Ålgård Line

Infobox rail line
name = Ålgård Line
nativename = Ålgårdbanen

---

caption =
type = Railway
system = Norwegian railway
status = Abandoned
start = Ganddal
end = Ålgård
stations = 10
open = 20 December 1924
close = 2001
owner = Norwegian National Rail Administration
operator = Norwegian State Railways
character = Freight and passenger
stock =
linelength = 12.24 km
tracklength =
notrack = Single
gauge = RailGauge|sg
el = 15 kV AC
speed =
elevation = 94.0 m asl|

The Ålgård Line ( _no. Ålgårdbanen) is an abandoned railway line between Ganddal and Ålgård in Jæren, Norway. The line is 12 kilometers long and a branch line of the Sørland Line.

History

The line opened on 20 December 1924. It was originally intended to be the start of the Sørland Line towards Agder, following a route close to the current highway E39. But fate had other plans, even though Storting decided to build the Inner Line (Klungland–Bjerkreim–Vikeså–Ålgård) in 1923, by 1937 the same assembly had changed their minds and decided to build via Egersund, and passenger traffic on the Ålgård Line was terminated in 1955 on the line that had taken 20 minutes to the end station. Most of the freight traffic disappeared in 1988 and the tracks at Ålgård Station were removed. Until 2001 only the three first kilometers of the line were used for transport of concrete structures, but then the Norwegian National Rail Administration stopped allowing traffic on the line. At Figgjo Station, that has been converted to a museum one in summertime can rent a draisine and cycle to Ålgård.