Gulfoss Tunnel is a railway

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

situated in the municipality of

Melhus Melhus is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Melhus. Other villages include Gåsbakken, Hovin, Korsvegen, Kvål, Ler, Lundamo, S ...

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denma ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. The tunnel runs beneath the village of Hovin, alongside the river Gaula past the Gulfossen waterfall. The tunnel carries a single, electrified track of the

Dovrebanen The Dovre Line ( no, Dovrebanen) is a Norwegian railway line with three slightly different lines which all lead to the historic city of Trondheim. Definition *Dovre Line is the current name of the 548 km main line of the Norwegian railway s ...

railway line. The Trondhjem–Støren Line, which opened in 1864, crossed the river Gaula on a bridge to the opposite side of the river at the current site of the tunnel. This section of track was a challenge due to regular flooding. With the 1908 decision to build the Dovrebanen Line and gauge conversion, the Gulfossen section became one of two parts of the line to be reworked. Gulfoss Tunnel opened on 6 July 1918.

Specifications

The Gulfoss Tunnel has a length of and carries a single track of electrified, standard gauge railway. Situated on the Dovre Line, the southern end is situated from Oslo Central Station. Immediately to the north is a bridge which crosses Gaula.

History

The Trondhjem–Støren Line opened in 1864. At Gulfossen, the line was carried across the river Gaula on a bridge.Bjerke & Stenersen: 193 The Gaula had proved to be a challenge for keeping the railway running due to its fairly regular flooding. The first major flood took place in May 1879, causing landslides along the line at several parts.Bjerke & Stenersen: 117 Following the 1908 decision to extend the Dovre Line to Trondheim, the

Norwegian State Railways 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 s ...

decided to upgrade two sections of the Trondhjem–Støren Line along with a gauge conversion to standard gauge. In addition to part of the line north of

Heimdal Heimdal is a borough in the city of Trondheim in the municipality of Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway. It covers the western and southwestern parts of the municipality. The village area that is also called Heimdal is located in the southe ...

, this involved building a new section past Gulfossen.Bjerke & Stenersen: 116 The break-through of the tunnel took place on 18 June 1915, and was followed by a new and smaller bridge crossing Gaula, which was completed in early 1918. A flood hit the section of track past Gulfossen on 23 June 1918, washing away the line.Bjerke & Stenersen: 119 NSB dispatched 300 workers to the area, including 150 army engineers. The immediately started work on laying tracks through the tunnel, allowing the new segment to be taken into use on 6 July.Bjerke & Stenersen: 121 The tunnel was electrified on 1 November 1970.Bjerke & Holom: 75

Bibliography

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References

{{Portal bar, Trains, Norway Railway tunnels in Trøndelag Melhus 1918 establishments in Norway Tunnels completed in 1918 Tunnels on the Røros Line Tunnels on the Dovre Line