Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 43, 2008

The Bergen Line (Bergensbanen), also called the Bergen Railway, is a 371 km standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is often applied for the entire route from Bergen via Drammen to Oslo, where the passenger trains go, a distance of 496 km. It is the highest mainline railway line in Northern Europe, crossing the Hardangervidda plateau at 1237 m above sea level. The railway opened from Bergen to Voss in 1883 as the narrow gauge Voss Line. In 1909 the route was continued over the mountain to Oslo and the whole route converted to standard gauge, and the Voss Line became part of the Bergen Line. The line is single track, and was electrified in 1954-64. The Bergen Line is owned and maintained by the Norwegian National Rail Administration (Jernbaneverket), and served with passenger trains by Norges Statsbaner (NSB) and freight trains by CargoNet. The Flåm Line remains as the only branch line, after the closure of the Hardanger Line. The western section from Bergen to Voss is also served by the Bergen Commuter Rail, and was shortened following the 1966 opening of the Ulriken Tunnel.