About this journey

Kil lies on the Värmland Line, the international corridor that carries trains between Oslo and Stockholm through the forests of western Sweden. The journey east from Kil reaches Arvika, whose station building dates from 1867, when railway traffic first connected the town to Oslo. By 1871 the main line through Arvika was fully operational all the way between Oslo and Stockholm, establishing the through route that this X55 service follows today. A secondary line, the Dal–Västra Värmlands Järnväg, once branched from Arvika toward Mellerud via Bengtsfors, operating from 1928 to 1985 before closing, and no trace of that branch remains in active service.

The line crosses from Sweden into Norway and descends toward Oslo Central Station, which opened on 1 June 1980 on the site of the older Oslo East Station. The combination of the former east and west stations was made possible by the Oslo Tunnel, 1,802 metres long, bored through difficult ground including large clay deposits beneath the city. Oslo Central Station has 19 tracks, 12 of which connect through that tunnel, making it the largest station in the Norwegian rail network. The journey from the quiet junction at Kil ends in the middle of a busy capital terminus, tracing a corridor that has carried international traffic for well over a century.