Polar Line | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Status | Never completed |
Termini | |
Service | |
Type | Railway |
System | Rail transport in Norway |
Technical | |
Number of tracks | Single |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Electrification | No |
The Polar Line (Norwegian: Polarbanen, German: Polarbahn) is an incomplete and abandoned railway line in Norway, from Fauske to Narvik and, if finished, ultimately would have run 1,215 km (755 mi) to Kirkenes.
The railway was constructed by the Wehrmacht in occupied Norway during the Second World War as part of Festung Norwegen. At Fauske, the line connected with the Nordland Line, and construction stretched as far north as Drag in Tysfjord Municipality.
After the war, the plans were abandoned by Norwegian authorities, although from the 1970s, they were revitalized as part of the proposed Northern Norway Line. Some tunnels and bridges remain and part of the route has been used to build European Road E6.