Ålgård Line
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The Ålgård Line (
The line had up to ten daily round trips with
Route
The Ålgård Line runs 12.24 kilometers (7.61 mi) from Ganddal to Ålgård.[1] The whole line was built with NSB's standard for main lines, with a maximum gradient of 1.5 percent and minimum curve radius of 300 meters (980 ft).[2] It branches off from the Sørlandet Line (previously the Jæren Line) north of Ganddal Station, 18 kilometers (11 mi) south of Stavanger. When the line opened, Ganddal Station was located south of the creek Stokkelandselven, but it was moved further north in 1935 to simplify operations.[3] The line continues over Stokkelandsevlen on a 7.5-meter-long (25 ft) bridge, and follows the creek until it reaches Foss-Eikeland, 3.43 kilometers (2.13 mi) from Ganddal.[2] Foss-Eikeland had a 91-meter-long (299 ft) passing loop and a 40-meter-long (130 ft) platform. The station building was built in wood, had a single story and was 57 square meters (610 sq ft).[4]
After Foss-Eikeland, the line crosses Figgjo River on a 30-meter-long (98 ft)
The line is, along with the Namsos Line, the only railway line in Norway to holistically employ Neoclassical architecture.[7] All the original stations were designed by R. Werenskiold, who used a simplistic, wooden interpretation of the 1920s Neoclassicism.[8] The station buildings at Figgjo and Ålgård have been preserved by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage.[9] The line eventually received additional stops, and in 1955, there were stations at Holane, Vagle, Foss-Eikeland, Kalberg, Bråstein, Figgjo Fajanse, Figgjo, Figgjo fabrikker and Ålgård. Some trains operated to Sandnes Station, whilst others continued all the way to Stavanger Station.[10]
As of 1994, the line was intact and operational from Ganddal to Foss-Eigeland and the cement factory there. Here, an internal crane track has been welded across the line. From Foss-Eigeland to Figgjo, the track is intact. At Figgjo, a bridge has been demolished, and it is not possible to traverse that section. Except for a number of
History
The first plans to build a railway line along the route of the Ålgård Line was as part of the main route between Stavanger and Oslo. In 1873, County Engineer Th. Sejersted proposed a line running through
On 27 September 1894, a committee was established to plan a branch from the Jæren Line to Ålgård. The following year, the committee recommended that a line be built branching from
A new committee was established in 1910, led by Mayor Sven Nilssen of Gjesdal, who was also director at Ålgårds Ullvarefabrikker. His company paid for traffic counting along the route, and the committee concluded that there was sufficient traffic to build a line. Two routes were proposed: one branching from
In 1919, local politicians proposed that the line be built administratively as part of the Jæren Line, but this was rejected by the government.[14] Instead, the ministry wanted to again consider the Ålgård Line as part of the Sørlandet Line, and proposed that the Ålgård Line be built with standard gauge—which would be used for the Sørlandet Line—instead of the narrow gauge used by the Jæren Line. However, there would be no need for standard gauge until the Sørlandet Line was extended to Rogaland, so the line was planned to be built with narrow gauge track, but all other installations would be prepared for standard gauge.[16]
Siting of the Ålgård Line from Ganddal to Ålgård started in 1920. The final cost estimate was NOK 2.82 million and the plan was passed by
At the start, there were one or two daily round trips with
In 1923, Parliament voted for a plan for the Sørlandet Line to run via Bjerkreim instead of the city of Egersund, and then onwards via Gjesdal. This plan meant that the section from Ganddal to Stavanger would have dual gauge. During further planning, it became clear that the Gjesdal alternative, although 15 kilometers (9 mi) shorter, had a greater elevation difference than that needed for connecting the Sørlandet Line to the Jæren Line. This changed the NSB board's and Rogaland County Council's opinion, and the Jæren alternative was chosen.[16] The final decision to build via Jæren was made by parliament in 1937.[21]
