The Norwegian railway system comprises 4,109 km of 1,435 mm track of which 2,644 km is electrified and 274 km double track. There are 697 tunnels and 2,760 bridges.
The Bergen Line, or the Bergen Railway, is a 371-kilometre (231 mi) long scenic standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is often applied to the entire route from Bergen to Oslo, including the Randsfjord and Drammen lines between Hønefoss and Oslo, covering a total distance of 496 kilometres (308 mi). It is the highest mainline railway line in Northern Europe, crossing the Hardangervidda plateau at 1,237 metres (4,058 ft) above sea level.
The Flåm Line is a 20.2-kilometer (12.6 mi) long railway line between Myrdal and Flåm in Aurland Municipality, in Vestland county, Norway. A branch line of the Bergen Line, it runs through the valley of Flåmsdalen and connects the mainline with Sognefjord. The line's elevation difference is 866 meters (2,841 ft); it has ten stations, twenty tunnels and one bridge. The maximum gradient is 5.5 percent (1:18). Because of its steep gradient and picturesque nature, the Flåm Line is now almost exclusively a tourist service and has become the third-most visited tourist attraction in Norway.
The Numedal Line is a 92.8-kilometer (57.7 mi) long railway line that runs up the Numedal valley between Kongsberg and Rødberg in Buskerud county, Norway. Built and operated by the Norwegian State Railways, the non-electrified, standard gauge line passes through the municipalities of Kongsberg, Flesberg, Rollag and Nore og Uvdal. It is now owned by the Norwegian National Rail Administration.
Carl Abraham Pihl was a Norwegian civil engineer and director of the Norwegian State Railways (NSB) from 1865 until his death. Pihl was one of the main architects of the use of narrow-gauge railways in Norway.
Arna Station is a train station in Bergen, Norway; located in the Arna borough on the east side of Ulriken and between the two tunnels Ulriken Tunnel and Arnanipa. The present station was opened in 1964, when the tunnels were completed. The old station, located north of the new station, is still in use for heritage trains on Gamle Vossebanen.
The Nesttun–Os Line was a narrow gauge railway between Nesttun, now part of Bergen, and the community of Osøyro in Os municipality, Norway. As the first private railway in Norway, it opened 1 June 1894, designed to connect Os to the Voss Line, allowing for passenger and freight transport to Bergen and Voss. Despite a boom caused by World War I, the railway was eventually driven out of business by competition from road transport, which provided faster service. On 2 September 1935, it became the first Norwegian railway to close, and most of the railway was dismantled the following year.
The Thamshavn Line was Norway's first electric railway, running from 1908 to 1974 in what is now Trøndelag county. Today it is operated as a heritage railway and is the world's oldest railway running on its original alternating current electrification scheme, using 6.6 kV 25 Hz AC. It was built to transport pyrites from the mines at Løkken Verk to the port at Thamshavn, as well as passengers. There were six stations: Thamshavn, Orkanger, Bårdshaug, Fannrem, Solbusøy and Svorkmo. The tracks were extended to Løkken Verk in 1910.
Hamar Station is a railway station of the Dovre Line and the Røros Line located in downtown Hamar, Norway. Located 126.26 kilometers (78.45 mi) from Oslo Central Station, it is served by long-distance and regional trains on the Dovre Line, as the terminus for regional trains on the Røros Line. All trains are operated by SJ Norge, except the regional trains between Lillehammer and Oslo, which are operated by Vy. A side platform and an island platform are in regular use. The station handled 1,062,300 passengers in 2008.
The Hardanger Line was a 27.45-kilometre (17.06 mi) railway between Voss and Granvin in Hordaland, Norway. The line connected to the Bergen Line in Voss and ran to the Hardangerfjord and the district of Hardanger. Construction started in 1921, but the line did not open until 1 April 1935. Owned and operated by Norwegian State Railways (NSB), passenger transport was provided by three NSB Class 64 electric multiple units. They remained in use until 1985 when passenger transport was terminated. All transport ceased in 1988, and 21 kilometres (13 mi) of the line was demolished in 1991. The 3 kilometres (2 mi) from Voss to Palmafoss is still intact and is owned by the Norwegian National Rail Administration. The line featured six stations, fourteen halts and four tunnels and was one of Norway's steepest railways. It was NSB's first line to be electrified. The line was known as the Granvin Line until February 1936. In 2016, Palmafoss established an emergency freight terminal and the tracks were re-established.
