The Rauma Line () is a long railway between the town of Åndalsnes (in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county), and the village of Dombås (in Dovre Municipality in Oppland county), in Norway. Running down the Romsdalen valley, the line opened between 1921 and 1924 as a branch of the Dovre Line, which connects to the cities of Oslo and Trondheim. Originally intended as the first stage to connect Ålesund, and possibly also Molde and Kristiansund, no extensions have ever been realized. The unelectrified line is served four times daily with SJ Norge's Class 93, although in the summer the service only operates from Åndalsnes to Bjorli as a tourist service. CargoLink operates a daily freight train.
The line features two horseshoe curves and has a elevation drop. Among the line's features is the Kylling Bridge and views of the mountainous valley. Five stations remain in use: Dombås, Lesja, Lesjaverk, Bjorli and Åndalsnes. There have been launched plans to replace the line with a high-speed railway.
Freight train service have started up again (as of 2021); previously the freight trains discontinued service in 2018.
Route
The long Rauma Line runs from Dombås Station on the Dovre Line to Åndalsnes Station. Dombås is located at above mean sea level (AMSL) and the railway falls to AMSL at Åndalsnes. The line has standard gauge, has 103 bridges and 5 tunnels, but unlike the Dovre Line is not electrified. The line has five stations still in use. The line is equipped with Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway (GSM-R), but lacks centralized traffic control (CTC). The infrastructure is owned and operated by the Norwegian National Rail Administration.
Dombås is located from Oslo on the Dovre Line. North of the station, both lines run into each their own tunnel, collectively known as the Dombås Tunnel, with the Rauma Line heading northwest into the flat Lesja area. At from Dombås, the line runs across the Jora Bridge, an long arch bridge with a main span of main span. After passing the now closed and demolished Bottheim Station, the line reaches Lesja Station, which is from Dombås. Although not normally manned, it can be manned if needed for trains to pass. The line then passes the closed Lora Station, before reaching Lesjaverk Station, which is from Dombås. The next station is Bjorli, which is manned and located from Dombås. Located at AMSL, it serves an Alpine skiing center during the winter.
The next section of railway sees a major drop in elevation. The line crosses the river Rauma on the Stuguflåt Bridge, and then runs through the long Stavem Tunnel. It is constructed as part of a horseshoe curve, and the railway continues, backtracking further down the valley and reaching Verma Station. It is located from Dombås and at elevation; it is normally unmanned, but is manned in case trains need to pass. Immediately after the station comes the long Kylling Tunnel, which puts the railway in the right angle to cross Rauma on the Kylling Bridge. The long arch bridge with a long main span has a clearance to the river below. The section from Verma Station and past Kylling Bridge acts as a new horseshoe curve.
The last part of the line is the most scenic, with excellent views of the valley of Romsdalen, including the Romsdalsalpene, and features such as Trollveggen and Romsdalshorn. The line continues past Flatmark Station, Marstein Station, Romsdalshron Station, runs through the long Åk Tunnel before reaching Åndalsnes Station. The station is from Oslo and serves a town with 3,000 people located on a fjord.
History
Planning
Following the plans of a railway between Oslo and Trondheim via Dovre, members of parliament from Møre og Romsdal asked the Ministry of the Interior to also make plan for a branch to the coast of Møre og Romsdal. There were made three proposals for a route: via Surnadal to Kristiansund, via Sunndal to Molde and via Romsdalen to Ålesund.
The first official plans for a railway through Romsdalen was made following a meeting in Romsdal County Council in 1872, who appointed a committee to look into the construction of a railway from Mjøsa via Gudbrandsdalen and Romsdalen to Romsdal. Two years later, the council bought shares for 100,000 Norwegian speciedaler () while municipalities and private investors bought shares for 396,532 specidaler.