Bergen Line

Norway's mountain railway from Bergen to Oslo, filmed end to end by NRK in 2009: fjord-side tunnels, the bare Hardangervidda plateau and the long Hallingdal valley.

The route

The Bergen Line links Norway's two largest cities across the mountain spine that separates the west coast from the east. It was first proposed in 1871, and in 1894 Parliament chose a route up through Hallingdal. The section from Voss to Oslo opened in 1909, joining the older Voss Line out of Bergen, which dated from 1883. At the opening, King Haakon VII called it the Norwegian engineering masterpiece of his generation.

Building it meant working high above the tree line with no roads, deep snow and severe frost, so construction roads had to be laid before the railway itself. The Gravhalsen Tunnel, 5,311 m long, was dug by hand through gneiss and was for a time the longest tunnel north of the Alps. Today the line has 182 tunnels totalling about 73 km, plus snow sheds and fences on the most exposed stretches.

The line proper is 371 km long, but passenger trains between Oslo and Bergen run about 493 km, travelling via Drammen and the Randsfjord Line to Hønefoss. Vy runs the passenger trains, CargoNet the freight, and Bane NOR owns the track. In 1992 the 10.5 km Finse Tunnel replaced an exposed stretch above 1,200 m, cutting the cost of keeping the line clear of snow.

What you will see

NRK filmed this journey in 2009, the line's centenary year, for its "minute by minute" programme, and broadcast the whole trip on 27 November that year as one of the first long-form slow-TV shows. Leaving Bergen, the train dives almost straight into the Ulriken Tunnel and then follows narrow fjord arms and rivers east to Voss, a lakeside town where the landscape opens up for the first time.

Beyond Voss the climb begins in earnest. Watch for the long darkness of the Gravhalsen Tunnel before Myrdal, the junction for the steep branch down to Flåm. East of Myrdal the trees disappear, and around Hallingskeid the line runs through snow sheds. The Finse Tunnel carries the train past the summit, and Finse station sits on the open Hardangervidda plateau beside a lake, with the Hardangerjøkulen glacier rising to the south.

From Finse the line drops gradually to Geilo, a ski town where birch and pine return, and then follows the Hallingdal valley past Gol, with the river beside the track for long stretches. Farmland widens towards Hønefoss, and the final hour runs through the more populated country around Drammen before the train arrives at Oslo S.

Riding it for real

Vy runs the long-distance trains between Oslo and Bergen, with several departures a day. All stations shown here are regular stops, so it is easy to break the journey at Voss, Finse or Geilo, or to change at Myrdal for the Flåm Line. The Interrail and Eurail passes cover the line, though a seat reservation is normally needed on long-distance trains.

If you only have a day, the stretch between Voss and Geilo holds most of the mountain scenery and makes a good out-and-back trip from either end. Summer trains and holiday weekends fill up early, so it pays to book in advance. Check Vy for current timetables, fares and any engineering works before you travel.

The video is embedded from YouTube and remains on its owner’s channel. Views count toward the original video.