An inter-municipal railway committee was established in 1941. Led by Sigval Bergesen, it considered the possibility of extending the Ålgård Line towards Hunnedalen via Setesdalsheiene to Lunde in Telemark. The line would be built with a higher standard than the Sørlandet Line and have a shorter route, allowing travel time from Stavanger to Oslo to be reduced to four to five hours. A detailed plan was made for the extension from Ålgård to the county border with Telemark. To consider the proposal, parliament established a committee in 1949 to look at the various proposals. After considering the impact and value of the various railways that had been proposed in the 1940s, it recommended not building the Inner Trunk Line, as the expansion had been christened.[10]
In 1930, an
In the 1940s and 1950s, several companies started a competing bus service. There were accusations that the route was cross-subsidized and that
After it was decided that passenger transport on the railway was to be terminated, both NSB's
Freight trains to the various industrial companies along the line remained until the 1980s, when traffic sank drastically. From 1988, the line was closed from Foss-Eigeland, although the line from there to Ganddal was kept for use for a cement factory.[22] Until 2001 only the three first kilometers (two first miles) of the line were used, for transport of concrete structures, but then the Norwegian National Rail Administration stopped all traffic on the line.[12]
Heritage
The non-profit organization Friends of the Ålgård Line (Ålgårdbanens venner) have preserved 3 kilometers (2 mi) of the line and Figgjo Station. The station has been converted to a museum, while the railway between Figgjo and Ålgård is used for renting out
Future
Several local politicians have proposed re-opening the line and either making it part of the Jæren Commuter Rail or part of the planned light rail in Greater Stavanger.[25] Additionally, the Norwegian National Rail Administration has supported a future re-opening of the line.[12] Estimates show that the line has a traffic potential for 600,000 passengers per year. In a proposal from the National Rail Administration, the Ålgård Line is seen as a possible branch of the commuter rail, with stations at Vagle, Figgjo, Kongeparken and Ålgård. Without making any investments to the Sørlandet Line, it would be possible to extend the two hourly services that terminate at Sandnes to Ålgård. Ålgård is also a good location for a park and ride for European Route E39. However, the Ålgård Line would need a full upgrade, including new tracks, electric system and signaling. This would give a travel time from Ganddal to Ålgård of 10 to 12 minutes.[26] The estimated cost of re-opening the line is NOK 500 million.[27] The Center Party has proposed converting the line to a bus lane.[28] The borough council of Figgjo has voted to convert the line to a bicycle path, but this has been rejected by the National Rail Administration.[12]
See also
- List of gauge conversions
- Narrow gauge railways in Norway
References
- Bibliography
- ISBN 82-91448-00-0.
- Hartmann, Eivind; Mangset, Øistein; Reisegg, Øyvind (1997). Neste stasjon (in Norwegian). Gyldendal. ISBN 82-05-25294-7.
- Thime, Torkel (1999). Banelangs: Ålgårdbanen gjennom 75 år (in Norwegian). Stavanger: State Archive in Stavanger. ISBN 82-91794-06-5.
- Notes
- ^ a b Aspenberg (1994): 227
- ^ a b c d Thime (1999): 12
- ^ a b Thime (1999): 23
- ^ Thime (1999): 35
- ^ Thime (1999): 62
- ^ Thime (1999): 76
- ^ Hartmann (1997): 89
- ^ Hartmann (1997): 139
- ^ Hartmann (1997): 140
- ^ a b c d Friends of the Ålgård Line. "Historien" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Aspenberg (1994): 231
- ^ a b c d Ådnøy, Åsmund (30 July 2008). "Jernbaneverket vil beholde Ålgårdbanen". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). p. 3.
- ^ Thime (1999): 7
- ^ a b c Thime (1999): 8
- ^ Aspenberg (1994): 14
- ^ a b Thime (1999): 9
- ^ a b Thime (1999): 13
- ^ Thime (1999): 14
- ^ a b c Aspenberg (1994): 228
- ^ a b Thime (1999): 15
- ^ Thime (1999): 11
- ^ a b c Aspenberg (1994): 230
- ^ Thime (1999): 17
- ^ Friends of the Ålgård Line. "Dresinsykling" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Bjørnå, Tove M. E. (30 August 2007). "Ålgårdbanen må gjenåpnes". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). p. 2.
- Norwegian National Rail Administration (2009). "Utbyggingsplan Jærbanen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). pp. 52–56. Archived from the original(PDF) on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ Friends of the Ålgård Line. "Banens framtid" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
- ^ Bjørnå, Tove M. E. (22 April 2008). "Her vil Sp kjøre buss". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). pp. 8–9.
External links
58°47′38″N 5°47′7″E / 58.79389°N 5.78528°E