The Hardanger Line () was a
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
between
Voss
Voss () is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages inclu ...
and
Granvin in
Hordaland
Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Munici ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. The line connected to the
Bergen Line
The Bergen Line, or the Bergen Railway ( or ), is a long scenic overlook, scenic standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is often applied to the entire route from Bergen to Oslo, including the Randsfjord Line ...
in Voss and ran to the
Hardangerfjord
The Hardangerfjord () is the fifth longest fjord in the world, and the second longest fjord in Norway. It is located in Vestland county in the Hardanger region. The fjord stretches from the Atlantic Ocean into the mountainous interior of No ...
and the district of
Hardanger
Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is ...
. Construction started in 1921, but the line did not open until 1 April 1935. Owned and operated by
Norwegian State Railways
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
*Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
*Demographics of Norway
*Norwegian language, including the two ...
(NSB), passenger transport was provided by three
NSB Class 64
NSB Class 64 () is a class of three electric multiple units built by Strømmens Værksted for the Norwegian State Railways. Delivered in 1935, they were built for the opening of the Hardanger Line and served there until 1985, when the line clos ...
electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...
s. They remained in use until 1985 when passenger transport was terminated. All transport ceased in 1988, and of the line was demolished in 1991. The from Voss to
Palmafoss is still intact and is owned by the
Norwegian National Rail Administration
Jernbaneverket () was a government agency responsible for owning, maintaining, operating and developing the Norwegian railway network, including the track, stations, classification yards, traffic management and timetables. Safety oversight ...
. The line featured six stations, fourteen halts and four tunnels and was one of Norway's steepest railways. It was NSB's first line to be electrified. The line was known as the Granvin Line () until February 1936. In 2016,
Palmafoss established an emergency freight terminal and the tracks were re-established.
Route

The Hardanger Line ran from Voss to Granvin in Hardanger.
[Aspenberg (1994): 250] From Voss to Skjervet, the line ran in relatively flat terrain, with easy construction.
[Aspenberg (1994): 251] Along this section, the route followed what is now
Norwegian National Road 13
National Road 13 (, ) is a national road which runs from the town of Stavanger in Rogaland county to the village of Sogndalsfjøra in Vestland county. The route is long and runs south–north through Rogaland and Vestland counties, following ...
. At Skjervet, the two split;
[Hordaland County Municipality (1981):59] the gradient increased towards Nesheim and the topography became more difficult. On this section there were four tunnels named Skjervet Tunnel I to IV,
the longest being .
[Bjerke (1994): 146] The line was built on a shelf between the two longest tunnels. Later, the tunnel was extended from to also include that portion in the tunnel.
[Aspenberg (1994): 254] The railway ran on the west side of the River
Granvinvatnet from Skjervet, while the road ran on the east side.
The Hardanger Line was built with a minimum curve radius of and a maximum gradient of 4.5 per cent and was built with
standard-gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
tracks weighing ,
later increased to .
In 1980, the section from Voss to Palmafoss had a permitted axle load of and a maximum speed of . From Palmafoss to Granvin, the permitted axle load was and the maximum speed was .
[Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 22] The system had stations with buildings at Voss, Palmafoss, Mønshaug, Skjervet, Nesheim and Granvin. In addition, there were halts at Haugamo, Kinne, Bjørgum, Mala, Dalsleitet, Flatlandsmo, Såkvitno, Selland and Kolanes.
Granvin is a port on the Hardangerfjord and was the center for freight transport in Hardanger. Hardanger is dominated by a small number of large industrial companies, primarily smelters, which were responsible for more than 80 percent of the line's cargo volume. While Hardanger in the 1980s had a population of 40,000, Granvin had a population of 1,000 and was the smallest municipality in Hardanger. Granvin served as a ferry hub for services by
Hardanger Sunnhordlandske Dampskipsselskap (HSD), and in 1980 there up to two daily services with the local ferry services in Hardanger, in addition to
fast ferries to both Bergen and
Stavanger
Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...
. Buses operated to Granvin from
Norheimsund and
Kvanndal.
The line and power system is intact for from Voss to Palmafoss and is maintained by the Norwegian National Rail Administration.
