The Norwegian State Railways (NSB) started construction in 1899 and the first part of the line, from Hell to Stjørdalshalsen, opened on 1 February 1902.

The railway is the most heavily trafficked non-electrified line in Norway, with the Trøndelag Commuter Rail running south of Steinkjer.

[10] The mainline continues under the airport's taxiway and runway in the two Værnes Tunnels, the latter which is 150 meters (490 ft) long, after which the line reaches Stjørdal Station (34.67 km or 21.54 mi).

After Bergsgrav Station (93.70 km or 58.22 mi), which serves the neighborhood of Vinne, a spur branches off to Verdal's industrial area.

The mainline crosses the river of Verdalselva on a 210-meter-long (690 ft) truss bridge before reaching Verdal Station (96.23 km or 59.79 mi).

Locally, there were many protests against the line bypassing such a large town, but the cost of the bridge made Parliament choose the southern alternative.

[23] The same year, Nord-Trøndelag County Council voted in favor to start planning of a railway between Trondheim and Namsos.

[24] The county council appointed a railway committee in 1875,[25] who on 23 August 1876 published a report to encourage national authorities to consider the line,[26] which resulted in surveying starting in 1877.

No planning was done the next three years, until three county councilors, Vilhelm Andreas Wexelsen, Peter Theodor Holst and Bernhard Øverland, made a new proposal.

This spurred the committees work and a cooperation with Nordland County Council was initiated to increase the projects priority by national politicians.

Costs were estimated at 8.75 million Norwegian krone (NOK), of which 15 percent was to be financed with local grants and the remainder by the state.

The decision initially called for the railway to be built in two stages, with the split at Rinnan in Levanger—the site of the military camp Rinnleiret.

Part of the reason for the early start was to help employ older navvies who were working on the southern section during the summer.

[43] For the bridge over Ydseelva in Verdal, which had a main span of only 1.5 meters (4 ft 11 in), construction started in April 1903 and was completed on 21 November.

The current villages of Sparbu and Mære had not been established, and locals wanted the railway to go through Lein, which was the de facto municipal center.

However, the alternatives were 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) longer and would run through more rolling terrain, so the engineers insisted on the original route.

125,000 cubic meters (4,400,000 cu ft) of earthwork was removed, half with a steam shovel, and largely used to build reclaimed land for the railway's right-of-way through Steinkjer.

Sunnan was a natural place to halt construction, as it is located at the foot of the lake of Snåsavatnet, allowing connection with steam ships.

In a plan from the 1870s, there was consensus that the towns of Stjørdal, Levanger, Steinkjer and Namsos should receive a line, but there was a disagreement as to the route.

[60] In 1915, a public report criticized the railway for not having sufficient access to a proper port in Steinkjer, as Sørsileiret was located on the river and did not have a deep quay.

[10] NSB introduced Class 92 diesel multiple units in 1985, cutting travel time on local services between Steinkjer and Trondheim by 25 minutes.

[9] On 1 September 1993, NSB launched the Trøndelag Commuter Rail, of which the main service ran from Steinkjer to Trondheim.

The initial plans called for the continued use of the Class 92 rolling stock, but saw change in schedules and the upgrading platforms for NOK 15 million.

[78] From June 2001, NSB introduced additional rush-hour trains between Trondheim and Steinkjer, giving a half-hour headway.

Linje Arkitekter designed sheds which combined the existing architectural traditions in material and roof shapes, with modern style.

NSB will need to replace the Class 92 trains towards the end the 2010s, and want to coordinate the new stock with electrification.

[98] The county municipalities of Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag proposed during the early 2000s that the Nordland Line between Trondheim and Steinkjer be upgraded reduce travel time to one hour.

This would require the average speed to be increased to 115 kilometers per hour (71 mph), mainly through a modernization of the existing line.

The National Rail Administration estimates that the mentioned investments, which would cost between NOK 4 and 6 billion, will allow a travel time of one hour and ten minutes.

The proposals involves only keeping the stations at Trondheim Airport, Stjørdal, Åsen, Levanger, Verdal, Røra and Steinkjer along the Hell–Sunnan segment.