Røros Line
| Length: | Starts: | Ends: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 384 km | Hamar Station | Støren Station | In service |
The Røros Line is the 384-kilometre long railway line which runs between Hamar and Støren. When the line opened in 1877, it became the first main line in Norway. Only diesel trains are operating today, but it is decided to electrify the route between Hamar and Elverum.
Elverum Station. Photo: Anders B. Wilse/Norsk Folkemuseum
The Construction
The construction work of both lines started in September 1858. The Throndhjem Line was more challenging to built due to the hilly terrain. Between 800 and 900 navvies worked on the line in 1861. The Hamar Line was completed from Hamar to Bergstuen on 29 June 1861, to Midtskog Station on 3 September and to Elverum on 22 October. The line was opened for passenger trains on 4 November, but officially opened on 23 June 1962 as the Hamar—Grundset Line. The name change was due to a parliamentary decision of 1859 about the terminus, which should be at Grundset. Although the Trondhjem—Støren Line was officially opened on 5 August 1864, it was temporarily opened for passenger trains from 1 April. Both lines were built narrow-gauged with an 1,067 millimeter gauge track.
Several Extensions
On 16 June 1869 the Parliament decided to extend the Hamar Line by 26 kilometres to Rena. This extension was opened on 19 October 1871. The completion of the Røros Line was approved in Parliament on 3 May 1872 after a long debate whether the route should run via Røros or Kvikne. 2,100 workers worked on the line in March 1874. From 14 December 1875 the part between Rena and Koppang was opened for regular traffic. From 4 January 1876 the part between Støren and Singsås was opened for freight trains. The complete line was officially opened on 13 October 1877.
Long Travel
Since the railway connection between Eidsvoll and Hamar was not yet completed, the travel time between Kristiania and Trondheim was 36 hours. The journey started at Oslo East Station with the 8:25 service to Eidsvoll, which corresponded with the ship on Lake Mjøsa to Hamar. When the train from Hamar arrived Koppang at 21 in the evening, the passengers had to stay one a night at hotel before they could continue with the 6:30 service to Trondheim, which arrived at 8:30 pm. In 1881 the travel time was reduced to 19 hours when a direct train was put into service between Hamar and Trondheim. Direct sleeper trains started to operate between Kristiania and Trondheim from 1885.
Dual Gauge
Until the standard-gauged Dovre Line opened on 17 September 1921, all goods between Kristiania and Trondheim were sent on the Røros Line. After the Dovre Line opened to Hamar in 1880, the goods were reloaded at Hamar. When the standard-gauged Solør Line opened to Elverum on 3 December 1910, the freight was reloaded at Elverum as well. As a consequence it was decided to built a dual-gauge track with three rails between Hamar and Tynset. The first part from Hamar to Elverum was completed in November 1919 and to Rena on 7 November 1917. A dual-gauge track was also built on the Trondhjem—Støren Line, which was completed on 3 September 1919. After the Dovre Line opened in 1921, the ridership on the Røros Line was reduced to a quarter whilst the freight transport was reduced to a third.
Modernisation
The Røros Line was converted to standard gauge after a parliamentary decision on 3 June 1935. The line was rerouted several places between Røros and Støren due to the hilly terrain. A new connection line was also built to Røros Station, which previously was a cul-de-sac station. From 26 July 1941 trains started to operate between Hamar and Røros on the standard-gauged line. The conversion was completed on 5 August 1941. Although the travel time was now reduced by 1 hour and 20 minutes, it still took 15 hours between Oslo and Trondheim. The travel time was further reduced by an hour when a motor couch was put into service between Røros and Trondheim in 1951. When new express trains were put into service from 22 May 1966, the travel time was even further reduced to nine hours. Between 1 June 1986 and 28 May 1989 the passenger trains between Oslo and Trondheim were routed via the Kongsvinger Line and the Solør Line. The sleeper trains continued to run via these lines until 2 June 1991. From 27 December 2000 new diesel motor couches were put into service on the Røros Line.
Åsta Accident
On 4 January the commuter train from Hamar passed a red signal at Rudstad Station and collided with the southbound train from Trondheim near Åsta Halt. 19 people were killed in the accident, which was the second worst train crash in Norway after the Tretten Train Disaster in 1975. The accident could have been avoided if automatic train control (ATC) and train radio had been installed on the Røros Line. ATC was first rolled out on the Røros Line on 30 June 2001.
The future
The travel time between Hamar and Trondheim is today around six hours. According to the National Transport Plan (NTP) 2018—2029, construction of new crossing loops and electrification between Hamar and Elverum have been decided. The transport of timber and lumber will probably increase due to higher demand in the future.