Hallingskeid Station
Hallingskeid | |
---|---|
Vy Tog | |
Line(s) | Bergen Line |
Distance | 322.80 km (200.58 mi) |
Platforms | 1 |
Construction | |
Architect | Paul Due |
History | |
Opened | 10 June 1908 |
Hallingskeid Station (
The original
History
The station was opened on 10 June 1908, along with the rest of the central portion of the Bergen Line.[1] The station building was of the Mountain Station Variant 1 type, designed by Paul Due. This made it identical to Mjølfjell Station, and with only slight variations to Haugastøl Station, Finse Station and Myrdal Station.[2] During construction, NSB built several buildings for their staff. Two of the houses and an assembly building have been preserved. They were built in 1900 and represent an example of buildings from the construction time. One is partially built in stone, partially in wood, while the other two are entirely in wood. All are now used as cabins.[3] The sick ward for the navvies was bought by Kari Maristuen in 1909 converted to a hotel, named Fjellstova.[4]
Because of the harsh winter conditions, the station area was gradually built with snow tunnels to keep the snow off the tracks. This included the platforms and most of the passing loop at the station.[1] In 1914–15, the station serviced 398 passengers, and in 1919–20, it serviced 684 passengers, both times making it the least used station on the line.[5] In 1948, the western part of the snow tunnel caught fire, and although it spread to the station building, it was quickly put out by the staff. In 1953, there was again a fire in the tunnel.[6]
1960 fire
In 1960, there was a major fire which burned down most of the station area. On 22 October, two boys were playing with matches and had lit some wood shavings in the tunnel, about 100 meters (330 ft) from the station building. The tunnel quickly caught on fire, which spread towards the other buildings.
The section past the station took
2011 fire
A fire started in the snow tunnel at Hallingskeid on 16 June 2011. It was caused by sparks from welding, which had been completed at 07:45. A freight train passed through the station at 09:16 and the welders left the station at 09:30. The passenger trains which caught on fire, pass through the station at 10:06.[12] As the station is unmanned, there was no prior warning of the fire until the driver saw it from the cab just as the train entered the tunnel. At nearly the same instance, he reached the point of the line where the fire had caused the power to cut. He immediately applied the emergency brake, which allowed the train to stop 5 to 10 meters (16 to 33 ft) from the fire. Because the train had no power, it was not possible to reverse out. The 257 passengers were then immediately evacuated, which took 15 to 20 minutes, and included two people in a wheelchair. Passengers were told to not bring any possessions with them, and many passengers lost valuables, such as laptop computers. All personnel acted according to regulations and no-one was injured in the accident. According to the motorman, had he not lost the power, he would have continued through the tunnel, as the fire was just beginning.[13]
The Norwegian Civil Defence, who did the main bulk of the rescue work, stated that they had been planning on an exercise which would have been identical to the accident, with a train stuck in exactly the same tunnel while it was on fire. The rescue work was difficult, as there is no road connection to the area and all materials have to be transported to the area by air. In addition, the mobile telephone and radio network was out. Representatives stated that it would have been easier if they could have used the GSM-R network operated by the railway, which was functioning.[14] The train, which consisted of a twin Class 73 electric multiple unit, burnt up and was destroyed in the fire. These cost 100 million kr (€12.7M as of June 2011) each.[13] The fire forced the temporary closure of the Bergen Line,[15][16] which was reopened in the evening on 23 June.[17] The cost of the accident was 250 million kr (€31.8M as of June 2011), of which most was for the unit which was written off.[12]
According to the
Facilities and service
The station is located 322.80 kilometers (200.58 mi) from Oslo and at 1,110.1 meters (3,642 ft) above mean sea level. The station is not staffed and serves no local population. The area around the station has no road access, and the station serves only for trekking in the Hardangervidda plateau. There is a self-serve cabin run by the Norwegian Trekking Association nearby.[21] The station building itself is owned by Bane NOR Eiendom, a subsidiary of Bane NOR.[8] The station has a waiting room and washrooms.[22] Up to three daily services in each direction of the Oslo–Bergen service, operated by the state railways, call at Hallingskeid, with up to two bypassing the station each day.[23]
References
Bibliography
- ISBN 82-91448-28-0.
- Bach, Tron; Gjerdåker, Johannes (1994). Rallarvegen: kulturhistorisk vegvisar for høgfjellsvegen langs Bergensbanen (in Norwegian). Cappelen. ISBN 82-02-14676-3.
- Hartmann, Eivind; Mangset, Øistein; Reisegg, Øyvind (1997). Neste stasjon (in Norwegian). Gyldendal Norsk Forlag. ISBN 82-05-25294-7.
Notes
- ^ a b c d Aspenberg (1999): 128
- ^ Aspenberg (1999): 69
- ^ Hartmann et al. (1997): 172
- ^ a b Bach & Gjerdåker (1994): 58
- ^ Aspenberg (1999): 25
- ^ a b c Gullstein, Leif (17 June 2011). "Hallingskeid i lys lue". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 18 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
- ^ a b Ask, Øyvind (22 October 2009). "I aske på høyfjellet". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian).
- ^ Rom Eiendom. Archived from the originalon 4 October 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- Norwegian National Rail Administration. 2009. p. 34. Archived from the original(pdf) on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ Stein, Bodil (2 October 2009). "Brannen på Bergensbanen er slukket" (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency.
- ^ "Bergensbanen åpnet igjen" (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency. 4 October 2009.
- ^ a b Eidsvik, Øyvind Lefdal (8 July 2011). "Sveising kostet 250 mill". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
- ^ a b Eidsvik, Øyvind Lefdal (17 June 2011). "– Kunne ikkje gjort noko anna". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 18 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
- ^ Heszlein-Lossius, Hanne (17 June 2011). "Sivilforsvaret planla øvelse lik brannen". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 18 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
- ^ "Bergensbanen kan bli stengt i en uke" (in Norwegian). TV2. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
- ^ Sandelson, Michael (16 June 2011). "Major train fire closes Bergensbanen". The Foreigner. Archived from the original on 22 June 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ "Bergensbanen åpner sent torsdag". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). Norwegian News Agency. 23 June 2011. Archived from the original on 26 June 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- ^ Hoaas, Krister Clausen; Eidsvik, Øyvind Lefdal (9 July 2011). "Sju ting som gjekk gale". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
- ^ Sandelson, Michael (17 June 2011). "Demands for train fire inquiry". The Foreigner. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ Hoaas, Krister Clausen; Eidsvik, Øyvind Lefdal (9 July 2011). "Tabbane som gjorde vondt verre". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
- Norwegian National Rail Administration. Archived from the originalon 27 May 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ "Hallingskeid station". NSB. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ "Oslo S – Bergen" (PDF). NSB. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
Preceding station | Following station | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Myrdal | Bergen Line | Finse | ||
Preceding station | Express trains | Following station | ||
Myrdal | F4 | Bergen–Oslo S
|
Finse |