The Flåm Railway is a branch line in Norway. She leads from Flam to Myrdal and thus provides a connection between Sognefjord and Hardangervidda A ride on the Flåm Railway, which overcomes an altitude difference of over 800 m in 20 km, is one of the highlights the tourist attractions in Norway.
background
The Flåm Railway is a 20 km long railway line from Flåm am Aurlandsfjord to Myrdal on the plateau Hardangervidda, where there is a possibility of transition to the trains of the Bergen Railway consists. On their short but slow journey, the dark green trains overcome a difference in altitude of 864 m and manage gradients of up to 55 ‰. For this purpose, the locomotives are equipped with five independent brake systems that ensure that the maximum speed of 30 km / h is not exceeded, especially when traveling downhill. The trains travel upwards at 40 km / h and, thanks to the slow travel speed, offer ample opportunity for spectacular views down into Flåmsdal, the deeply cut valley of the Flåmselvi.
The Flåm Railway is one of Norway's most famous sights and has been the destination of numerous tourist buses since the construction of a road tunnel to Flåm in the late 1990s. Quiet and tranquil as it was in the times when Flåm could only be reached by ship via the Aurlandsfjord or by train via the Hardangervidda, it has not been here for a long time. Nevertheless, the journey by train is worthwhile, especially because at Myrdal station you also get an impression of the differences between the mild climate in the valley and the very different climatic and weather conditions and the different vegetation on the plateau.
The Flåm Railway was built from 1924 to provide transportation to the Sognefjord with the Bergen Railway to connect. Due to the complex construction work - of the total of 20 tunnels, 18 had to be built by hand - and the sometimes very tortuous route, the construction took more than 13 years. One of the 20 tunnels had to be built as a spiral tunnel, and the route had to be guided in such a way that operations remained largely unaffected by avalanches, which all contributed to the extension of the construction period. The final expansion of the Flåm Railway was driven by the German occupation forces after the outbreak of World War II. Passenger traffic was started in 1941 after the route had been used for freight traffic for some time.
preparation
Travel time
- Upwards of 40–50 minutes
- Down 45-55 minutes
- Short stops at the Berekvam and Kjosvossen stops
Daily departures
- High season (May – September) up to 10 departures between 8.30 a.m. and 7.45 p.m.
- Low season (Oct. – April) 4 departures between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Return from Myrdal usually 15 minutes after arrival
Tickets for the round trip "Norway in a nutshell" in combination with bus - ship - Flaamsbahnen - NSB can also be conveniently purchased at the NSB ticket office in Bergen. It is an expensive but wonderful and very worthwhile one-day excursion which includes the trip with the Flaamsbahn.
A seat reservation is not possible for single travelers! You can only buy your ticket on site. Thus, the journey to the somewhat remote starting point is more likely Flam than the trip on the Flåm Railway itself. In general, it should be easy to get a ticket for a specific day if you are a little flexible about the departure. If larger tourist groups have booked a certain route (groups can reserve in advance), it can happen that you do not get a ticket for the desired departure. Taking bicycles with you can also limit the choice of runs.
tip: If you combine the journey from Flåm to Myrdal with a journey to Oslo or Bergen, you can buy your ticket in this combination in advance on-line book and thus has the guarantee of being able to drive at a certain time.
Take one with you weatherproof jacket and possibly a warm sweater due to the significantly different weather conditions in Myrdal. Drinks and, if necessary, provisions are also recommended, depending on personal needs. Gastronomic You can find offers at the stations in Flåm and Myrdal, but not on the trains of the Flåm Railway.
getting there
- In the street: You can get to Flåm from the west on the E16 Gudvangen, or from the east of Lærdal above Aurland. In both cases you pass long tunnels (the Lærdal tunnel is the longest road tunnel in the world at 24 kilometers) that are not open to cyclists.
- By boat: You can take the speedboat from Mountains from across the Sognefjord and Aurlandsfjord to Flåm.
- By train: Of course you can also take the Bergen Railway Oslo or Mountains and change to the Flåm Railway at Myrdal station.
- By bus: There is a bus connection Gudvangen.
- By bicycle: Cyclists can take the Flåm Railway from the Hardangervidda from over the Rallarvegen (corresponds to the national cycle route 4) either from the direction Geilo or off Voss. If you are cycling the Rallarvegen from the direction of Voss, you have to change to the train in Upsete for a five-minute ride just before Myrdal, as the Gravhalstunnel between Upsete and Myrdal does not offer a detour. For cyclists, however, the uphill ride from Flåm to Myrdal is more interesting; downhill it is better to ride yourself (as described below).
