The Gjøvik Line ( no, Gjøvikbanen) is a Norwegian

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

line between

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

and

Gjøvik is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Bybrua, and Hunndalen. The ...

. It was originally named the North Line (''Nordbanen'') and ran between Grefsen and Røykenvik. The line was completed to

in 1902. The Gjøvik Line was one of the first lines of the Norwegian railway system which was to be contracted on public service obligation, but it was the state owned

Norges Statsbaner Vygruppen, branded as Vy, is a government-owned railway company which operates most passenger train services and many bus services in Norway. The company is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport. Its sub-brands include Vy Buss coach se ...

which won, operating it through its subsidiary Vy Gjøvikbanen.

The line

The lines is the smallest and least trafficked railway line from Oslo, and the only single track line in the capital. Like most other Norwegian railway lines, the entire 124 km long line is

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histor ...

at . It serves some of the northern neighborhoods of Oslo, and has a few stations in the woods of

Nordmarka Nordmarka is the mostly forested region which makes up the northern part of Oslo, Norway. Nordmarka is the largest and most central part of Oslomarka. The area called Nordmarka also extends into the municipalities of Hole, Ringerike, Lunner, J ...

. Further north the line serves the municipality of

Nittedal Nittedal is a municipality and city in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rotnes. The parish of ''Nitedal'' was established as a ...

. At Roa, the

Roa–Hønefoss Line The Roa–Hønefoss Line ( no, Roa–Hønefossbanen, formerly ) is a long, single track railway line between Roa and Hønefoss in Norway. At Roa Station, the line connects to the Gjøvik Line, while at Hønefoss Station, it connects to the ...

branches off to

Hønefoss __NOTOC__ Hønefoss is a List of cities in Norway, town and the administrative center of the municipalities of Norway, municipality of Ringerike (municipality), Ringerike in Buskerud county, Norway. Hønefoss is an industrial center of inner Østl ...

, where it continues as the

Bergen Line The Bergen Line or the Bergen Railway ( no, Bergensbanen or nn, Bergensbana), is a long scenic standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is often applied for the entire route from Bergen via Drammen to Oslo, ...

. Formerly, most trains between Oslo and

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

used this route, but nowadays most passenger trains run on the route through

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Viken, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such as Konner ...

, which is slightly longer but which runs through more densely populated areas. Freight trains use the line over Roa, and sometimes passenger trains also use this line as a reserve line if the route from Hønefoss to Oslo via Drammen is temporarily closed. Further north, the Gjøvik Line runs through the district of

Toten Toten is a traditional district in Innlandet county in the eastern part of Norway. It consists of the municipalities Østre Toten and Vestre Toten. The combined population of Toten is approximately 27,000. The largest town is Raufoss with ...

before ending at Gjøvik. The Gjøvik Line formerly had three branch lines, the Røykenvik Line, the Valdres Line and the Skreia Line. All these lines are now closed. Most of the service on the Gjøvik Line is provided by electric multiple units. The passenger routes are served by the newly (2006) redesigned Type 69D multiple units named Type 69G, rebuilt in Denmark by

Danske Statsbaner DSB, an abbreviation of ''Danske Statsbaner'' (, ''Danish State Railways''), is the largest Danish train operating company, and the largest in Scandinavia. While DSB is responsible for passenger train operation on most of the Danish railways, go ...

(DSB).

External links

The Norwegian National Rail Administration's list of stations on the Gjøvik Line
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gjovik Line Railway lines in Innlandet Railway lines in Oslo Railway lines in Viken Railway lines opened in 1902 Electric railways in Norway 1902 establishments in Norway