Grimstad Line
| Length: | Starts: | Ends: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 km | Grimstad Station | Rise Station | Abandoned |
The Grimstad Line was a 22.1-kilometre long branch line of the Treungen Line which ran between Rise and Grimstad. The Grimstad—Froland Line opened as a narrow-gauged private railway on 14 September 1907, but changed its name to Grimstad Line when Norwegian State Railways took over in 1912. It was closed and demolished in 1961 due to low passenger traffic.
Grimstad Station. Photo: Norsk Jernbanemuseum
The Closing
The Grimstad—Froland Line was not profitable and the ridership was low. Hence the Norwegian State Railways (NSB) took over on 24 January 1912 and renamed the railway as the Grimstad Line. In 1932 NSB suggested to close the line, but the community argued for a gauge conversion to improve the correspondence with the standard-gauged Treungen Line and Sørlandet Line. The conversion was completed on 9 November 1936. The passenger traffic increased, and in the 1950s, 40,000 passengers travelled annually with the Grimstad Line. Despite the ridership growth, NSB decided to close the line in 1958. On 1 September 1961, the Grimstad Line was closed and demolished.
Visible Remains
The line has been replaced by Highway 408 between Rise and Rykene. The remaining part is preserved as a rail trail along Lake Rore. Rise Station, where the line branched off, is the only remaining station building.
Synlige rester
Nord for Røyknes står stasjonsbygningene fortsatt ved Iveland, Hægeland og Byglandsfjord. De fleste av tunnelene mellom Røyknes og Iveland er i dag en del av Fylkesvei 57. I Iveland kraftstasjon ligger 3-skinnesporet i gulvet fortsatt. Mellom Iveland og Øvre Gåseflå er også tunnelene en del av veien. Her ligger også en del av den første traséen synlig før vannstanden ble hevet i forbindelse med kraftverkbyggingen.