Flekkefjord Line

Flekkefjord Line
Flekkefjord Line
	Flekkefjord Station in 1908
Overview
Native name	Flekkefjordbanen
Status	Abandoned
Owner	Norwegian State Railways
Termini	Sira; Flekkefjord;
Service
Type	Railway
System	Norwegian railway
Operator(s)	Norwegian State Railways
History
Opened	1 November 1904
Closed	31 December 1990
Technical
Line length	17.1 km (10.6 mi)
Number of tracks	Single
Character	Passenger and freight
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	No
Route map
	Legend

The Flekkefjord Line (Norwegian: Flekkefjordbanen) is a 17.1-kilometre (10.6 mi) abandoned branch line to the Sørland Line. It ran between Sira and Flekkefjord in Agder, Norway. The only current activity on the line is tourist draisines. The station buildings along the line were designed by the architect Paul Armin Due—these have all been demolished.

The line opened in 1904 as a 64-kilometre (40 mi) extension of the narrow gauge Jæren Line. It was planned as the first step of a main line along the South Coast. At Flekkefjord, there was steam ship connection, onwards to Oslo. In 1941, the line was converted to standard gauge, and in 1944 the Sørland Line was completed. The western part of the Flekkefjord Line was integrated into it, while the remaining section became the branch line that kept the name Flekkefjord Line. During the 1940s, steam locomotive-hauled trains were replaced by railcars. Following the declining traffic, in part due to the slow speeds caused by the line's narrow profile, the line was closed, with the last trains running in 1990.