page_title: Loenga–Alnabru Line
section_title: Future
hierarchical_section_title: Loenga–Alnabru Line / Future
caption_attribution_description: Bryn stasjon i Oslo.
context_page_description: The Loenga–Alnabru Line is a 7.3-kilometer freight-only railway line in Oslo, Norway. It runs from the classification yard at Loenga to Alnabru Freight Terminal, typically serving twenty trains per day. It allows trains to pass from the Østfold Line to Alnabru without passing via Oslo Central Station. It is also used by freight trains from the Sørlandet Line, which run via the Oslo Tunnel and cross over at Bryn Station. It is notorious for the steep hill Brynsbakken which it has to climb, giving it a gradient of 2.6 percent.
  The line was opened from Bryn to Alnabru Station in 1904, with completion to Loenga on 1 May 1907. The line was electrified in 1928. A new classification yard opened at Alnabru in 1970. The line was the site of the Sjursøya Accident in 2010. In order to bypass Brynsbakken, the Norwegian National Rail Administration has proposed building a tunnel from further south on the Østfold Line, named the Bryn Diagonal.
context_section_description: Domestically rail transport has a market share of between 52 and 66 percent of intermodal transport from Oslo to Bergen, Trondheim and Stavanger. The corresponding market share on international routes is only 17 percent. It is an explicit political goal to increase rail transport's market share. The volume internationally is much higher than domestically, for instance 8.5 million tonnes from the south corridor compared to 1.6 million tonnes to Trondheim in 2011. The volume is expected to grow with 150 percent by 2040. The government is therefore prioritizing upgrading the corridor through Østfold to handle more freight. Development of the corridor would allow for direct intermodal train services to destinations in Central Europe.
  The Port of Oslo is developing a new container terminal at Sjursøya. There is a significant amount of container traffic from the port to Alnabru, which is currently transported by road. If better infrastructure was established, this traffic could be transported by rail.
  The steepness of the Brynsbakken is a major inconvenience for freight operators. They must either use an extra locomotive, which adds time and cost, or operate shorter trains, which reduces the operating efficiency. Brynsbakken has therefore been identified as a bottleneck in transport from the Sørlandet Line, Sweden and the Continent to Alnabru. Increased capacity southwards will allow for more freight trains towards Gothenburg, Denmark and the continent.
  One alternative is to establish an extra locomotive at Loenga, which would require an upgrade of the track alignment at Loenga. Although this would cut some costs, it would still delay each train by about 25 minutes and requires additional tracks at both Loenga and Alnabru. Although freight trains from the Østfold Line pass through Loenga, those from the Sørlandet Line do not, causing additional delays.
  The Bryn Diagonal (Norwegian: Bryndiagonalen) is a proposed new line which would connect to the Østfold Line and run to Bryn or Alnabru. By extending the line further south, it would have a longer route and thus less gradient. This would allow trains up to 1,500 tonnes to operate to Alnabru without assistance. Several specific proposals have been launched. One would involve a branching near Nordstrand Station. It could be built in such a way that trains also could arrive from the north, so that also trains from the Sørlandet Line could use it. Alternatives include branching off further south, for instance at Hauketo Station. All alternatives involve building the line in a tunnel.
  During the planning of the Follo Line—a new high-speed connection between Oslo and Ski—there were proposals to connect it to the Bryn Diagonal. This was discarded by the National Rail Administration in 2014. The number of passenger trains on the new line would be so high and operate at such speeds that the Follo Line could only be operated by freight trains at night. The complexity, cost and maintenance of an intersection was regarded as not worthwhile for the limited amount of traffic.
caption: Bryn Station looking west. The Loenga–Alnabru Line is the tracks to the left.
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