Høvik Station ( no, Høvik stasjon) is a
railway station
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 tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
of the
Drammen Line
The Drammen Line ( no, Drammenbanen) is a railway line between Oslo and Drammen, Norway, which was opened on 7 October 1872. It serves all trains west of Oslo Central Station and is owned by Bane NOR.
The line opened as a narrow gauge railway, ...
situated at
Høvik
Høvik is a suburban area in the municipality of Bærum, Viken, Norway, in the Oslo metropolitan area. Mainly a residential area, its population (2005) is 4,311.
It is normal to divide Høvik into two parts; Nedre (lower) and Øvre (upper).
Hø ...
in
Bærum
Bærum () is a municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Norway that forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a population of 128,760 (2021). It is part of the electoral ...
,
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 t ...
. Located from
Oslo Central Station
Oslo Central Station ( no, Oslo sentralstasjon, abbreviated ) is the main railway station in Oslo, and the largest railway station within the entire Norwegian railway system. It connects with Jernbanetorget station. It's the terminus of Dramme ...
, it is served by line L1 of the
Oslo Commuter Rail
Oslo Commuter Rail ( no, Lokaltog Østlandet) is a commuter rail centered in Oslo, Norway, connecting the capital to six counties in Eastern Norway. The system is operated by Vy (formerly NSB) and its subsidiary Vy Gjøvikbanen, using Class 69 ...
. It is located in a residential area and has four regular hourly services operated by 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 se ...
. The station features two accessible
side platform
A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...
s and an underpass. There are five tracks, three of which are used for turnaround, parking and splitting of trains.
The station, designed by
Georg Andreas Bull
Georg Andreas Bull (26 March 1829 – 1 February 1917) was a Norwegian architect and chief building inspector in Christiania (now Oslo) for forty years. He was among the major architects in the country, and performed surveying studies and arche ...
, opened on 1 May 1874, two years after the line. It received major upgrade from 1917 to 1922, when an all-new station building and
island platform
An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
were built, while the railway was
doubled,
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 history ...
and
gauge converted
Gauge conversion is the changing of one railway track gauge (the distance between the running rails) to another.
Sleepers
If tracks are converted to a narrower gauge, the existing sleepers (ties) may be used. However, replacement is required if ...
to
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
. This gave a thirty-minuted
headway
Headway is the distance or duration between vehicles in a transit system measured in space or time. The ''minimum headway'' is the shortest such distance or time achievable by a system without a reduction in the speed of vehicles. The precise defi ...
to
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
Sandvika
Sandvika () is the administrative centre of the municipality of Bærum in Norway. It was declared a List of cities in Norway, city by the municipal council (Norway), municipal council in Bærum on 4 June 2003.
Sandvika is situated approximately ...
. Høvik was staffed until 1995. It received a new upgrade in 2013 and 2014, when the buildings were demolished and new tracks installed.
History
The Drammen Line past the site of Høvik Station opened as a
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
railway on 7 October 1872.
[Bjerke & Holom: 189] The railway station serving Høvik opened on 1 May 1874.
[Bjerke & Holom: 192] It was the first railway station between
Sandvika Station
Sandvika Station ( no, Sandvika stasjon) is a railway station located at Sandvika in Bærum, Norway. Situated on the Drammen Line, from Oslo S, it also an intermediate station of the Asker Line. Vy (transport operator), Vy serves the station with ...
and
Lysaker Station
Lysaker Station ( no, Lysaker stasjon) is a railway station on the Drammen Line and Asker Line situated at Lysaker in Bærum, Norway. Located from Oslo Central Station, Lysaker is served by a mix of Vy express, regional and Oslo Commuter Rail t ...
. The new means of transport allowed the Høvik area to develop as a suburban residential area allowing commuters to travel to the capital. The original station building was a standard design by Georg Andreas Bull used for most stations along the Drammen Line. In addition to a station building it featured a
Narvesen
Narvesen is a Norwegian chain of newsagents / convenience stores which, with its 370 outlets nationwide, is one of Norway's largest retailers. The company has since 2000 been part of the Reitan Group (''Reitangruppen'').
Narvesens Kioskkompagni ( ...
kiosk. A spur to load cars with compost and garbage was installed in 1908. Bærum Municipality established a public library for Høvik in 1911. From their establishment to 1924 they were located next to the station building.
The line from Sandvika to Oslo was substantially upgraded between 1917 and 1922. From 27 February 1917 a
passing loop
A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...
was built at Høvik and standard gauge traffic was carried out on the northern track. A southern track was then built, which was used by narrow gauge trains. However, both were
dual gauge
In railway engineering, "gauge" is the transverse distance between the inner surfaces of the heads of two rails, which for the vast majority of railway lines is the number of rails in place. However, it is sometimes necessary for track to c ...
