The Tønsberg–Eidsfoss Line (Norwegian: Tønsberg–Eidsfossbanen) or TEB is an abandoned railway between Eidsfoss and Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway.
[3] The first station after Jarlsberg Points was Auli (6.00 km [3.73 mi] from Stensarmen), which had the line's lowest elevation north of Tønsberg of 8.4 meters (28 ft) above mean sea level (AMSL).
[7] The county was split in where the line should run, with three major proposals: along the shore of the Oslofjord, along Eikeren to Eidsfoss and through an inland route to Tønsberg, and via Lågendalen to Larvik.
[8] The Eidsfoss alternative allowed the line to run through an area with good access to lumber, which the railway would aid export.
[10] Among the strongest interests in building an interior railway through Vestfold was Schwartz, owner of Eidsfos Verk.
The idea caught on in Tønsberg, where the business community saw the possibility of getting an edge on the competing towns of Holmestrand and Horten through a railway to the interior.
[13] In a common meeting between the municipal council and the chamber of commerce in Tønsberg on 16 April 1894, there was large support for a railway to Eidsfoss.
Våle was not willing to buy shares in the railway company, and thus the line was moved in favor of the residents of Ramnes.
The Cabinet of State officially granted an operating permit on 4 June 1898, which initially had a duration of thirty years.
[2] TEB proved popular with tourists as part of a leg of a round trip from Oslo to Tønsberg.
[18] For the first couple of years the line's finances were good,[17] but by 1908 the company was in financial distress and applied to the Ministry of Labor to cover NOK 200,000 in accumulated debts which were in part caused by smaller reallocation of tracks.
[19] During the planning of TEB there was discussion about changing the state railway's line through town and building a new station.
The line experienced a rapid growth during the later part of the First World War, with passenger traffic peaking at 71,000 in 1918 and 35,000 tonnes of cargo.
As NSB had lower freight rates, shippers would often send cargo via HVB even if it was going to Tønsberg or further south in Vestfold.
The only significant source of revenue along the segment were the wide cars from Eidsfoss Verk, which were hindered by the loading gauge of the tunnel on HVB.
[21] By the 1920s the railway company was struggling financially, starting off with a deficit of NOK 144,287 in 1920,[19] which was largely paid for by Tønsberg Municipality.
[20] The steamship service on Eikeren was terminated in 1925, causing a significant decrease in the traffic, a year the line had a record-low passenger and cargo transport.
[23] The railway company's management opposed a closing, stating that the road did not have capacity to take over the line's annual 50,000 passengers and 50,000 tonnes of cargo.
This was not sufficient for the Tønsberg Municipal Council, who on 7 April 1927 unanimously voted against an additional year of operation and instead encouraged planning of a road.
Minister of Labor Darre Jensen visited the area in October, and concluded that the roads did not have sufficient standard that the railway could be closed.
The railway company bought a gasoline multiple unit, allowing for cheaper passenger train operations.
[20] However, the line continued to lose money and its concessions and operating guarantees were renewed on an annual basis.
It was at the time intact with a full inventory, including such items as a complete storage of unused tickets.
One person offered to donate two carriages, with original interior and coloring, but after a building permit was rejected he instead chose to burn them down.