Ålgård Line
| Length: | Starts: | Ends: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 km | Ganddal Station | Ålgård Station | Abandoned |
The Ålgård Line was a 12-kilometre long branch line of the Sørlandet Line which ran from Ganddal to Ålgård. The line was constructed to become the first part of the Sørlandet Line towards Oslo. Passenger service was terminated in 1955, but there have been proposals to reopen the Ålgård Line.
Ålgård Station. Photo: Anders B. Wilse/Norsk Folkemuseum
Inner main line
In 1910 a broader railway committee was established with representatives from the Norwegian State Railways and several municipalities. The costs and ridership for a narrow-gauged railway line between Ganddal and Ålgård were estimated. Four years later the committee sends the application to the Government, but little happens. Another application was send in 1919 with increased local shares, but the ministry had broader plans. They wanted to construct a main line between Oslo and Stavanger via Ålgård instead.
The battle
The Ålgård Line was approved in Parliament on 5 July 1921, but not without protests by Egersund Municipality since they wanted a coastal route for the main line instead. On 20 December 1924 the 24-kilometre long Ålgård Line was opened as a narrow gauge railway. The line was constructed with high standard, ready to be upgraded to a standard-gauged main line towards Oslo. The construction work for extending the line towards Bjerkreim started in 1925. The politicians in Egersund were still fighting for a coastal route, and in 1937 they won the battle. The Jæren Line between Stavanger and Egersund, which opened in 1878, was upgraded and the extension of the Ålgård Line discontinued.
Closed
In 1944 the Jæren Line and the Ålgård Line were both converted to standard gauge. The Parliament voted for electrification of many railway lines in Norway in 1952. The Jæren Line was included in their plans and was electrified four years later, but not the Ålgård Line. Instead, the passenger transport was terminated after a decision in Parliament in 1955. The freight transport between Foss-Eikeland and Ålgård was closed on 22 January 1988. The track north of Ålgård Station was soon after removed as well as a railway bridge at Figgjo Station. In 2001 the freight transport between Ganddal and Foss-Eikeland was closed as well.
The Ålgård Line today
Figgjo Station is today a railway museum where it is possible to rent a draisine and cycle towards Foss-Eikeland. Until 2021 it was possible to ride eastward towards Ålgård as well, but this service is currently put on hold. The station building and the locomotive shed at Ålgård are preserved.
Reopening proposal
In 2012 Gjesdal Municipality proposed to reopen the Ålgård Line for commuter trains. The Norwegian National Rail Administration estimated that this will cost between NOK 580 and 787 million. In 2014 the Parliament decided that a reopening should be investigated when new double track are going to be built between Sandnes and Nærbø on the Sørlandet Line.