After nine months, freight trains in Norway are running again along the Dovre Line, which stretches for roughly 500 kilometres between Eidsvoll and Trondheim. The railway has been closed since August 2023, when the Randklev Bridge, near Ringebu, collapsed due to bad weather.
The first freight train, operated by OnRail, crossed the bridge on Monday 20 May, as Norwegian infrastructure manager Bane NOR mentioned. As is usually the case in these situations, the rail freight sector struggled more than its passenger counterpart, which could benefit from alternative bus services.
In order to alleviate the burden on rail freight companies, Norway decided, in Septemeber 2023, to redirect some of the traffic between Oslo and Trondheim along the Røros Line. This alternative, however, only provided a single-track line, while the Dovre Line is an electrified double-track, thus allowing for more capacity.
Stronger foundations have been laid
After the bridge collapsed, works to reinstate it and restart traffic started immediately. Other than repairing the bridge, Bane NOR said it implemented new foundations with a larger bae surface. The new structure should also be better protected against extreme weather as well as erosion. Bane NOR also pointed out that people in the area of the railways should now pay a little extra attention as traffic will change and the Dovre Line is plastered with unsecured level crossings. “Work trains and freight trains are not in the timetable”, the Norwegian IM said, urging people to always stop, look and listen before passing through a level crossing.
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