Gevingåsen Tunnel
Encyclopedia
Gevingåsen Tunnel is a 4.4 kilometres (2.7 mi) railway
tunnel
under construction between Hommelvik
and Hell
, Norway, on the Nordland Line. Blasting was started in 2009, and the tunnel is scheduled for completion in 2011 at a cost of . Built by the Norwegian National Rail Administration, the tunnel will shorten travel time south of Stjørdal
by five minutes and increase the capacity of the Trondheim
–Stjørdal to four trains per hour in each direction.
The tunnel is the first stage of a high-speed rail connection between Steinkjer
and Trondheim. Because the tunnel is being built with curves with too small diameter, the section will not be suitable for high-speed trains. There was a political debate about if the tunnel should be built with too tight curves and if it should instead be built with double track, but construction has commenced as originally planned. The whole project involves laying of 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) of new tracks and permanent way, and is scheduled to be completed in 2012. The blasted rock will be used to build a new apron
at Trondheim Airport, Værnes
.
s between Trondheim and Stjørdal, allowing the capacity to increase from 5.4 to 8 trains per hour (both directions combined). The old right-of-way, located on a ledge over the sea and prone to landslides, can be closed. In addition, ninety-two houses will have reduced noise pollution
after the closing. Gevingsåsen is the first part of the plan to reduce rail travel time from Trondheim
to Steinkjer
to one hour. After the tunnel is completed, politicians have signalized that they want to electrify the tracks from Trondheim to Steinkjer. The motorway European Route E6
runs parallel through Gevingåsen in the Hell Tunnel
.
. During planning, use of a tunnel boring machine
was considered, but the conventional drilling and blasting method was chosen because it was both cheaper and faster. At Hommelvik, the new section of track will start at the river Homla
, where it will run in a curve towards the tunnel entrance at Solbakken. Just within the entrance, there will be built a pool and pump to collect surface water
. A crosscut is located at Muruvik
, close to the quarry. At this point it is 275 metres (902.2 ft) to the tunnel and blasting will be performed in both directions from the tunnel's interception with the crosscut. Muruvik will also serve as the operational hub; transport of the masses to the airport will run along the old E6. The third point of entry for blasting is the entrance at Hell. The works include replacing the level crossing
at Hell Station
with an overpass. The blasting is estimated to be finished in mid-2010, and the tunnel is scheduled to be completed in mid to late 2011.
The builder is the Norwegian National Rail Administration, and construction of the tunnel is financed through state funding
, with the project costing NOK 635 million. The construction will be undertaken at the same time as Avinor
is expanding the nearby Trondheim Airport, Værnes, and the spoil from the tunnel will be used to build a new apron. Planning of the tunnel was completed at the end of 2008. The tender for construction was completed in March 2009, and won by Mika. The construction will extract 400000 cubic metres (14,125,866.5 cu ft) of blasted rock, that is transported out of the tunnel. The last blast was detonated on 12 August 2010, completing the tunneling proper on time and on budget without injuries. Estimated opening date for regular service is 15 August 2011. Further plans include building a second track at Trondheim Airport Station
. Due to the capacity increase created by the tunnel, this will allow dedicated airport trains to operate from Trondheim.
, Sør-Trøndelag County Municipality
and Trondheim Municipality, originally stated that they wanted a double-track tunnel. In 2006, the Norwegian National Rail Administration stated that it was not certain that a double-track in a single tunnel would meet European Union
regulations, and that they might have to delay construction while looking into the matter. Costs for a double track would be about 50% higher than for a single track. Constructing a second barrel later for the a new track would cost as much as the first barrel. Trøndelag Council member Alf Daniel Moen
(Labour
) stated that the council abandoned the demand for a double-track tunnel so the airport expansion and tunnel construction could be coordinated and because there was not sufficient funding at the time to build both tracks.
