Arendal Line
| Length: | Starts: | Ends: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 km | Nelaug Station | Arendal Station | In service |
The 36.2-kilometre long Arendal Line branches off the Sørlandet Line at Nelaug Station and runs to Arendal. 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.
Arendal Station. Photo: Anders B. Wilse/Nasjonalbiblioteket
Extension
On 19 August 1913 the railway was extended to Treungen. The 33-kilometre stretch between Åmli and Treungen was named the Tveitsund Line after it was officially opened on 14 December 1913, and the complete route from Arendal to Treungen was later renamed the Treungen Line. A branch line was planned from Gaukås station, but was never materialised.
From narrow to standard gauge
When the Sørlandet Line was opened to Nelaug in 1935, a station on the Treungen Line, the Parliament decided to convert the stretch between Arendal and Nelaug to standard gauge. The Treungen Line had now to sections, and from now all freight had to be reloaded at Nelaug station. The northern section to Treungen was converted to standard gauge in 1946.
Arendal Line
During the 1960s the timber and ore transport terminated. Since the ridership dropped significantly as well, the Parliament decided to close the railway line between Nelaug and Treungen in 1967. The track was dismantled the year after. The remaining stretch to Arendal was renamed the Arendal Line, which now became a branch line of the Sørlandet Line. This part was electrified in 1996, and today computer trains are running which corresponds with the region trains on the Sørlandet Line.