There were celebrations at Tønsberg station when the new section of double track line between Barkåker and Tønsberg was officially opened on Saturday 19th November. There was a huge response when the Norwegian National Rail Administration invited the general public to take part in the opening ceremony.
As well as the opening of the Barkåker-Tønsberg section of line, which has taken us a little closer to a modern Vestfold Line, this year also saw the 130th anniversary of the Vestfold Line.
The celebrations began at Tønsberg town square, where the Railway Brass Band held a small concert before marching up to the station. The Minister of Transport and Communications undertook the official opening by flagging the northbound train out of the station at 12.59.
Now that the new line has been connected, it is the second substantial section of the Vestfold Line to be double tracked, permitting speeds of up to 200 km/h. A 17 km section from Kobbervik to Holm was opened in 2001. Construction of the section from Holm to Holmestrand and further to Nykirke is currently underway. In the short term, trains on the Vestfold Line will now cross on the new double track section between Barkåker and Tønsberg without having to wait to pass at the old Barkåker station. An old, winding section of line with 11 level crossings has been taken out of use and replaced by a modern high speed line. Once further sections of line have been opened, the aim is to achieve a journey time from Oslo to Tønsberg of one hour.
In 2012, construction work will also commence on a completely new line from Larvik to Porsgrunn, which will result in a reduction in journey time from the current 34 minutes to 11 minutes, once the new line has opened.