Stavne–Leangen line

The Stavne–Leangen Line is and acts as a connection between the Dovre Line and the Nordland Line (formerly the Meråker Line) in Trondheim. It is single track and standard gauge, is not electrified and has no passing loops. It is equipped with centralized traffic control (CTC), has eight bridges, two tunnels and no level crossings. The line is owned by the Norwegian National Rail Administration. To the southwest, the line connects to the Dovre Line at Stavne. There are two forks, laid triangularly, one each from the north and south. On the Dovre Line's side of the triangle is the closed Stavne Station. The track from the north branches off just after passing Marienborg Station. The southern fork merges with the northern fork after the northern fork branches from the mainline. The line continues through the long Tyholt Tunnel, which starts after Lerkendal Station. The line merges with the Nordland Line at Leangen Station, which is located from Trondheim Central Station. ==History==

During the German occupation of Norway as part of the Second World War, the Wehrmacht wanted a railway route past Trondheim which was guarded against sabotage. They decided that the best way to do this was to build a tunnel under the neighborhood of Tyholt. However, construction of the tunnel took much longer than expected, so instead Wehrmacht started laying railway tracks in the streets in Trondheim. They planned that the railway would branch from the Dovre Line at Skansen Station and then follow Sandgata and Olav Tryggvasons gate, cross Nidelva on Bakke Bridge and then run up Innherredsveien before reaching the Meråker Line at Lademoen Station. However, by German capitulation on 8 May 1945, construction of the railway had only reached Søndre gate. The Norwegian State Railways regained interest in the line during the 1950s and resumed construction. The line was officially opened on 1 June 1957 and revenue traffic started the following day. The line was originally only used for freight trains, although it was occasionally used by passenger trains, especially when there was maintenance work on bridges. which is no longer the case as their terminus is now in Lundamo (Støren from 2022 onwards). In 2002, NSB launched a now abandoned proposal to establish an urban train service in Trondheim. According to the proposal, trains would have operated along the Dovre Line from Melhus Station and then run to Lerkendal before continuing onwards to Lademoen and running in a loop back to the central station. The services was proposed to be operated as part of the commuter rail system. It would have required investments of 120 million Norwegian krone, including a connection for trains to be able to run from the east end of the line and westwards on the Nordland Line, and investments to noise insulate the Tyholt Tunnel. In a 2005 report, SINTEF recommended that if such a service should be introduced, it should have four services per hour and operated with light rail rolling stock as a circle line with a tail southwards to Heimdal or Melhus. The report further commented that the new connection at Lademoen would have a 3.6-percent gradient, which would be too steep for mainline trains. ==References==