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Hardanger Line

Length:	Starts:	Ends:	Status:
28 km	Voss Station	Granvin Station	Abandoned

The Hardanger Line was a 28-kilometre long branch line of the Bergen Line which ran between Voss and Eide. The line was among the steepest in Norway and thus built for trains with a maximum speed of 50 kilometres per hour. Most of the line is demolished and now used as a bike path.

Construction of the Hardanger Line in 1927. Photo: Anders Beer Wilse/Norsk Folkemuseum

It was considered already in 1885 to build a railway to the Hardanger Fjord by extending the Voss Line, which had opened two years earlier. It was not opened until 30 March 1935 after 14 years of construction. The project was almost stopped during the construction time due to recession, lack of engineers and competition from the car.

Uncompetitive
The travel time on the 37.5-kilometre long railway line took around 40 minutes. A growing investment in road development meant that the line was soon outcompeted by both cars and bus services. The railway had almost the same gradient as the Flåm Line, which prevented the trains to run at high speed. Hence, the Parliament decided to close the line. On 1 June 1985 the last train operated on the Hardanger Line and in 1989 the freight traffic was also discontinued. Today, the majority of the line has been transformed into a walking and biking path, but three kilometers of the tracks are preserved between Voss and Palmafoss Freight Terminal. In September 2013, the railway's own platform at Voss station was also removed.