|
Historical Background and Now
The Flåm Railway, which passes through the
beautiful, narrow Flåm valley, is regarded as a
masterpiece of
Norwegian engineering.
The only thing lacking when the railway line between
Oslo and Bergen was opened in
1909, was a branch line
to the Sognefjord. In order to assure a transport
route to the fjord, work was begun
on the Flåm Railway in
1923. It was to take 20 years to complete.
The most time-consuming work was on the tunnels.
These were excavated manually. Only two of the
twenty
tunnels, which have a total length of 6 km,
were excavated using machines. Every meter of tunnel
cost the labor
force, the navvies a month's hard
work. The labor force, 120 strong at the outset,
rapidly increased to 220.
The steep mountainsides were a major challenge, the
solution being to build hairpin tunnels in order to
equalize the
big differences in altitude on the
steep mountain. The danger of avalanches and rock
falls also constituted a problem.
To avoid these
hazardous stretches, the line crosses the river and
valley three times during the journey, but it does
not cross the river on bridges. Instead, the river
is led through the mountain in tunnels underneath
the railway line.
The Flåm Railway was opened temporarily for steam
engines on 1 August 1940. The newspapers reported
that the
first train "honored" the navvies by
carrying freight in the cars. The railway was opened
for passenger traffic not long
afterwards, with two
trains in each direction that connected at Myrdal
with the day trains on the Bergen Railway.
Electrification of the Flåm Railway was completed in
1944 making it one of the first Norwegian railway
lines to be
electrified. The journey took an hour
and a quarter as against one hour today.
Traffic estimates carried out in 1908 and 1915
forecast 22,000 passengers a year on the line. The
result soon turned
out to be much better. A new
record of 536,693 passengers was set in 2006. On the
other hand, goods traffic on the
railway has been
reduced to a minimum. The increasing proportion of
tourists from the whole world has led to the
Flåm
Railway becoming one of the most popular as well as
spectacular tourist attractions in Norway.
On 1 January 1998 Flåm Utvikling as took over
marketing and product responsibility for the Flåm
Railway from NSB AS
(the Norwegian State Railways),
making it one of Norway's few privately-owned
railways. NSB AS is still, as responsible
operator,
responsible for security, handling and actual
running of the trains. Flåm Utvikling as aim is to
consolidate and
further develop the Flåm
Railway and the Flåm / Aurland region to make it one
of the best tourist destinations and
experience-centers in
Scandinavia.
Nowadays, the Flåm Railway presents a new face
to the world - with engines and carriages in natural
green, new
interiors, and a unique
guide-and-loudspeaker service, with information in
several languages. The train journey has
been given a new
dimension by extending the platforms and improving
the viewing points. Our completely new fleet
of trains comprises of 5
engines and 12 new carriages, thus guaranteeing an
unforgettable train ride passing through
the best scenery in
Norway.
Related tours...
Back to Top
Back to Flam Railway
Map of Flam Railway Schedule
and Rates
Norway
in a Nutshell Rates 2008
|