- On foot: For hikers on the Hardangervidda, the Flåm Railway can also be reached in Myrdal and from here you can start the descent to Flåm.
Combination with a bike tour or a hike
The one-way trip on the Flåm Railway is attractive for cyclists. Since the trains take bicycles with them (90 NOK per bike), you can tackle the extremely steep ascents in the serpentines below Myrdal by train and then from Myrdal you have a 20 km long downhill route ahead of you. The first 3 to 4 km are demanding and not without risk, on very coarse stones it goes steeply down in very narrow switchbacks. Inexperienced cyclists might be better off pushing here. Then you rolled 16 km almost exclusively downhill - only a larger ascent requires a little more muscle work of the legs - otherwise the hands are mainly used when braking. Due to the fast pace that you inevitably reach, you should drive particularly carefully, there are also hikers and (little) car traffic to the adjacent farmsteads on the route, and you also have to drive through an unlit tunnel. Wide tires are a prerequisite, the brakes should work perfectly - then the descent is also feasible for loaded touring bikes.
In many cases, the journey by train is also combined with a hike back into the valley, with hikers using the same route as cyclists.
Route Flåm - Myrdal
There are a total of 8 stops on the route
- Flam (2 m above sea level): The train station is directly at the port. Tip: Select a place on the right-hand side (in the direction of travel) - the greater part of the points of interest can be better viewed from this side.
- Lunden (16 m above sea level, 1.6 km). The first stop near Flåm Church, still in the middle of town.
- Håreina (48 m above sea level, 3 km): Shortly afterwards, on the opposite side of the valley, the Rjoandefossen can be seen, which is 140 m high.
- Dalsbotn (200 m above sea level, 6 km): access to a farm on a rock.
- Berekvam (343 m above sea level, 9.7 km): the only crossing station where trains traveling downhill and uphill can meet. View of the Berekvam Gorge.
- Blomheller (450 m above sea level, 11.8 km):
- Kårdal (556 m above sea level, 13.86 km): After Kårdal you have the first opportunity to see the Rallarvegen, which winds its way down the slope at the end of Flåmsdal in 21 steep curves, and the most spectacular section of the railway line, which is divided into three here superimposed galleries along the mountain.
- Kjosfossen (669 m above sea level, 15.8 km): The Kjosfossen is one of the most famous waterfalls in Norway. The train stops here for a few minutes, so you can get off for a photo stop. If you want good light conditions for photos at Kjosfossen (sunshine provided), you should choose a trip from noon / afternoon, as the waterfall is still in the shade beforehand. Beware, the wooden platform is slippery and the spray from the waterfall is constantly blowing over.
- Reinunga (768 m above sea level, 18 km): Near the Reinungavatnet, the train enters the first spiral, which will now bring it to its final altitude. Windows in the galleries allow spectacular views into the depths.
- Vatnahalsen (811 m above sea level, 19.1 km): The station of the Vatnahalsen Hotel is almost at its final height, but you have another opportunity to look deep down into the valley.
- Myrdal (866 m above sea level, 20.2 km): You can feel the 864 vertical meters that you have covered in the past hour when you get out: it is usually much cooler than in the starting point Flåm.
security
If you want to use the ascent to Myrdal to go hiking on the Hardangervidda or continue cycling on the Rallarveg, you should consider that it is over 800 m above sea level (and on the Rallarvegen direction Hallingskeid and Finse shortly thereafter increasingly rising) can be much cooler. Even in summer you have to expect rain or even snow in Myrdal, even if the weather down in the valley was mild and sunny. A weatherproof jacket and, if necessary, a warm sweater should also be taken by those who only go up for a short tour around Myrdal station.
trips
Those who have only booked the one-way train journey can take the Bergen Railway from Myrdal in either direction Mountains (above Voss) or direction Oslo (above Geilo) continue.
Cyclists can take either direction on the Rallarvegen, the old railway workers' path Finse and further after Haugastøl across the Hardangervidda cycle, or continue cycling towards Voss and Bergen. To do this, however, you have to change to the train towards Bergen for one station to Upsete, as the Gravhals tunnel following Myrdal cannot be bypassed.
From Myrdal, hikers can choose from various routes across the Hardangervidda plateau.