The tunnel has raised criticism for not being in line with the goals to build a high-speed railway in Trøndelag. This plan requires double track from Trondheim to Stjørdal, but such a solution through the tunnel has been disregarded. Norsk Bane
, which is working on plans for a high-speed rail from Oslo
to Steinkjer, has criticized the tunnel route for having curves that are too tight. With a radius of 320 metres (1,049.9 ft), this will only allow 110 kilometres per hour (68.4 mph) at Hommelvik Station
and 60 kilometres per hour (37.3 mph) at Hell Station
. So although the tunnel itself is straight enough to allow speeds of 210 kilometres per hour (130.5 mph), limitations at both ends of the tunnel will not allow trains to reach a higher maximum speed of 160 kilometres per hour (99.4 mph) and an average speed of more than 130 kilometres per hour (80.8 mph). Because of this, Gevingåsen Tunnel would not be able to allow high speeds, defined by parliament as minimum 250 kilometres per hour (155.3 mph), and could not be part of a future high-speed line north of Trondheim. Norsk Bane stated that part of the cause is that although the National Rail Administration has plans to build a high-speed line from Trondheim to Steinkjer, no complete plans, nor any plans for the trackage on either side of the tunnel, have been made..
In January 2009, just before construction commenced, the Nord-Trøndelag County Cabinet, fronted by Chair Alf Daniel Moen and Councilor of Transport Tor Erik Jensen (Conservative
), stated that they did not want the tunnel to run along its planned route, but instead a less curved line that would allow it to be used as a high-speed line in the future. This was rejected by the Ministry of Transport and Communications
, who stated that they were building a "modern railway for the future".
Rail transport in Norway
The Norwegian railway system comprises 4,087 km of track of which 2,622 km is electrified and 242 km double track. There are 696 tunnels and 2760 bridges....
tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
under construction between Hommelvik
Hommelvik
Hommelvik is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Malvik in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located at the end of the Hommelvika, a bay off of the Trondheimsfjord. It is about southwest of Muruvika, about southeast of Smiskaret, about east of Vikhammer,...
and Hell
Hell, Norway
Hell is a village in the Lånke area of the municipality of Stjørdal in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the western part of the municipality, about south of the municipal center of Stjørdalshalsen. The village has a population of 1,418...
, Norway, on the Nordland Line. Blasting was started in 2009, and the tunnel is scheduled for completion in 2011 at a cost of . Built by the Norwegian National Rail Administration, the tunnel will shorten travel time south of Stjørdal
Stjørdal
is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stjørdal, also called Stjørdalshalsen...
by five minutes and increase the capacity of the Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
–Stjørdal to four trains per hour in each direction.
The tunnel is the first stage of a high-speed rail connection between Steinkjer
Steinkjer
is a town and a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Steinkjer, which is also the seat of the county government...
and Trondheim. Because the tunnel is being built with curves with too small diameter, the section will not be suitable for high-speed trains. There was a political debate about if the tunnel should be built with too tight curves and if it should instead be built with double track, but construction has commenced as originally planned. The whole project involves laying of 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) of new tracks and permanent way, and is scheduled to be completed in 2012. The blasted rock will be used to build a new apron
Airport ramp
The airport ramp or apron is part of an airport. It is usually the area where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled or boarded. Although the use of the apron is covered by regulations, such as lighting on vehicles, it is typically more accessible to users than the runway or taxiway...
at Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes
Trondheim Airport, Værnes is an international airport located in Stjørdal, east of Trondheim, Norway. Operated by the state-owned Avinor, it shares facilities with Værnes Air Station of the Royal Norwegian Air Force. In 2010, the airport had 3,521,734 passengers and 55,747 air movements,...
.
Background
The tunnel is being built between Hommelvik and Hell on the Nordland Line, through the hill Gevingåsen. The tunnel will be 4.4 kilometres (2.7 mi) long and single track. The whole construction consists of 5.7 kilometres (3.5 mi) of track. The tunnel will carry a single track, reducing travel time with by minutes. It will also create the same distance between all passing loopPassing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
s between Trondheim and Stjørdal, allowing the capacity to increase from 5.4 to 8 trains per hour (both directions combined). The old right-of-way, located on a ledge over the sea and prone to landslides, can be closed. In addition, ninety-two houses will have reduced noise pollution
Noise pollution
Noise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...
