The Kvineshei Tunnel ( no, Kvinesheitunnelen) is the fourth-longest 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 ...
in
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 ...
at a length of . It is located in
Agder
Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties were merged. Since the early 1900s, the term Sørlandet ("south ...
county along the
Sørlandet Line
The Sørlandet Line ( no, Sørlandsbanen) is a railway line between Drammen (though this is connected to Oslo by means of the Drammen Line) via Kristiansand to Stavanger. The line is long between Oslo and Stavanger.
History
The railway was cons ...
. The tunnel runs between
Snartemo Station
Snartemo Station ( no, Snartemo stasjon) is a railway station of the Sørlandet Line situated in the village of Snartemo in Hægebostad municipality in Agder county, Norway. Located from Oslo Central Station, the station is situated on a embankme ...
in the village of
Snartemo
Snartemo is a village in Hægebostad municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located in a fairly narrow valley along the river Lygna, about south of the municipal centre of Tingvatn. Snartemo has a population of 118 in 2015. There a ...
in
Hægebostad
Hægebostad is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tingvatn. Other villages in Hægebostad include Eiken, Haddeland, and S ...
municipality and the
Kvinesdal
Kvinesdal is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Liknes. Other villages in Kvinesdal include Feda, Fjotland, and Storekvi ...
valley about northeast of
Liknes
Liknes is the administrative centre of Kvinesdal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the river Kvina, about north of the mouth where it empties into the Fedafjorden. The village of Storekvina lies about to the nor ...
in the municipality of
Kvinesdal
Kvinesdal is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Liknes. Other villages in Kvinesdal include Feda, Fjotland, and Storekvi ...
.
The tunnel was opened in 1943 when the Sørlandet Line was extended to
Moi Station. The long tunnel includes a long straight stretch, the longest straight stretch on the entire
Norwegian railway network and about longer than the one in
Romeriksporten.
References
Railway tunnels in Agder
Tunnels on the Sørlandet Line
1943 establishments in Norway
Tunnels completed in 1943
Hægebostad
Kvinesdal
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