. All–standard gauge operations commenced on 9 February 1920, although the dual gauge was not removed until 1922. Electric traction started operation on 30 August 1922.
[Bjerke & Holom: 196] An
interlocking
In railway signalling, an interlocking is an arrangement of signal apparatus that prevents conflicting movements through an arrangement of tracks such as junction (rail), junctions or crossings. The signalling appliances and Track (rail transpor ...
system was installed on 6 October 1924.
The upgrades also resulted in new station buildings on the double tracked sections, which were designed by
NSB Arktitektkontor NSB may refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media
* Natural Snow Buildings, a French experimental music duo
*Nihilist Spasm Band, Canadian free improvisation musical collective
*Nu skool breaks, a subgenre of breakbeat music originating during the p ...
.
[Hartmann: 85] Architect for the station was Ragnvald Utne.
These were the first stations in Norway designed for double-track operations and were designed in
Baroque Revival architecture
The Baroque Revival, also known as Neo-Baroque (or Second Empire architecture in France and Wilhelminism in Germany), was an architectural style of the late 19th century. The term is used to describe architecture and architectural sculptur ...
. As the others it featured an
island platform
An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
. Høvik was in this series unusual in that it was not built as an elevation station and instead had the station located on the platform.
The old station building was moved to
Spikkestad Station
Spikkestad Station ( no, Spikkestad stasjon) is a railway station located at Spikkestad in Røyken, Norway, and is the terminus of the Spikkestad Line. It was opened as part of the Drammen Line on 3 February 1885, but in 1973 the new Lieråsen Tun ...
.
[Bjerke & Holom: 193]
The new station building opened on 22 February 1922. The main floor featured a common office for the station master,
signaling control, telegraphy and ticket sales, a room for cargo handling and a waiting room for passengers. The station master's apartment in the upper story consisted of four rooms and a kitchen. However, it had limited space due to roof angles and steep stairs. There was also a cargo building on the platform and the station featured six tracks at the time. In 1926 the station was staffed by a station master, a clerk, a switcher, five telegraphists, six station workers and a journeyman.
From 1922 a half-hour
headway
Headway is the distance or duration between vehicles in a transit system measured in space or time. The ''minimum headway'' is the shortest such distance or time achievable by a system without a reduction in the speed of vehicles. The precise defi ...
was introduced on the local trains between Sandvika and
Oslo West Station
Oslo West Station ( no, Oslo Vestbanestasjon) or Oslo V, is a former railway station located in Vika in Oslo, Norway. It was the terminus of the Drammen Line between 1872 and 1980, until the Oslo Tunnel opened. The station remained in use until 1 ...
.
Two more stations in the Høvik area opened on 1 November 1931.
[Wisting: 63] By building
Strand Station
Strand Station ( no, Strand holdeplass) was a railway station situated at Strand in Bærum, Norway, on the Drammen Line. The station, located from Oslo West Station, was served by Oslo Commuter Rail trains of the Norwegian State Railways. Ramsta ...
and
Ramstad Station, the number of local bus routes could be reduced.
They would remain in service until August 1978. Høvik Station received
centralized traffic control
Centralized traffic control (CTC) is a form of railway signalling that originated in North America. CTC consolidates train routing decisions that were previously carried out by local signal operators or the train crews themselves. The system con ...
on 3 December 1992 and became unstaffed as of 15 January 1995.
The opening of the
Bærum Tunnel
The Bærum Tunnel ( no, Bærumstunnelen) is a long double track railway tunnel in Bærum, Norway. Running between Marstranderveien and Engervannet, it makes up most of the long section of the Asker Line between Lysaker Station and Sandvika S ...
, the second phase of the
Asker Line
The Asker Line ( no, Askerbanen) is a railway line between Asker and Lysaker in Norway. The line runs along the same corridor as the Drammen Line, offering increased capacity, speed and regularity on the rail network west of Oslo. The first p ...
, 26 August 2011, meant that express and regional trains bypassed Høvik Station all together and run directly from Lysaker to Sandvika. As part of the Asker Line project, Lysaker Station was upgraded, allowing 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 se ...
to terminate more of their trains there instead of at
Skøyen Station
Skøyen is a neighborhood of Oslo, Norway. It is located in the western part of the city, in the borough of Ullern. The district has an increasing share of business activities, a development started in the 80s.
Skøyen is the site of Skøyenpar ...
. The work on Lysaker Station was completed in August 2011, but because of there was no capacity to turn around trains at Lysaker, the increased capacity was placed on hold until December 2014. This required that a new site to turn around trains was found.