after the closing. Gevingsåsen is the first part of the plan to reduce rail travel time from Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
to Steinkjer
Steinkjer
is a town and a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Steinkjer, which is also the seat of the county government...
to one hour. After the tunnel is completed, politicians have signalized that they want to electrify the tracks from Trondheim to Steinkjer. The motorway European Route E6
European route E6
European route E 6 is the designation for the main north-south road in Norway, and the west coast of Sweden, running from the southern tip of Sweden, at Trelleborg, into Norway and through almost all of the country north to Finnmark. The route ends close to the Norwegian border with Russia...
runs parallel through Gevingåsen in the Hell Tunnel
Hell Tunnel
Hell Tunnel is a long road tunnel on the shared section of European route E6 and E14 motorways through Gjevingåsen between the village of Hommelvik in Malvik municipality and the village of Hell in Stjørdal municipality in Norway....
.
Construction
Construction of the tunnel will be done by drilling and blastingDrilling and blasting
Before the advent of tunnel boring machines, drilling and blasting was the only economical way of excavating long tunnels through hard rock, where digging is not possible. Even today, the method is still used in the construction of tunnels, such as in the construction of the Lötschberg Base Tunnel...
. During planning, use of a tunnel boring machine
Tunnel boring machine
A tunnel boring machine also known as a "mole", is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata. They can bore through anything from hard rock to sand. Tunnel diameters can range from a metre to almost 16 metres to date...
was considered, but the conventional drilling and blasting method was chosen because it was both cheaper and faster. At Hommelvik, the new section of track will start at the river Homla
Homla
Homla is a river in the municipality of Malvik in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The river begins when it flows out of the lake Foldsjøen and it ends at the Trondheimsfjord at the village of Hommelvik....
, where it will run in a curve towards the tunnel entrance at Solbakken. Just within the entrance, there will be built a pool and pump to collect surface water
Surface water
Surface water is water collecting on the ground or in a stream, river, lake, wetland, or ocean; it is related to water collecting as groundwater or atmospheric water....
. A crosscut is located at Muruvik
Muruvik
Muruvika or Muruvik is a village in the municipality of Malvik in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located near the end of the Stjørdalsfjorden, an arm of the Trondheimsfjord...
, close to the quarry. At this point it is 275 metres (902.2 ft) to the tunnel and blasting will be performed in both directions from the tunnel's interception with the crosscut. Muruvik will also serve as the operational hub; transport of the masses to the airport will run along the old E6. The third point of entry for blasting is the entrance at Hell. The works include replacing the level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
at Hell Station
Hell Station
Hell Station is a railway station located in the village of Hell in the municipality of Stjørdal in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located at the intersection of the Nordland Line and Meråker Line....
with an overpass. The blasting is estimated to be finished in mid-2010, and the tunnel is scheduled to be completed in mid to late 2011.
The builder is the Norwegian National Rail Administration, and construction of the tunnel is financed through state funding
State budget of Norway
The State budget of Norway is a budget passed by the Norwegian legislature, Storting, each year. It accumulates all income and expenses for the Government of Norway. The document defines the taxes to be collected, and what expenses will be accomplished....
, with the project costing NOK 635 million. The construction will be undertaken at the same time as Avinor
Avinor
Avinor AS is a state owned limited company in that operates most of the civil airports in Norway. The Norwegian state, via the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications controls 100 percent of the share capital. Avinor was created on 1 January 2003, by the privatization of the...
is expanding the nearby Trondheim Airport, Værnes, and the spoil from the tunnel will be used to build a new apron. Planning of the tunnel was completed at the end of 2008. The tender for construction was completed in March 2009, and won by Mika. The construction will extract 400000 cubic metres (14,125,866.5 cu ft) of blasted rock, that is transported out of the tunnel. The last blast was detonated on 12 August 2010, completing the tunneling proper on time and on budget without injuries. Estimated opening date for regular service is 15 August 2011. Further plans include building a second track at Trondheim Airport Station
Trondheim Airport Station
Trondheim Airport Station , also known as Værnes Station , is a railway station located in the terminal of Trondheim Airport, Værnes in Stjørdal, Norway. Situated on the Nordland Line, it serves both express trains and the Trøndelag Commuter Rail both operated by Norges Statsbaner...
