Brevik Station

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Brevik Station was a railway hub in Brevik, Norway, at Strømtangen in the village of Brevik. It was the end of the Brevik Line from its opening in October 1895 until passenger services ended in 1968 and the line finally closed in 1982. The brick station building, designed by architect Paul Due in a medieval Romanesque style, is preserved and listed as a cultural heritage site.

Planning and location
When the Brevik Line was approved in 1891, two sites were considered: Strømtangen and Setretangen. In June 1892 the municipal council chose Strømtangen, aiming to give ships at the nearby docks easy access to trains. Construction began in 1893.

Opening and facilities
The line reached Brevik with a two-story station building and a new dock for steamships to shorten transfer times between train and ferry. A spur line connected the dock for freight transfer to ships.

Services and traffic
Brevik Station quickly became a busy transport hub. In its early years it handled coastal intercity traffic, connected to ferries along the coast to Agder, but the main traffic was a commuter service to Porsgrunn and Skien, which ran until 1964. An express train to Oslo existed, and the Brevik Line connected with the Kragerø Line from 1927. The Brevikruta ferry operated from 1896 to 1934.

Gauge and electrification
The line was originally narrow gauge, converted to standard gauge in 1921, and electrified on 19 June 1949.

Decline and closure
The opening of the Brevik Bridge in 1962 drew traffic away from the line, and passenger numbers fell. Commuter trains to Skien ended on 1 February 1964, and passenger services ended on 26 May 1968. Freight trains continued until the line closed on 1 December 1982. After passenger service ended, the ground floor of the station was used by Trosvik Verksted, later partly housing a doctor’s office; the upper floor was used by the same company until its 1986 bankruptcy.

Heritage and current use
Renovations in the late 1980s fixed up the building, and Brevik Management moved its head office there in 1988. The outhouse was restored, and the renovation won Sparebankens Brevikspris in 1991. In 1997 the station building and two outbuildings were listed as cultural heritage sites. The Brevik Station building is the third brick station designed by Paul Due, created in a medieval Romanesque style, and it originally included a park and the station master’s residence on the upper floor.