[Aspenberg (1994): 257] From there to Skjervet, the line has been asphalted and is used as a hiking and cycle path. The section from Skjervet to Nesheim is disused now, although it has been proposed as a road. The hiking and cycle path continues from Nesheim, although the right-of-way no longer exists on the last kilometre before Granvin. The station buildings at Nesheim and Granvin are still standing, but the ones at Palmafoss, Mønshaug and Skjervet have been demolished.
In 2016,
Palmafoss established an emergency freight terminal for the Bergen line. If the Bergen Line is closed, freight can be transferred to trucks at Palmafoss. At the same time the tracks were renovated and re-established between Voss and Palmafoss.
History
During construction of the
Voss Line from
Bergen
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo.
By May 20 ...
to Voss, there was a proposal to extend the line from Voss to
Granvin on the Hardangerfjord. The plans were again taken up to consideration with the construction of the
Bergen Line
The Bergen Line, or the Bergen Railway ( or ), is a long scenic overlook, scenic standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is often applied to the entire route from Bergen to Oslo, including the Randsfjord Line ...
, but also this time the plans were scrapped. Some people wanted the line to be a
tram
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
way and when it was passed by the
Parliament of Norway
The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...
on 12 July 1919; the plans incorporated some elements of a tramway, giving the line a lower standard than the main line. The railway was to be built in an electrified form and construction started in 1921. However, there was a lack of engineers, forcing a slow pace. On 5 November 1923, parliament passed the final plans for the railway and the pace of construction was accelerated.

In 1927,
Minister of Labour Minister of labour (in British English) or labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...
Worm Hirsch Darre-Jenssen of the
Conservative Party stopped the work on the railway, however, stating that time had run out and that a road should be built there instead. By then, had been invested and parliament decided that construction should continue. However, Darre-Jenssen convinced
Hordaland County Council to make a statement against the Hardanger Line, the
Flåm Line
The Flåm Line () is a long railway line between Myrdal and Flåm in Aurland Municipality, in Vestland county, Norway. A branch line of the Bergen Line, it runs through the valley of Flåmsdalen and connects the mainline with Sognefjord. The li ...
and the
Namsos Line, without this stopping construction.
In 1931, parliament reconsidered the electrification of the line, and there was consensus for electrification. The Hardanger Line opened on 1 April 1935
and became NSB's first line to be electrified at the time of opening. In February 1936, the line changed name from the Granvin Line to the Hardanger Line.
Three Class 64 electric multiple units (EMU) were delivered from
Strømmens Værksted in 1934. Only long, they were the smallest EMUs ever operated by NSB. In addition, four passenger cars were delivered, with each multiple unit able to haul two passenger cars.
Occasionally, Class 64 trains were used on the Flåm Line, after it was electrified in 1944, and
El 9-hauled trains from the Flåm Line used on the Hardanger Line.
[Aspenberg (1994): 253]
In the first year of operation, the line had 60,850 passengers, significantly over expectations. After the opening, there were five daily round trips. In 1939, the extension of the longest tunnel started, because the nearby section was subject to landslides. It was completed by the German occupational forces during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, but not taken into use by the railway until 1945 because of the German military's use of the tunnel as an ammunition depot. Because of the electric traction, the line was not affected by the lack of coal during World War II, and in 1945 it had 285,900 passengers. After the end of the war, the number of daily round trips increased to seven, but this was reduced to six in the 1950s.
In 1955, a morning and evening
coach service started between Granvin and Voss. It was further extended in 1968, when it started corresponding with services on the Bergen Line.
[Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 56]
Initially, the freight transport was small. During the war, transport increased many-fold, particularly because of export of lumber.
[Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 17] In 1966, a spur was built just south of Palmafoss to Voss Cementvarefabrikk.
By the end of the 1960s, the line was transporting . During the late 1970s, the amount of transport fel dramatically, and reached in 1980.
