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Sørlandet Line

Length:	Starts:	Ends:	Status:
549 km	Stavanger S	Drammen Station	In service

The Sørlandet Line is a 549-kilometre long railway line between Stavanger and Drammen. Most of the line was built during the interwar period and in areas away from the more densely populated coastline. In order to shorten the travel time, the Sørlandet Line will probably be merged with the Vestfold Line in the future.

Egersund Old Station. Photo: Anders Beer Wilse/Norsk Folkemuseum

After the opening of the Drammen Line in 1872, the route between Oslo and Kongsberg was completed. Six year later, the Jæren Line opened between Stavanger and Egersund. Between Egersund and Kongsberg, only isolated railway lines existed such as the Setesdalen Line and the Lillesand—Flaksvand Line. The idea of a continuous line between Oslo and Stavanger was born in the beginning of the 1900s, known as the Vestlandet Line. After 1913, the planned line was named the Sørlandet Line after a parliamentary approval. The poet Wilhelm Krag from Sørlandet was one amongst others who encouraged this name change.

Continuous extension
In 1920, the first of several stretches of the Sørlandet Line was opened between Kongsberg and Hjuksebø. Then the Sørlandet Line was connected to the Bratsberg Line which ran between Notodden and Eidanger. Two year later, it was extended to Gvarv, to Bø in 1924, to Lunde in 1925 until it reached Kragerø in 1927. When the Sørlandet Line was extended from Neslandsvatn to Nelaug in 1935, the part between Neslandsvatn and Kragerø was reconstructed as a branch line and named the Kragerø Line. Arendal became the line's terminus in 1935 when the narrow-gauged Treungen Line was converted to a standard-gauged railway line. Three years later, the Sørlandet Line reached Kristiansand until it finally was connected to the Jæren Line by the Germans in 1944 during the World War II.

Strategic placement
The Sørlandet Line has been built far away from the more densely populated coastline. The reason was to protect the line from invading forces from the seaside. As a result, the ridership is lower than it's potential. The cities near the coast was connected by several branch lines instead.

Connection
There are plans to connect the Sørlandet Line to the Vestfold Line. A connection line between Porsgrunn and Brokelandsheia will reduce the travel time between Oslo and Kristiansand with over an hour and cover several coastal cities. This will increase the ridership significantly.