The idea of a railway connection to Valdres was already discussed by a national railway commission in 1875. The question was whether the Bergen Line's route should go through the valley Hallingdal or Valdres. When Hallingdal was chosen, private actors started to plan a private railway line to Valdres instead. Three alternatives were discussed, from which the line should branch off: Nesbyen Station on the Bergen Line, Hen Station on the Randsfjord Line, or Røykenvik Station or Eina Station on the Gjøvik Line. On 1 January 1897 a local railway committee was funded which chose the last alternative. The private branch line between Eina and Fagernes was approved in Parliament on 20 May 1899.
The opening
On 19 February the construction work started on the first part between Eina and Dokka. The line was built with narrow gauge, but low-cost with many curves and for low speed. It opened to Dokka on 28 November 1902 and was later extended to Tonsåsen on 1 November 1903. On 11 October 1905, it was further extended to Aurdal before it was completed and officially opened to Fagernes on 29 September 1906.
Rural development
The Valdres Line was important for rural development, especially for the villages Hov, Dokka and Fagernes. The transport of timber and lumber increased, but also for other goods, such as dairy products. In 1923 the Parliament decided to extend the Valdres Line to Vangsmjøsa, but this was never realised. The Norwegian State Railways (NSB) took ownership of the private line in 1937, but it was never electrified.
Turning point
In 1985 the bus route "Valdresekspressen" was opened between Fagernes and Oslo, which reduced the travel time significantly. As a consequence, the Valdres Line annually lost 19,000 passengers. Due to new bus services and increased automobile ownership since the 1960s, the Parliament decided to close the railway line in 1988. The last passenger train ran on 31 December same year. The freight trains to Dokka continued until spring 1999. On 20 April 1989, the association Nye Valdresbanen was founded, which became a tourist train operator on the line.
Partly demolished
In 1991 the track between Fagernes and Leira was removed, even after massive protests by the environment protecting organisation Natur og Ungdom. The part between Leira and Bjørgo was demolished in 2002, and the remaining corridor will probably be replaced by a cycle and footpath. AS Valdresbanen is currently offering draisine rentals on the Valdres Line between Dokka and Hov.
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