Voss Line
Encyclopedia
The Voss Line is a railway line from Bergen
to Voss
in Hordaland
, Norway
. The line was opened on 11 July 1883 and became part of the Bergen Line when the latter opened on 27 November 1909, making the Voss Line the first step from Bergen to Oslo. The Voss Line was built in narrow gauge, but converted to standard gauge
with the connection with the Bergen Line. It was electrified in 1954, and shortened with the Ulriken Tunnel
in 1963.
In addition to carrying long-haul passenger and freight trains on the Bergen Line, the Voss Line is the main part of the Bergen Commuter Rail
. The Old Voss Line—consisting of the former section from Arna
to Bergen has become a heritage railway
.
The first documented idea of building a railway between Norway's two largest cities was launched by Hans Gløersen on 24 August 1871 in the newspaper Bergensposten
. The forest supervisor in Voss suggested building the railway via Voss and Hallingdal
to connect with the Krøder Line. Back in 1866 the same person had launched the idea of the Jær Line. Within days of the launch of the Bergen Line the city council had assimilated support for the suggestion. In 1872 the railway director Carl Abraham Pihl
and two engineers went on a survey tour to look at the suggested line. At the time it was common that proposals for railways came from local initiative, and that local municipalities and private investors would then pay about 20% of the investments, the state covering the rest, mostly through foreign debt
.
, Os
and Hardangerfjord
, the other via Dale
and Sørfjord
. Though covering a less populated area, the latter would be cheaper to build, and have less elevation. A railway committee was created on 25 January 1872 with a limited mandate, which was increased again 20 December. At the same time there was a dispute between the Ministry of Labour
and Pihl about whether to prioritize the Bergen Line, but in July 1872 surveys were performed in person by Pihl and two engineers, and their report was positive. At the same time he launched the idea of a branch line up Valdres
to Lærdal
.
By 1873 agreement had been reached as to the right-of-way to Voss, but not onwards towards Oslo. On 13 January 1874 Bergen city council started issuing stock for the Voss Line, to begin with 400,000 spd
(NOK 1.6 million) was issued. In the 1873 parliamentary election the railway supporter Peter Jebsen
was elected, spending the next few years furiously defending the railway. The Norwegian Parliament chose to not issue new railway projects in the 1874 session, and instead make a complete plan for all railway construction in the country—to be proposed by a committee. When the report was launched on 20 March 1875, the Voss Line was not included since it could not show a higher profitability than 1%. During the 1875 session there was not a majority for the Voss Line, partially due to the lack of capital available for local investors. This was based on a claim from Johan Jørgen Schwartz
, the chairman of the committee, that the investment costs were underestimated. This was countered by Nils Henrik Bruun
, a constructor from Bergen, who was willing to construct all tunnels on the railway for less than the budgeted sum. When Jebsen in addition was willing to act as personal guarantee for Bruun in case of his death, the majority in the parliament shifted. On 9 June 1875 parliament voted with 61 against 42 to build Vossebanen.
in the country. To a large extent the labor came from Sweden, who had just finished the Väneren Line and had an excess of skilled labor for construction. This import of labor had the effect of pumping money into the local economy, and several taverns were built along the line. There were some accidents, and several deaths among the workers.
The construction work was finished in 1882 and some test services began, though not scheduled until the spring of 1883. Official opening commenced on 11 July 1883. Many of the navvies settled on the Voss Line after construction, and started working for the Norwegian State Railways as part of the operation.
