The Norwegian railway network consists of of electrified railway lines, constituting 62% of the Norwegian National Rail Administration's of line.Norwegian National Rail Administration, 2009a: 4 The first three mainline systems to be electrified were private ore-hauling lines. The Thamshavn Line opened in 1909, and remained in revenue use until 1973, after which it was converted to a heritage railway.Aspenberg, 2001: 19–23 It is the world's oldest remaining alternating-current railway and the only narrow gauge railway in the country to have been electrified. It was followed by Norsk Transport's Rjukan and Tinnoset Lines two years later, and Sydvaranger's Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line in 1922.Aspenberg, 2001: 18–19 The Norwegian State Railways' (NSB) first electrification was parts of the Drammen Line in 1922 and the ore-hauling Ofoten Line, which connects to the Iron Ore Line in Sweden, in 1923. The use of El 1 locomotives on the Drammen Line proved a large cost-saver over steam locomotives, and NSB started electrifying other lines around Oslo; from 1927 to 1930, the remainder of the Drammen Line and the continuation along the Randsfjorden and Sørlandet Lines to Kongsvinger Station were converted, along with the first section of the Trunk Line. In 1935, the Hardanger Line became the first section of new NSB track to be electrified. From 1936 to 1940, NSB electrified the Østfold Line, as well as more of the Sørland Line and the Bratsberg Line, connecting all electric lines west of Oslo.

During the 1940s, NSB electrified the Sørland Line, although the final section from Egersund Station to Stavanger Station was not converted until 1956. In 1957, the Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line became the only line to remove the electrification and replace the electric locomotives with diesel power. The 1950s saw the electrification of several regional and commuter lines around Oslo, including the Kongsvinger Line, the Trunk Line and the Dovre Line from Lillestrøm to Hamar Station, the Vestfold Line and the Eastern Østfold Line. This was largely due to NSB's program to remove all steam locomotives, either by electrification or by dieselization. In the late 1950s and 1960s, several to-be electrified lines were operated with diesel locomotives as an interim solution. The 1960s saw the remaining two steam lines in Southern Norway, the Bergen and Dovre Lines, electrified along with the Gjøvik Line. The Bergen Line was completed in 1964 and the Dovre Line completed in 1970. This finished all the planned electrifications, and the authorities deemed the remaining lines unprofitable to electrify because of low traffic. During the 1990s, a new program was attempted, this time to electrify the entire network, but only the Arendal Line was converted before the program was canceled. However, new lines around Oslo, including the Lieråsen and Oslo Tunnels on the Drammen Line and the Gardermoen and Asker Lines, were electrified at the time they opened. Further plans have been launched, in particular the section of the Nordland Line from Trondheim to Steinkjer Station, which is part of the Trøndelag Commuter Rail, and the Meråker Line, which connects to the electrified Central Line in Sweden.Aspenberg, 2001: 28–29

In 2008, electric traction accounted for 90% of the passenger kilometers, 93% of the tonne kilometers and 74% of the energy consumption of all trains running in Norway, with the rest being accounted for by diesel traction.Norwegian National Rail Administration, 2009b: 12 Technology for electric railways was demonstrated in Germany in 1879;Aspenberg, 2001: 9 the first revenue line took electric traction into use in 1881.Aspenberg, 2001: 10 The first electric industrial railway in Norway opened in 1892 at Skotfos Bruk near Skien. Two years later, parts of the Oslo Tramway were electrified.Aspenberg, 2001: 15 The first alternating current (AC) line became operational in 1892, while the first line to use a single-phase, single overhead wire power supply opened in Germany in 1903.Aspenberg, 2001: 11 In 1912, all German railways agreed to use the standard, which was later adopted first by Sweden and then by NSB. Several of the private lines that preceded NSB's electrification chose different standards. Sydvaranger chose to install the only mainline direct current (DC) and third rail system.Aspenberg, 2001: 28

Timeline

The following list contains a chronology of when the various sections of mainline railway lines were electrified. The list excludes industrial and short branch lines, as well as systems installed at ports and yards. The list contains the date when the electrification was taken into regular use on each section.Norwegian National Rail Administration, 2009a: 34 It also notes if a section was opened as an electric railway, and if the line was prepared as an electric line, but where this was not taken into use immediately. The list contains the line and section to be electrified, and its length. The length indicates the length of the mainline section at the time of electrification. Due to changes of routes and shortening of lines, the current length of sections may be shorter. The sixth column shows the electrification system, including voltage and frequency in case of AC and no frequency in case of DC.

