Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana)

Flåm Utvikling (Vy)
Norway
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The Journey

Navigate from Myrdal Station (Bergen Line junction, 866 m) to Flåm Station (Aurlandsfjord, 2.8 m) across a span of 20.2km.

Scenery Highlights
  • Kjosfossen Waterfall (225 m free-fall, photo stop with Huldra performance in summer)
  • Aurlandsfjord arrival (Flåm terminus) — deep blue-water fjord flanked by 1,000 m cliffs
  • Flåmsdalen valley drop (864 m over 20 km — the steepest sustained descent in Norway)
  • Myrdal plateau summit (866 m, often snow-covered even in late May)
  • Rjoande Waterfall (visible descending from Reinunga spiral)
  • Reinunga and Vatnahalsen spiral section — tightest curve geometry on the line (~130 m radius)
  • Høga Bridge and the 20 hand-excavated tunnels — tunnel-mouth framing of cascading water
  • Berekvam passing loop viewpoint (345 m) — panoramic fjord-first glimpse
  • Håreina open section (48 m elevation) — mid-valley birch forest
  • Lunden to Flåm river-gorge approach — the line follows the Flåm River through a 3-km gorge
Quick Facts
  • Duration

    0.92 hours

  • Distance

    20.2 km

  • Est. Price

    Moderate to Expensive — ~NOK 570 standard / ~NOK 620 premium (one-way); ~NOK 675 standard return (2026 rates)

Official Booking Provider
Classes & Accommodations

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: Light refreshments (coffee / tea / water)

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: Optional catering add-on (~NOK 145 per person)

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Engine / Locomotive

NSB El 18 electric locomotives (Vy / Flåm Utvikling, 2,540 kW Bo'Bo', introduced 1996)

Track Gauge

1,435 mm (standard gauge)

Braking Technology

Electric regenerative braking + pneumatic disc brakes on carriages; failsafe spring-applied parking brakes on steep gradients; the El 18's rheostatic brake is the primary service brake downhill

Route Engineering Challenges

  • 5.5% (1 in 18) sustained gradient — one of the steepest standard-gauge adhesion railways still in regular passenger service worldwide (comparable only to the Ecuador Tren Crucero, Swiss Brienz Rothorn Bahn and a handful of metre-gauge rack railways)

  • 863 m elevation drop over 20.2 km requiring precise braking management — the descent is hand-controlled on every eastbound service

  • 18 of 20 tunnels hand-excavated through unstable granite-gneiss mountain bedrock between 1924 and 1940 — no tunnel-boring machines were used

  • Multiple tight curves (down to ~130 m radius) requiring specialised El 18 bogie design and 40 km/h operational speed restriction

  • Kjosfossen section requires specialist waterfall drainage and flood management — water cascades directly over the track during high-flow periods (May–June snowmelt)

  • Winter ice and snow management on exposed sections above 800 m elevation — snow sheds protect the line at the highest tunnel mouths

  • Single-track operation with passing loops only at major stations (Reinunga, Kjosfossen, Berekvam) — all loops equipped with electric point heaters

  • Maximum operating speed 40 km/h (limited by gradient and curve geometry, not locomotive power) — the WHOLE line is scheduled at this speed

  • Slope-stability monitoring — the line lies on a 35–45° valley wall and ongoing geological monitoring is required (instrumented boreholes + geologists quarterly review)

Route Length

20.2 km

Maximum Altitude (Myrdal)

866 m

Minimum Altitude (Flåm)

2.8 m

Total Elevation Drop

864 m

Maximum Gradient

5.5% (1 in 18)

Number of Stations

11 (including 2 termini Myrdal and Flåm)

Number of Tunnels

20 (18 hand-excavated 1924–1940)

Power System

15 kV AC 16.7 Hz overhead line

Maximum Operating Speed

40 km/h

Locomotive Class

NSB El 18 (Vy / Flåm Utvikling)

Locomotive Power Output

2,540 kW (El 18, Bo'Bo' wheel arrangement)

Year Opened

1941 (15 October)

Construction Period

1924–1940 (16 years)

Infrastructure Owner

Bane NOR

Operating Company

Flåm Utvikling (100% subsidiary of Vy)

Gauge

1,435 mm (standard)

Number of Tracks

Single track with 3 passing loops (Reinunga, Kjosfossen, Berekvam)

Character

Tourist / scenic branch line connecting Bergen Line to Aurlandsfjord

Annual Ridership

~820,000 (2024–2025)

Quick Facts
  • Duration

    0.92 hours

  • Distance

    20.2 km

  • Est. Price

    Moderate to Expensive — ~NOK 570 standard / ~NOK 620 premium (one-way); ~NOK 675 standard return (2026 rates)

Official Booking Provider