Skien, the line continues as Bratsbergbanen to Notodden.
The first stretch from Drammen to Larvik was opened on October 13 1881 while the remaining stretch to Skien opened on November 23 1882. At first the line was called Grevskapsbanen and the line was originally narrow gauge at 1067 mm, but rebuilt to standard gauge (1435 mm) in 1949. Between Eidanger and Skien though there was before this three parallel tracks, making it possible to use both narrow gauged cars and the standard gauged cars used from Brevik til Notodden and onwards to Rjukan. The line was electrified at 15 kV 16⅔ Hz AC in 1957.
Vestfoldbanen has had many branch lines. The first opened in 1881 from Skoppum to Horten and named Hortenlinjen. In 1895 the line from Eidanger to Brevik, Brevikbanen, was opened and in 1901 Tønsberg-Eidsfossbanen between Tønsberg and Eidsfoss. The following year, in 1902, Holmestrand-Vittingfossbanen opened between Holmestrand and Vittingfoss. The latter two branch lines were abandoned in 1938. Brevikbanen was closed for passenger traffic in the 1960s, and completely abandoned in the 1980s with part of the tracks removed. The line Porsgrunn - Norcem Cement Factory is still used for freight trains.
In 2004 much of the service between Larvik and Skien was curtailed, leaving only peak-hour departures on that stretch. This part of the line is somewhat tortuous, and there have been plans for a tunnel, Eidangertunnelen, to shorten this leg.
Stations
- Drammen
- Sande
- Holmestrand
- Skoppum
- Tønsberg
- Stokke
- Sandefjord
- Larvik
- Kjose
- Eikenes
- Oklungen
- Porsgrunn
- Skien