†Opened as electric††Planned as electric*Private

Date Line Section Length(km) Length(mi) System Ref(s) † Thamshavn* Thamshavn–Svorkmo Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 298 † Thamshavn* Svorkmo–Løkken †† Tinnoset* Notodden–Tinnoset 10 kV Hz AC Aspenberg, 2001: 23–25Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 160 †† Rjukan* Rjukan–Mæl 10 kV Hz AC Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn* Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 304 Drammen Oslo V – Brakerøya 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 197 Ofoten Narvik–Riksgränsen 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 138 Trunk – Lillestrøm 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 54 Loenga–Alnabru Loenga–Alnabru 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 60 Sørlandet Drammen–Kongsberg 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 202, 232 Drammen Brakerøya–Drammen 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 189–197 † Hardanger Voss–Granvin 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 184 Sørlandet Kongsberg–Hjuksebø 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 232 Bratsberg Notodden–Borgestad 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 220–222 – Ljan 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 40 Ljan–Kolbotn 15 kV Hz AC Kornsjø–Riksgrensen 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 48 Halden–Kornsjø 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 47–48 Kolbotn–Ås 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 40–42 –Dilling 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 42–44 Dilling–Fredrikstad 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 44 Fredrikstad–Sarpsborg 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 44–46 Sarpsborg–Halden 15 kV Hz AC Sørlandet Nordagutu–Lunde 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 86–90 Sørlandet Lunde–Neslandsvatn 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 238–240 Sørlandet Marnardal–Sira 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 250–253 Vestfold Skien–Eikonrød 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 220 †† Myrdal–Flåm 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 186 †† Sørlandet Kristiansand–Marnardal 15 kV Hz AC Sørlandet Neslandsvatn–Nelaug 15 kV Hz AC Sørlandet Nelaug–Kristiansand 15 kV Hz AC Brevik Borgestad–Brevik 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 227 Sørlandet Sira–Egersund 15 kV Hz AC Kongsvinger Lillestrøm–Riksgrensen 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 62 Trunk Lillestrøm–Eidsvoll 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 54–58 Dovre Eidsvoll–Hamar 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 74 Bergen Bergen–Voss 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 179 Sørland Egersund–Stavanger 15 kV Hz AC Vestfold Eidanger–Larvik 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 218 Vestfold Larvik–Tønsberg 15 kV Hz AC Vestfold –Drammen 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 212–214 Horten Skoppum–Horten 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 225 Eastern Østfold Ski–Sarpsborg 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 37 Randsfjorden Hokksund–Hønefoss 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 202 Roa–Hønefoss Roa–Hønefoss 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 156 Alna Grefsen–Alnabru 15 kV Hz AC Gjøvik Loenga–Kværner 15 kV Hz AC Gjøvik – Jaren 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 144 Bergen Hønefoss–Ål 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 162–166 Gjøvik Jaren–Eina 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 148 Gjøvik Eina–Gjøvik 15 kV Hz AC Bergen –Ustaoset 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 166 Bergen Tunestveit–Bergen 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 178 Bergen Ustaoset–Voss 15 kV Hz AC Dovre Hamar–Fåberg 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 80–82 Dovre Fåberg–Otta 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 82–84 Dovre Otta–Hjerkinn 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 84–86 Dovre Hjerkinn – Trondheim S 15 kV Hz AC † Drammen Asker–Brakerøya 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 189 † Drammen Oslo S – Skøyen 15 kV Hz AC Arendal Nelaug–Arendal 15 kV Hz AC Bjerke and Holom, 2004: 266 † Gardermoen Lillestrøm–Eidsvoll 15 kV Hz AC † Gardermoen Etterstad–Lillestrøm 15 kV Hz AC † Asker Sandvika–Asker 15 kV Hz AC Norwegian National Rail Administration, 2009a: 45 Under construction, to open spring 2024 Stavne–Leangen Marienborg–Leangen 15 kV Hz AC Under construction, to open spring 2024 Nordland Trondheim–Stjørdal 15 kV Hz AC Elektrifisering av Trønder- og Meråkerbanen Under construction, to open autumn 2024 Meråker Hell–the border near Storlien 15 kV Hz AC En ny tid for Meråkerbanen

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography