Brevik Line

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The Brevik Line is a 10-kilometer, single-track railway in Norway that runs from Eidanger to Brevik in the town of Porsgrunn. It is part of the Vestfold Line and is used mainly for freight, hauling limestone to Norcem Brevik by CargoNet. The line is standard gauge (1,435 mm) and electrified with 15 kV, 16.7 Hz AC. It is owned and maintained by the Norwegian National Rail Administration and does not have centralized traffic control or GSM-R.

History in brief
The Brevik Line was first proposed in 1875 and construction began in 1892. It officially opened on 15 October 1895. It was originally built as a narrow-gauge railway (1067 mm) but was converted to standard gauge in 1921 and electrified in 1949. Passenger service ran for decades, including a commuter train to Skien, but all regular passenger traffic ended in 1968. The line branches off the Vestfold Line at Eidanger and runs to Brevik, entirely within the town of Porsgrunn.

Route and features
From Eidanger, the line heads south to Brevik, passing through small stops and halts such as Prestealléen, Nystrand, Mule, Skjelsvik, Valen, Heistad, and Ørvik before reaching Norcem Brevik. There are several spurs, including lines to Heistad Fabrikker and the Grenland Terminal, and a section with a tunnel and multiple bridges. Past Norcem Brevik, the main line continues no further toward Brevik, as parts of the original route have been removed. The line’s elevation ranges up to about 50 meters above sea level, and it features numerous bridges and level crossings.

What it’s used for today
Today, the Brevik Line’s primary traffic is freight, especially limestone shipments to Norcem Brevik. CargoNet operates the trains, which run to the limestone mine in Porsgrunn. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, there were plans to expand or reopen lines and ports, and a Grenland Terminal branch opened in 1993 to serve port activities. A notable freight milestone was that Norcem hauled about 900,000 tonnes of limestone in 1998. The line also saw occasional developments, such as a 1998 collision between two El 13 locomotives at Norcem and the introduction of a weekly CargoNet container service from Brevik to Oslo and Bergen starting in 2014.

Historical impact
When the line opened, it connected with coastal ferries to Kristiansand and supported a mix of passenger and freight services, helping Brevik grow with jobs in rail and shipping. Passenger service included a popular summer “bathing train” to attract inland visitors, and the line once had a relatively high level of passenger traffic. The opening of the Brevik Bridge in 1962 and the rise of bus services contributed to a decline in passenger use, leading to the end of commuter trains in 1964 and the end of express passenger trains in 1968. Since then, the line has remained focused on freight, with occasional freight-related changes and upgrades.