Rauma Line - Route

Route

The 114.24-kilometer (70.99 mi) long Rauma Line runs from Dombås Station on the Dovre Line to Åndalsnes Station. Dombås is located at 659 meters (2,162 ft) above mean sea level (AMSL) and the railway falls to 4 meters (13 ft) AMSL at Åndalsnes. The line has standard gauge, has 103 bridges and 5 tunnels, but unlike the Dovre Line is not electrified. The line has five stations still in use. The line is equipped with Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway (GSM-R), but lacks centralized traffic control (CTC). The infrastructure is owned and operated by the Norwegian National Rail Administration.

Dombås is located 343 kilometers (213 mi) from Oslo on the Dovre Line. North of the station, both lines run into each their own tunnel, collectively known as the Dombås Tunnel, with the Rauma Line heading northwest into the flat Lesja area. At 3.6 kilometers (2.2 mi) from Dombås, the line runs across the Jora Bridge, a 85-meter (279 ft) long arch bridge with a main span of 54-meter (177 ft) main span. After passing the now closed and demolished Bottheim Station, the line reaches Lesja Station, which is 97 kilometers (60 mi) from Dombås. Although not normally manned, it can be manned if needed for trains to pass. The line then passes the closed Lora Station, before reaching Lesjaverk Station, which is 37 kilometers (23 mi) from Dombås. The next station is Bjorli, which is manned and located 57 kilometers (35 mi) from Dombås. Located at 575 meters (1,886 ft) AMSL, it serves an Alpine skiing center during the winter.

The next section of railway sees a major drop in elevation. The line crosses the river Rauma on the Stuguflåt Bridge, and then runs through the 1,396 meters (4,580 ft) long Stavem Tunnel. It is constructed as part of a horseshoe curve, and the railway continues, backtracking further down the valley and reaching Verma Station. It is located 75 kilometers (47 mi) from Dombås and at 273-meter (896 ft) elevation; it is normally unmanned, but is manned in case trains need to pass. Immediately after the station comes the 480-meter (1,570 ft) long Kylling Tunnel, which puts the railway in the right angle to cross Rauma on the Kylling Bridge. The 76 meters (249 ft) long arch bridge with a 42 meters (138 ft) long main span has a 59 meters (194 ft) clearance to the river below. The section from Verma Station and past Kylling Bridge acts as a new horseshoe curve.

The last part of the line is the most scenic, with excellent views of the valley of Romsdalen, including the Romsdalsalpene, and features such as Trollveggen and Romsdalshorn. The line continues past Flatmark Station, Marstein Station, Romsdalshron Station, runs through the 32 meters (105 ft) long Åk Tunnel before reaching Åndalsnes Station. The station is 457 kilometers (284 mi) from Oslo and serves a village with 3,000 people located on a fjord.