Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 12, 2009

The Meråker Line (Meråkerbanen) is a railway line which runs from Hell, outside Stjørdal, through the municipality of Meråker, in Norway, to Storlien, in Sweden. On the Swedish side it continues as Mittbanan to Sundsvall. The line originally went from Trondheim Central Station to Storlien, but the owner, the Norwegian National Rail Administration, has since recategorized the line from Trondheim to Hell as part of the Nordland Line, thus cutting the Meråker Line's distance from 106 to 70 km. Planning of the line started in 1870, and the route was preferred over a railway via Verdal and via Røros. The first section was finished in 1879, when the first train ran. The line was officially opened by King Oscar II on 22 July 1882. Construction cost NOK8.9 million, and the line gave an economic boost to the communities along the valley. The line has been upgraded several times to increase the axle load. During World War II, the line was the scene of both the Hommelvik train disaster and the Meråker train disaster. Steam trains were in use until 1971, following the introduction of diesel locomotives in 1961. While the Swedish section of the line is electrified, the Norwegian section is not, though proposals for electrification have existed since the 1940s. The line is now served by the regional train Mittnabotåget, operated by Norges Statsbaner, which runs trains all the way to Östersund, using Class 92 diesel multiple units. There are two services in each direction each day. There are also freight trains operated by CargoNet. Most of the cargo is lumber bound for the lumber mill Norske Skog Skogn and the port at Hommelvik. Previously, Elkem Meraker used the line to haul carbide, and later microsilica, to the port at Muruvik. Six stations remain in use, while seven have been closed.