Treungen Line
| Length: | Starts: | Ends: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 km | Nelaug Station | Treungen Station | Abandoned |
The Treungen Line was a 92-kilometre long railway line which ran between Arendal and Treungen. It was named the Åmli Line when the railway opened to Åmli in 1910 and the Tveitsund Line after the extension to Treungen three years later. When the route between Nelaug and Treungen was closed in 1967, the remaining part was named the Arendal Line.
The Treungen Line at Åmli. Photo: Anders B. Wilse/Norsk Folkemuseum
The Construction
The construction started on 17 December 1900. The 17-kilometre stretch between Solbergvannet and Blakstad was finished in Autumn 1903. On 17 October 1908 the line was completed between Arendal and Froland. The first ordinary train ran from 23 November. On 12 December 1910 the Åmli Line was completed, but the official opening was on 17 December. The 58-kilometre railway had 14 stations, and on Rise Station, the Grimstad Line branched off, which already opened in 1907.
Great Importance
The Åmli Line was important for the hydro-electric power plants, which were built along the river Nidelva. Heavy equipment was transported during the construction of the plants after the line opened. But the line was primary built for the timber transport along the river. The Åmli Line had ore and passenger transport as well.
Extension
On 19 August 1913 the line was extended to Treungen. The 33-kilometre Tveitsund Line between Åmli and Treungen was officially opened on 14 December and was later renamed the Treungen Line, the route between Arendal and Treungen. Although the line was completed, the station buildings were still not finished. Hence expedition of goods was done in temporary sheds and freight wagons. It was considered to extend the line further to Dalen via Fyresdal, but this was not followed up by the Norwegian State Railways.
Track Conversion
After the decision to extend the Sørlandet Line to Nelaug and Kristiansand, the Parliament also decided to convert the Treungen Line between Arendal and Nelaug to standard gauge. When the Sørlandet Line was completed to Nelaug in 1935, Arendal became the temporary terminal station until the railway was further extended to Kristiansand in 1938. The Treungen Line was now split into two branch lines, a standard-gauged part between Nelaug and Arendal and a narrow-gauged line between Nelaug and Treungen. As a consequence, all goods on the Treungen Line had to be reloaded at Nelaug Station. On 8 July 1946, the narrow-gauged part was also converted to standard gauge, which was completed on 20 July.
Closing
The Treungen Line was run in deficit in the 1960s. The timber and ore transport terminated and the ridership was significantly reduced. Hence the Parliament decided on 22 June 1967 to close the line from 1 October. In May 1968 the line was demolished between Nelaug and Treungen. The remaining part between Nelaug and Arendal was renamed the Arendal Line and became a branch line of the Sørlandet Line. On 26 October 1971, the part between Nelaug and Simonstad reopened for timber and wood chip transport. This transport terminated on 4 January 1998, but reopened once again in 2001. In 2019 a 35 kilometre long rail trail opened on the Treungen Line between Treungen and Åmli.