Randsfjordbanen
Encyclopedia
Randsfjordbanen is 87 km railway
located in Buskerud
in Norway
connecting Drammen
to Hønefoss
and Hadeland
in Oppland
. The railway is primarily used for passenger trains, and the only scheduled trains on the stretch are Norges Statsbaner express trains on the Bergen Line between Oslo
and Bergen
. Freight trains to Bergen go to Hønefoss via the Gjøvik Line. The railway is owned by the Government of Norway through the Norwegian National Rail Administration.
The entire line is standard gauge
, and the 71 km from Drammen to Hønefoss is electrified at . The remaining 16 km from Hønefoss to Randsfjord is not electrified and currently disused. The line gets its name from the lake Randsfjorden
.
was demanded by a Royal Decree to instruct a terrain investigation of the area along the Drammen River
from Drammen to Randsfjorden
. He presented the results of the investigation on 31 May 1858, which concluded that the terrain between Drammen and Randsfjorden was favorable for a rail line.
Phil thereupon proposed a rail line from Randsfjorden with a branch line to Hen
. He argued with forester Thorvald Meiddell, who wanted to construct a channel rather than a rail line. In a meeting on 12 September 1859 in the Drammen chairmanship, the rail line solution was decided upon. On 6 March 1863, the final decision was made, with six against three votes. It was also decided to make a government loan of . The Norwegian Parliament passed the construction of the rail line on 11 June 1863, with 65 against 44 votes.
The construction of the Randsfjord Line was begun on 4 December 1863, and, on 1 September 1866, the line was finished to Vikersund. Two years later, the entire line to Randsfjorden
was opened. A celebration took place at the station, where King Charles XV
with his family took part.
On 1 December 1867 Skjærdalen and Tyristrand
were connected to the line and finally on 12 October 1868 Hønefoss Station
opened and the line could stretch all the way to Randsfjorden
. The line was the fifth railway line to be built in Norway. When the Bergen Line was built a new line between Roa
on Gjøvikbanen and Hønefoss was opened in 1909, providing two different lines between Hønefoss and Oslo.
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
located in Buskerud
Buskerud
is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
connecting Drammen
Drammen
Drammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
to Hønefoss
Hønefoss
Hønefoss is a city in Buskerud county, Norway, and the center of the municipality of Ringerike.In 1852, Hønefoss received town status and was separated from Norderhov. Hønefoss celebrated its 150th year of township in 2002...
and Hadeland
Hadeland
Hadeland is a traditional district in the south-eastern part of Norway. It is located around the southern part of lake Randsfjorden in Oppland county, and consists of the municipalities of Gran, Jevnaker and Lunner. Hadeland occupies the area north of the hills of Nordmarka close to the Norwegian...
in Oppland
Oppland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....
. The railway is primarily used for passenger trains, and the only scheduled trains on the stretch are Norges Statsbaner express trains on the Bergen Line between 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...
and Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
. Freight trains to Bergen go to Hønefoss via the Gjøvik Line. The railway is owned by the Government of Norway through the Norwegian National Rail Administration.
The entire line is standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
, and the 71 km from Drammen to Hønefoss is electrified at . The remaining 16 km from Hønefoss to Randsfjord is not electrified and currently disused. The line gets its name from the lake Randsfjorden
Randsfjorden
Randsfjorden is Norway's fourth largest lake with an area of . Its volume is estimated at just over , and its greatest depth is . The lake is above sea level....
.
History
On 11 June 1857, railway director Carl Abraham PihlCarl Abraham Pihl
Carl Abraham Pihl was a Norwegian civil engineer and director of the Norwegian State Railways from 1865 until his death...
was demanded by a Royal Decree to instruct a terrain investigation of the area along the Drammen River
Drammenselva
Drammenselva is a river in Buskerud county, southeastern Norway.-Location:Drammenselva is one of the largest rivers in Norway, with a drainage basin of about 17,000 square kilometers and a flow rate of 300 cubic meters per second. The river has an average discharge of about 300 m3 / s...
from Drammen to Randsfjorden
Randsfjorden
Randsfjorden is Norway's fourth largest lake with an area of . Its volume is estimated at just over , and its greatest depth is . The lake is above sea level....
. He presented the results of the investigation on 31 May 1858, which concluded that the terrain between Drammen and Randsfjorden was favorable for a rail line.
Phil thereupon proposed a rail line from Randsfjorden with a branch line to Hen
Hen, Buskerud
Hen is a village in Ringerike municipality, Norway.Its population in 2003 was 234 , but since 2004 it is no longer considered an urban area by Statistics Norway, and its data is therefore not registered. ....
. He argued with forester Thorvald Meiddell, who wanted to construct a channel rather than a rail line. In a meeting on 12 September 1859 in the Drammen chairmanship, the rail line solution was decided upon. On 6 March 1863, the final decision was made, with six against three votes. It was also decided to make a government loan of . The Norwegian Parliament passed the construction of the rail line on 11 June 1863, with 65 against 44 votes.
The construction of the Randsfjord Line was begun on 4 December 1863, and, on 1 September 1866, the line was finished to Vikersund. Two years later, the entire line to Randsfjorden
Randsfjord Station
Randsfjord Station was a railway station at located on the west bank of the south of the lake Randsfjorden in Jevnaker, Norway. Passengers could transfer to steam ship for transport on Randsfjorden.-History:...
was opened. A celebration took place at the station, where King Charles XV
Charles XV of Sweden
Charles XV & IV also Carl ; Swedish and Norwegian: Karl was King of Sweden and Norway from 1859 until his death....
with his family took part.
On 1 December 1867 Skjærdalen and Tyristrand
Tyristrand
Tyristrand is a former municipality in Buskerud county, Norway.-Background:Tyristrand was created by a split from Hole on 1 July 1916. On 1 January 1964 Tyristrand was merged with the municipalities Hole, Hønefoss, Norderhov and Ådal to form the new municipality of Ringerike. Before the merger...
were connected to the line and finally on 12 October 1868 Hønefoss Station
Hønefoss Station
Hønefoss Station is a railway station located at Hønefoss in Ringerike, Norway. The station is located at the intersection between the Bergen Line, the Randsfjord Line and the Roa–Hønefoss Line...
opened and the line could stretch all the way to Randsfjorden
Randsfjorden
Randsfjorden is Norway's fourth largest lake with an area of . Its volume is estimated at just over , and its greatest depth is . The lake is above sea level....
. The line was the fifth railway line to be built in Norway. When the Bergen Line was built a new line between Roa
Roa, Norway
Roa is the administrative centre of Lunner municipality, Norway. Together with the village Lunner it forms an urban area with a population of 1,576. The railway Gjøvikbanen goes through Roa, with trains stopping at Roa Station.-References:...
on Gjøvikbanen and Hønefoss was opened in 1909, providing two different lines between Hønefoss and Oslo.