Høvik was one of several locations proposed and was preferred due to the availability of space combined to the vicinity to Lysaker. While the new turnaround tracks are being built, the project allows for the full upgrade of the station area to modern standards. The
Norwegian Public Roads Administration
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration ( no, Statens vegvesen) is a Norwegian government agency responsible for national and county public roads in Norway. This includes planning, construction and operation of the national and county road netw ...
also carried out some construction work regarding the road network in the area. The project, estimated to cost 652 million, includes a full upgrade to all infrastructure on the Drammen Line between Lysaker and Sandvika. In addition to Høvik,
Stabekk Station
Stabekk Station ( no, Stabekk stasjon) is a railway station of the Drammen Line situated at Stabekk in Bærum, Norway. Located from Oslo Central Station, it is served by line L1, L2, L2x and L21 of the Oslo Commuter Rail and by Flytoget - the exp ...
and
Blommenholm Station
Blommenholm Station ( no, Blommenholm stasjon) is a railway station of the Drammen Line situated at Blommenholm in Bærum, Norway. Located from Oslo Central Station, it is served by line L1 of the Oslo Commuter Rail. It is located in a primarily ...
were modernized.
Skanska
Skanska AB () is a multinational construction and development company based in Sweden. Skanska is the fifth-largest construction company in the world according to ''Construction Global'' magazine. Notable Skanska projects include renovation of t ...
won the contract to build the new Høvik Station.
To carry out efficient construction work, the segment of track was closed and all trains diverted via the Bærum Tunnel from 7 April 2013 to 13 December 2014. The upgrades saw the demolition of the station building.
In addition of sound shields were built along the sides of the tracks. However, the signaling system, built by
Thales Rail Signalling Solutions
Thales Rail Signalling Solutions is a division of Thales Group that supplies transportation-based automation solutions for railways. Its operations are controlled from several locations:
*its head office in Paris, France
*its railway business divi ...
, was delayed. The upgrades freed up track capacity allowing the number of trains to increase from two to four per direction per hour.
Facilities
![Flytoget TRS 061107 012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Flytoget_TRS_061107_012.jpg)
Høvik Station is situated on the Drammen Line, from
Oslo Central Station
Oslo Central Station ( no, Oslo sentralstasjon, abbreviated ) is the main railway station in Oslo, and the largest railway station within the entire Norwegian railway system. It connects with Jernbanetorget station. It's the terminus of Dramme ...
at an elevation of .
The station features five tracks. Two of these are located on each their
side platform
A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...
, serving trains in each direction. The platforms are long and tall, providing
universally accessibility. The center three tracks are used for parking, turning and splitting of trains.
There is an underpass on the eastern end of the station, which provides access between the platforms and to the streets on each side. Both platforms are available by elevator. On the south side of the station there are bicycle parking,
park and ride
A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuting, commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail t ...
and
kiss and ride
A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system (rapi ...
facilities with immediate access to
European Road E18.
There is capacity for 95 bicycles and 77 cars, including 3 disabled parking spaces, 5 charging stations for electric cars and a taxi stand.
Service
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 se ...
serves Høvik with line L1 of the
Oslo Commuter Rail
Oslo Commuter Rail ( no, Lokaltog Østlandet) is a commuter rail centered in Oslo, Norway, connecting the capital to six counties in Eastern Norway. The system is operated by Vy (formerly NSB) and its subsidiary Vy Gjøvikbanen, using Class 69 ...
. L1 calls at all stations, running from
Spikkestad Station
Spikkestad Station ( no, Spikkestad stasjon) is a railway station located at Spikkestad in Røyken, Norway, and is the terminus of the Spikkestad Line. It was opened as part of the Drammen Line on 3 February 1885, but in 1973 the new Lieråsen Tun ...
along the
Spikkestad Line
The Spikkestad Line () is a 14 kilometre long railway line between Asker and Spikkestad in Norway. It was originally part of the Drammen Line between Oslo and Drammen which was built in 1872. In 1973, Lieråsen Tunnel was built to shorten the Dr ...
to
Asker Station and past Høvik to Oslo Central Station. It then continues along the
Trunk Line
In telecommunications, trunking is a technology for providing network access to multiple clients simultaneously by sharing a set of circuits, carriers, channels, or frequencies, instead of providing individual circuits or channels for each clie ...
to
Lillestrøm Station
Lillestrøm Station ( no, Lillestrøm stasjon) is a railway station serving the town of Lillestrøm in Skedsmo, Norway. Located on the Gardermoen Line and the Trunk Line as well as being the western terminus of the Kongsvinger Line, it is the mai ...
. Høvik has four trains per direction per hour.
The station had about 400 daily passengers in 2008.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hovik Station
Railway stations in Bærum
Railway stations on the Drammen Line
Railway stations opened in 1874
1874 establishments in Norway