Viking Magazine - April 2016 - 17

Ready to get on board? The
train leaves the station at the
pier and travels through the
village for about 3 kilometers to
Flåm church at Håreina, where
the old center of town once
stood. Running along the river
and through the Flåm valley,
the train stops briefly halfway,
at Berekvam, the only station
with a passing lane, to await the
descending train from Myrdal.
From there, it continues on to
Blomheller station, serving an
old mountain farm, Rallarrosa,
that makes freshly made cheese,
from goats roaming the area in
the summertime.
Approaching
Bergen on the
Flåm Railway.
A major highlight is when the
train stops for a photo opportunity
at Kjosfossen, a magical 93-meter
waterfall that powers the railway
with green electricity. Nearby are
Rjoandefossen, Brekkefossen and
Kårdalsfossen waterfalls.
Next is the steepest climb up the
mountain, at times on narrow ledges.
The Vatnahalsen Hotel offers beautiful
views of the valley below, but it's only
accessible by train or on foot.
The line stops at Myrdal, formerly a
high-pasture farm for the Flåm valley
farmers. That changed with the opening
of the Bergen Line in 1909, when it
became the center for the country's
biggest construction projects.
From here you can continue on to
Bergen or Oslo, or travel back down
the steep mountainside to Flåm, and
experience the scenery from a different
angle. Hiking and biking enthusiasts
can return on Rallarvegen (The Navvies
Road), a well-marked trail. The fiveto
six-hour journey on foot takes
you past Vatnahalsen Hotel, with a
Flåm Through the Years
1908: The
Norwegian
Parliament
approves building
a line from Myrdal
to Flåm to assure a
transport route to
Sognefjord.
1923: Construction
on the Flåm
Railway begins.
1941: The line opens
to passenger traffic
February 10, and is
named Flåmsbana.
1940: Norway
is invaded by
Germany on
April 9. German
authorities speed
up completion of
the remaining 5 km
of tracks. Freight
operations start
August 1, with a
steam powered
engine.
1950- 1960s:
115,000 passengers
travel the railway per
year and there is talk
of closing it down,
partly due to low
passenger numbers
and more focus on
building roads.
1998: Flåm
Utvikling, a private
local company,
takes over sales
and marketing to
ensure year round
operation.
2005: 475,033
passengers travel
the line yearly.
2014: National
Geographic Traveler
Magazine chooses
the Flåm Railway as
one of the top 10
most beautiful train
journeys in Europe.
2016: The
Flåm Railway
celebrates its 75th
anniversary.
fantastic view of the Flåm valley,
down the steep turns at Myrdal,
to Rallarrosa mountain farm, and
Berekvam gorge, past Flåm church,
and back into town and the pier.
Bikes can be rented in Flåm and
brought on the train or at Myrdal.
Although you can get off at any
station, you have to walk or bike
back, as jumping on and off the
railway is not allowed.
Fittingly, today the railway has a
new design. The locomotives and
carriages are green, the interior is
new with a unique multilingual
guide system. There are six
locomotives and 12 railway cars.
From October to April 18 there
are four daily departures, and
nine to 10 between April 18 and
October 8. In addition, the travelers
experience has been improved by better
viewpoints and expanded platforms, for
instance at Kjosfossen.
This year marks the railway's 75th
anniversary. In February, locals and
tourists were invited on the two-hour
journey through some of Norway's
most spectacular landscape from
Flåm, by the fjord, to Myrdal, in the
mountains, and back.
sonsofnorway.com VIKING APRIL 2016 17
PHOTOS BY (TOP TO BOTTOM): RADIUS IMAGES, COURTESY VISIT FLÅM
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - April 2016

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