Nelaug is one of Southern Norway's most important railway junctions, a place where three lines once met deep in the Agder forest. The station opened in 1910 and sits by Nelaug lake in Åmli municipality.
When the Sørlandsbanen reached Nelaug from Oslo in 1935, it connected with the existing branch to Arendal on the coast. That branch, the Arendalsbanen, still operates today, and passengers heading to Arendal change trains here. The Arendalsbanen itself once fed a further branch: the Grimstadbanen, which ran 22 kilometres from Rise station to Grimstad. Originally a private narrow-gauge line from 1907, it was nationalized in 1912 and rebuilt to standard gauge in 1936, but cumbersome transfers kept ridership low and the line closed in 1961.
A third line once ran north from Nelaug to Treungen. Originally built as a narrow-gauge railway in 1910, the Treungenbanen served iron ore mines and lumber operations in the inland valleys. It was rebuilt to standard gauge in 1946 but closed in 1967 after the mines shut down and timber transport shifted to trucks.
At its peak, Nelaug was the hub feeding three separate branch lines into the surrounding countryside. Despite that importance, the station sits in a quiet forest clearing surrounded by lakes and hills, making the change of trains here a surprisingly peaceful experience.
When the Sørlandsbanen reached Nelaug from Oslo in 1935, it connected with the existing branch to Arendal on the coast. That branch, the Arendalsbanen, still operates today, and passengers heading to Arendal change trains here. The Arendalsbanen itself once fed a further branch: the Grimstadbanen, which ran 22 kilometres from Rise station to Grimstad. Originally a private narrow-gauge line from 1907, it was nationalized in 1912 and rebuilt to standard gauge in 1936, but cumbersome transfers kept ridership low and the line closed in 1961.
A third line once ran north from Nelaug to Treungen. Originally built as a narrow-gauge railway in 1910, the Treungenbanen served iron ore mines and lumber operations in the inland valleys. It was rebuilt to standard gauge in 1946 but closed in 1967 after the mines shut down and timber transport shifted to trucks.
At its peak, Nelaug was the hub feeding three separate branch lines into the surrounding countryside. Despite that importance, the station sits in a quiet forest clearing surrounded by lakes and hills, making the change of trains here a surprisingly peaceful experience.