The Roa–Hønefoss Line is a 32-kilometer (20 mi) long, single track railway line between Roa and Hønefoss in Norway. At Roa Station, the line connects to the Gjøvik Line, while at Hønefoss Station, it connects to the Randsfjorden Line and the Bergen Line. The line runs through Akershus and Buskerud counties and allowed the Bergen Line access to Oslo at Oslo East Station.
NSB Class 64 is a class of three electric multiple units built by Strømmens Værksted for the Norwegian State Railways. Delivered in 1935, they were built for the opening of the Hardanger Line and served there until 1985, when the line closed and the trains were retired. They also periodically served on the Flåm Line. The delivery consisted of three motor cars and four carriages, with each train consisting of up to three units. The motor cars were 16.3 meters (53 ft) long, had a power output of 464 kilowatts (622 hp) and were capable of 50 km/h (31 mph). The motor units were given road numbers 505 through 507. Two of the units have been preserved by the Norwegian Railway Club and are at Garnes Station.
Finse Station is located in the mountain village of Finse in the municipality of Ulvik in Vestland county, Norway. The station is served by up to seven daily express trains in each direction, normally three per day and one overnight trains, all operated by Vy Tog. The Finse Tunnel begins just west of the village and the Rallarvegen goes through the village.
The Norwegian Railway Club is an association which is involved in the preservation of Norwegian museum railways. NMT has its operating base at Hønefoss Station in Ringerike, Norway. The society was founded on 22 May 1969, and is based at Bryn Station in Oslo, but with local groups all over the country. It publishes the magazine På Sporet four times a year, as well as publishing numerous books. The club also operates two heritage railways, the Old Voss Line in Bergen, and the Krøder Line. Most of the work is done by volunteers.
The Voss Line is a railway line from Bergen to Voss in Vestland, Norway. It opened on 11 July 1883 and was extended to Oslo as the Bergen Line on 27 November 1909. It was built as 1,067 mm narrow gauge, but converted to 1,435 mmstandard gauge with the connection with the Bergen Line. It was electrified in 1954, and shortened by the Ulriken Tunnel in 1963.
The Flekkefjord Line is a 17.1-kilometre (10.6 mi) abandoned branch line to the Sørland Line. It ran between Sira and Flekkefjord in Agder, Norway. The only current activity on the line is tourist draisines. The station buildings along the line were designed by the architect Paul Armin Due—these have all been demolished.
The Norwegian railway network consists of 2,552 kilometers (1,586 mi) of electrified railway lines, constituting 62% of the Norwegian National Rail Administration's 4,114 kilometers (2,556 mi) of line. The first three mainline systems to be electrified were private ore-hauling lines. The Thamshavn Line opened in 1909, and remained in revenue use until 1973, after which it was converted to a heritage railway. It is the world's oldest remaining alternating-current railway and the only narrow gauge railway in the country to have been electrified. It was followed by Norsk Transport's Rjukan and Tinnoset Lines two years later, and Sydvaranger's Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line in 1922. The Norwegian State Railways' (NSB) first electrification was parts of the Drammen Line in 1922 and the ore-hauling Ofoten Line, which connects to the Iron Ore Line in Sweden, in 1923. The use of El 1 locomotives on the Drammen Line proved a large cost-saver over steam locomotives, and NSB started electrifying other lines around Oslo; from 1927 to 1930, the remainder of the Drammen Line and the continuation along the Randsfjorden and Sørlandet Lines to Kongsvinger were converted, along with the first section of the Trunk Line. In 1935, the Hardanger Line became the first section of new NSB track to be electrified. From 1936 to 1940, NSB electrified the Østfold Line, as well as more of the Sørland Line and the Bratsberg Line, connecting all electric lines west of Oslo.
The history of rail transport in Norway had begun by 1805.
The NSB type 21 was a standard gauge locomotive, suitable for lightly laid lines, introduced in 1904 for the rebuilt Bergen-Vossbanen, and was in use until NSB phased out steam in 1970-71.
The NSB type 18 was a 2'C (4-6-0) built between 1900 and 1919 by Sächsische Maschinenfabrik and Hamar Jernstøberi for the Norwegian state railway (NSB).