. Due to the capacity increase created by the tunnel, this will allow dedicated airport trains to operate from Trondheim.
Controversy
The Trøndelag Council, an unofficial coordination council consisting of representatives from Nord-Trøndelag County MunicipalityNord-Trøndelag county municipality
Nord-Trøndelag County Municipality is the regional governing administration of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the running of 12 upper secondary schools, with 7,000 pupils...
, Sør-Trøndelag County Municipality
Sør-Trøndelag county municipality
Sør-Trøndelag County Municipality is the regional governing administration of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the running of 25 upper secondary schools. It administrates the county roadways, public transport, dental care, culture and cultural...
and Trondheim Municipality, originally stated that they wanted a double-track tunnel. In 2006, the Norwegian National Rail Administration stated that it was not certain that a double-track in a single tunnel would meet European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
regulations, and that they might have to delay construction while looking into the matter. Costs for a double track would be about 50% higher than for a single track. Constructing a second barrel later for the a new track would cost as much as the first barrel. Trøndelag Council member Alf Daniel Moen
Alf Daniel Moen
Alf Daniel Moen is a Norwegian forester and politician for the Labour Party.He lives in Hegra and was mayor of Stjørdal from 1986–94 and from 1995–99. Moen has been leader of the county cabinet of Nord-Trøndelag county municipality since 2003, and was reelected in 2007...
(Labour
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
) stated that the council abandoned the demand for a double-track tunnel so the airport expansion and tunnel construction could be coordinated and because there was not sufficient funding at the time to build both tracks.
The tunnel has raised criticism for not being in line with the goals to build a high-speed railway in Trøndelag. This plan requires double track from Trondheim to Stjørdal, but such a solution through the tunnel has been disregarded. Norsk Bane
Norsk Bane
Norsk Bane is a Norwegian limited company that is working on plans to build a high-speed railway throughout large portions of Norway. The company has developed detailed plans for numerous lines and claims they would be able to build and operate a high-speed network in Norway, if granted permission...
, which is working on plans for a high-speed rail from Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
to Steinkjer, has criticized the tunnel route for having curves that are too tight. With a radius of 320 metres (1,049.9 ft), this will only allow 110 kilometres per hour (68.4 mph) at Hommelvik Station
Hommelvik Station
Hommelvik Station is a railway station located in the village of Hommelvik in the municipality of Malvik in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is east of Trondheim....
and 60 kilometres per hour (37.3 mph) at Hell Station
Hell Station
Hell Station is a railway station located in the village of Hell in the municipality of Stjørdal in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located at the intersection of the Nordland Line and Meråker Line....
. So although the tunnel itself is straight enough to allow speeds of 210 kilometres per hour (130.5 mph), limitations at both ends of the tunnel will not allow trains to reach a higher maximum speed of 160 kilometres per hour (99.4 mph) and an average speed of more than 130 kilometres per hour (80.8 mph). Because of this, Gevingåsen Tunnel would not be able to allow high speeds, defined by parliament as minimum 250 kilometres per hour (155.3 mph), and could not be part of a future high-speed line north of Trondheim. Norsk Bane stated that part of the cause is that although the National Rail Administration has plans to build a high-speed line from Trondheim to Steinkjer, no complete plans, nor any plans for the trackage on either side of the tunnel, have been made..
In January 2009, just before construction commenced, the Nord-Trøndelag County Cabinet, fronted by Chair Alf Daniel Moen and Councilor of Transport Tor Erik Jensen (Conservative
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
), stated that they did not want the tunnel to run along its planned route, but instead a less curved line that would allow it to be used as a high-speed line in the future. This was rejected by the Ministry of Transport and Communications
Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Transportation and Communications is a Norwegian ministry established in 1946, and is responsible for transportation and communication infrastructure in Norway. It is led by Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa...
, who stated that they were building a "modern railway for the future".