Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 53, 2009

Gevingåsen Tunnel is a 4.4 km railway tunnel under construction between Hommelvik and Hell, Norway, on the Nordland Line. Blasting was started in 2009, and the tunnel is scheduled for completion in 2012 at a cost of NOK635 million. Built by the Norwegian National Rail Administration, the tunnel will shorten travel time south of Stjørdal by five minutes and increase the capacity of the Trondheim–Stjørdal to four trains per hour in each direction. The tunnel is the first stage of a high-speed rail connection between Steinkjer and Trondheim. Because the tunnel is being built with curves with too small diameter, the section will not be suitable for high-speed trains. There was a political debate about if the tunnel should be built with too tight curves and if it should instead be built with double track, but construction has commenced as originally planned. The whole project involves laying of 5.7 km of new tracks and permanent way. The blasted rock will be used to build a new apron at Trondheim Airport, Værnes.