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Rjukan Line

Length:	Starts:	Ends:	Status:
16 km	Mæl Station	Rjukan Station	Heritage railway

The Rjukan Line was a 16-kilometre railway opened on 9 August 1909. It was built to transport fertiliser from Norsk Hydro's plant at Rjukan to the port in Skien. In 2015 the Rjukan Line was placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Electric locomotiv no. 1. Photo: Anders B. Wilse/Nasjonalbiblioteket

The train ferries _M/F Storegut_ and _D/F Ammonia_ are also a part of the Rjukan Line as well as the Vemork Line between Rjukan and Vemork Power Plant. The 5-kilometre long Vemork Line is today an abandoned railway where all the tracks have been removed. Two years after the opening, the Rjukan Line as well as the Tinnoset Line became the first electric normal-gauged railways in Norway. The Rjukan Line had some passenger traffic. In between the years 1928 and 1933, a sleeper train operated between Oslo and Rjukan. This service ended due to several problems with the loading at high water levels. The Rjukan Line was closed on 4 July 1991 after Norsk Hydro had moved the production of fertilisers to other parts in Norway.

Norwegian heavy water sabotage
During the World War II it was known that plutonium could be produced by using heavy water. The Germans had already fivefold the production of heavy water at Vemork, something which concerned the British. In order to prevent the German atomic bomb development, the British tried to perform several sabotage actions. Two of these failed, but on the night of 27/28 February 1943, they succeeded by placing explosives on the heavy water electrolysis chambers. These sabotage were performed by Norwegian commandos. The plant was restored by the Germans after a few months. On 16 November 1943 the Americans bombed Rjukan and Vemork. 22 civilians were killed. The Germans then decided to move the heavy water production to Germany. On 20 February 1944 several freight and tank wagons with production equipments and heavy water were loaded on board _D/F Hydro_. Three saboteurs were hidden on board the ferry who had placed several explosives around. The ferry with all the heavy water sank. 18 people were killed and the heavy water supply to Germany ended.

Rjukan Line today
On 5 July 2015 the Rjukan Line was placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. During the summer of 2016, vintage trains started to operate on the Rjukan Line. The train ferry _M/F Storegut_ was restored and put in service at the same time. Several tank wagons are placed on a spur line at Ingolfsland Station. The track continued as the Vemork Line to Vemork Power Plant, which today is a museum. This part is abandoned and all the tracks have been removed.