Treungen Line

Infobox rail line
name = Treungen Line
nativename = Treungenbanen


caption = Arendal Station, the terminus of the line until 1935
type = Railway
system =
status = Abandoned
start = Arendal
Nelaug (after 1935)
end = Treungen
stations = 17
open = 1908 (to Froland)
1913 (to Treungen)
close = 1967
owner = Norwegian State Railways
operator = Norwegian State Railways
character = Passenger/Ore freight
stock =
linelength = 92 km
tracklength =
notrack = Single
gauge = RailGauge|sg
el = No
speed =
elevation = |

The Treungen Line ( _no. Treungenbanen) was a Norwegian railway line between Arendal via Nelaug to Treungen. The lower section of the line, the Arendal Line, is still in use as a branch line of the Sørland Line. The upper section of the line was closed in 1967.

History

Treungenbanen was planned and built by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB) as a local railway that was going to connect Arendal with an important part of the cities surroundings up the river Nidelva. The line was first opened to Froland in 1908. In 1910, the line was extended to Åmli and by 1913 the line had reached Treungen. Further expansions to Fyresdal were discussed. The Treungen Line had a branch line from Rise Station to Grimstad. This line was built as a private railway, but was later taken over by NSB and operated as the Grimstad Line. Lumber and ore transport was one of the main activities for these railways, of course in addition to passenger transport. Both the Treungen Line and the Grimstad Line were built in narrow gauge (1067 mm), but part of is was from the beginning profiled for standard gauge.

The Sørland Line reached Nelaug in 1935, and the Treungen Line became split into branch lines. As a temporary solution, the Sørland Line terminated in Arendal, and because of this Arendal–Nelaug was upgraded to standard gauge. On 9 November 1935 the first train went from Oslo V with among others King Haakon VII, Crown Prince Olav and Prime Minister Johan Nygaardsvold. At Nelaug there was locomotive change and a large ceremony in Arendal. For a three year period Arendal was the largest transport hub in Southern Norway, with travelers from the west changing from steam ship to railway if they wanted quick travel east to the capital. Neither before nor later has Arendal Station has such traffic. Also the Grimstad Line was converted to standard gauge.

In 1946 the section of the Treungen Line north of Nelaug was rebuilt to standard gauge. Søftestad Mine was the lines largest customer, and there were multiple trains from the mine to Arendal each week. The ore was then exported to European industry, primarily in Germany. Some years the export was up to 30–40,000 tonnes ore with the line. But in 1965 the mine ceased operations, and in 1967 the Norwegian legislature, decided to close the line between Nelaug and Treungen. The railway was to be replaced with a better road from Åmli to Nissedal in addition to a bus route from Arendal to Western Telemark. In 1969 NSB started removing the track, and most of the line is now a hiking trail. Vest-Telemark Billag has since operated a bus route from Arendal to Seljord in Telemark.

tations

*Arendal
*Bråstad
*Rise
*Blakstad
*Froland
*Bøylestad
*Bøylefoss
*Flaten
*Nelaug(no station until 1935)
*Simonstad
*Vallekilen (no station)
*Åmli
*Seljås (no station)
*Sandås (no station)
*Øy (no station)
*Tjønnefoss
*Treungen (called Tveitsund until 1926)

References

* Bjerke, Thor and Tovås, Ove (1989) "Togbytte på Nelaug" Norsk jernbaneklubb ISBN 82-90286-10-4