Nearly half of this was import of lumber to three sawmills and manufacturing companies. In 1972,
Linjegods established a daily scheduled truck service to Granvin. Although Linjegods used train to and from Voss, the service from Voss to Granvin was operated parallel to the railway. In 1975,
Tollpost Globe also established a similar service between Voss and Granvin. During the late 1970s, the manufacturer
Bjølvefossen experienced a large drop in the demand of
ferroalloy
Ferroalloy refers to various alloys of iron with a high proportion of one or more other elements such as manganese (Mn), aluminium (Al), or silicon (Si). They are used in the production of steels and alloys. The alloys impart distinctive qualitie ...
s, reducing production—and thus transport on the line—by . Another issue for the line was that it has a permitted
axle load
The axle load of a wheeled vehicle is the total weight bearing on the roadway for all wheels connected to a given axle. Axle load is an important design consideration in the engineering of roadways and railways, as both are designed to tolerate a m ...
of only ; this either prohibited optimal wagon weights on the main lines, or causing
transshipment
Transshipment, trans-shipment or transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, then to another destination.
One possible reason for transshipment is to change the means of transport during the journey (e.g. ...
at Voss, both causing increased costs.
In 1977, the average distance for cargo shipped from the Hardanger Line was by rail.

In 1980, the line had NOK 2.1 million in income, of which NOK 1.6 million was from freight (representing all revenue from freight that ran on the Hardanger Line). Operating expenses were NOK 4.8 million, and the deficit was covered by the national government. The line employed 21 people. In 1980, the estimated cost of upgrading the line to axle load was NOK 9.6 million. Freight volume was then estimated to increase between 100 and 300 percent, and an upgrade was calculated to give a positive
net present value
The net present value (NPV) or net present worth (NPW) is a way of measuring the value of an asset that has cashflow by adding up the present value of all the future cash flows that asset will generate. The present value of a cash flow depends on ...
, although it would not be sufficient to cover the full existing deficit. The plans included introduction of a refrigerated depot at Granvin. At the same time, it was estimated that the cost of retaining a axle load would require investments of NOK 6 million.
In 1979, the concession for passenger transport between Voss and Granvin was transferred from NSB's
bus division to HSD and
Bergen–Hardanger–Voss Billag. At the same time, the number of weekly services increased from 14 to 34.
This was largely a result of the 1975 declaration by Hordaland County Council to support the closure of the line. In 1980, the railway had 60,000 passengers. A halt was opened at Mala in 1981,
but then all passenger traffic was terminated on 2 June 1985. Class 64 had remained in use until the end, and there existed no political desire to invest in new rolling stock. Freight transport was retained, at first using El 9, and later shunting locomotives because of the lack of maintenance. From 1 March 1989, all transport on the line was terminated. NSB wanted to renovate the line and continue operations.
Among the plans were to transport metal from the smelters in Hardanger via the Hardanger Line to
Continental Europe
Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous mainland of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by som ...
. This would have required the
axle load
The axle load of a wheeled vehicle is the total weight bearing on the roadway for all wheels connected to a given axle. Axle load is an important design consideration in the engineering of roadways and railways, as both are designed to tolerate a m ...
to be increased. Other plans were to extend some of the departures of the
Bergen Commuter Rail
Bergen (, ) is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo.
By May 2025 the population is 294 029 according to Statistics Norway. The municipali ...
from Voss to Granvin or operate commercially profitable tourist trains similar to the service provided on the
Flåm Line
The Flåm Line () is a long railway line between Myrdal and Flåm in Aurland Municipality, in Vestland county, Norway. A branch line of the Bergen Line, it runs through the valley of Flåmsdalen and connects the mainline with Sognefjord. The li ...
.
[Aspenberg (1994): 255]

The municipalities of Voss and Granvin wanted to use the right-of-way for a hiking and bicycle path, and NSB canceled their plans. Demolition started on 10 December 1991, although the section from Voss to Palmafoss was kept to serve a cement factory.
Two of the Class 64 trains have been preserved by the
Norwegian Railway Association and are based at the
Old Voss Line
The Old Voss Line () is a heritage railway between Garnes and Midttun near Bergen, Norway.
Originally constructed as a narrow gauge line, it formed part of the Bergen to Voss railway opened in 1883. Following the decision to complete the railw ...
in Bergen.
[Aspenberg (1994): 256]
References
Sources
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External links
Jernbane.net pictures from Hardangerbanen
{{good article
Railway lines in Norway
Railway lines in Vestland
Railway lines opened in 1935
Railway lines closed in 1988
1935 establishments in Norway
Voss