Stavanger Commuter Rail

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Jærbanen

Locale	Jæren, Norway
Transit type	Commuter rail
Began operation	1878
System length	74.71 km
No. of lines	1
No. of stations	18
Daily ridership	7,000
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)
Owner	Jernbaneverket
Operator(s)	Norges Statsbaner

Stavanger Commuter Rail,^{[citation needed]} sometimes called Jærbanen, is a commuter rail services running between the cities of Stavanger and Egersund, Norway forming the first part of the Sørlandsbanen railway. All passenger train services on the line are operated by the Norges Statsbaner (NSB), who operates a half-hour service from Stavanger to Nærbø and an hourly service to Egersund using four-car BM 72 electric multiple units. In 2005 the service had 2.5 million passengers.^[1]

[edit] History

Jærbanen was opened in 1878 as a narrow gauge (1,067 mm), single tracked railway. In 1944 it was converted to standard gauge (1,435 mm) when it was connected to Sørlandsbanen; loosing its name, followed by the 1956 electrification. Because of the extensive local traffic, plans have been worked out to expand the line from Stavanger to Sandnes to double track. Construction started in 2005. During construction periods in the day time there is a permanent replacement for trains by bus between Stavanger and Sandnes.

Jærbanen has one branch line, Ålgårdbanen, which runs from Ganddal to Ålgård, a distance of 12 kilometres. Ålgårdbanen had passenger traffic from its opening in 1924 until 1955, while regular freight traffic continued until 1988. For the next decade only the first three kilometres from Ganddal to Foss-Eikeland were casually used for freight transport. The branch is now not officially closed, but does not allow traffic either. In the summer it is possible to rent rail tricycles at Figgjo, where the former station building has been turned into a museum.