, and the Voss Line became integrated into the line and lost its independent status. It had been decided that the Bergen Line, unlike the Voss Line, was to be built with standard gauge
. So the newly laid line from Bergen to Voss had to be converted in time for the opening of the Bergen Line. This was especially challenging because of the continuous traffic on the line, with 36 departures per day to Nesttun, six to Garnes and four to Voss. In preparation a few curves had to be straightened, the tunnels widened and the bridges strengthened. On the night of 10/11 August 1904 all the track was changed and in the morning the trains could operate on standard gauge to Voss.
and NSB saw huge amounts of money burning up with the imported coal. Plans for electrification
of the line is as old as the railway itself, and in 1912 the line from Nesttun to Bergen was proposed electrified and rebuilt to double track, having seen the Thamshavn Line open with electric traction in 1908. During the planning of the Hardanger Line and the Flåm Line during the 30s the suggestion again arose, and both the branch lines were built with electric traction, but not the main line. Counter suggestions were raised proposing a conversion to the locomotives running on oil
or coal dust
. In 1939 a plan for national electrification was launched, and the Voss Line was top priority. But the breakout of World War II set the plans back, and not until the 50s was it again possible to afford such investments. Vossebanen took electric traction into use on 2 July 1954.
(7660 metres (25,131.2 ft)), Arnanipa Tunnel (2177 metres (7,142.4 ft)) and Tunestveit Tunnel (40 metres (131.2 ft)). The idea was approved by parliament in 1956, based on private financing from the businessperson Fritz Rieber. Construction started in 1959 with the tunnels being finished in 1963 while the tracks were finished laid on 29 May 1964 when the first train entered the tunnel.
NSB operates a commuter rail service from Bergen with two hourly departures to Arna, plus fourteen daily departures to Voss, of which up to six continue to Myrdal. Rolling stock is the Type 69 multiple units. The first part to Arna represents an important part of the public transport in Bergen, since the direct rail line through the mountain Ulriken
is considerably faster than driving around.
to Garnes has been converted to a heritage railway
—the Old Voss Line—that is operated with steam trains by the Norwegian Railway Association during the summer.
The branch Flåm Line has been converted to a tourist route. The railway has spectacular scenery and a vertical descent of 864 metres (2,834.6 ft) or 5.5% along the 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) route from Myrdal to Flåm. Operation is still performed by NSB, but marketing is performed by Flåm Utvikling
. The stock used on the railway are El 17
hauling B3 wagons, all painted green.
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
to Voss
Voss
is a municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Voss. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen....
in Hordaland
Hordaland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The line was opened on 11 July 1883 and became part of the Bergen Line when the latter opened on 27 November 1909, making the Voss Line the first step from Bergen to Oslo. The Voss Line was built in narrow gauge, but converted to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
with the connection with the Bergen Line. It was electrified in 1954, and shortened with the Ulriken Tunnel
Ulriken Tunnel
Ulriken Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Bergen Line between Bergen Station and Arna Station in Norway. The long tunnel runs under the northern part of the mountain Ulriken in Bergen. Before the tunnel was opened in 1964, the Bergen Line ran via Nesttun. This stretch is now a heritage railway,...
in 1963.
In addition to carrying long-haul passenger and freight trains on the Bergen Line, the Voss Line is the main part of the Bergen Commuter Rail
Bergen Commuter Rail
Bergen Commuter Rail sometimes called Vossebanen is a commuter rail between Bergen and Arna, Voss and Myrdal, Norway. The service is operated by Norwegian State Railways using Class 69 electric multiple units...
. The Old Voss Line—consisting of the former section from Arna
Arna station
Arna Station is the second largest railway station in Bergen, Norway; located in the Arna borough on the east side of Ulriken and between the two tunnels Ulriken Tunnel and Arnanipa. The present station was opened in 1964, when the tunnels was completed...
to Bergen has become a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
.
History
Bergensposten
Bergensposten is a defunct newspaper published in Bergen, Norway from 1 March 1854 until 1893 when it merged with Bergens Tidende. Editor at th start were Johannes Steen who later became prime minister of Norway....
. The forest supervisor in Voss suggested building the railway via Voss and Hallingdal
Hallingdal
Hallingdal is a valley and traditional district in Buskerud county in Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol.-History:Ancient routes went to Vestlandet through Valdres and Hallingdal and down Røldal to Odda...
to connect with the Krøder Line. Back in 1866 the same person had launched the idea of the Jær Line. Within days of the launch of the Bergen Line the city council had assimilated support for the suggestion. In 1872 the railway director Carl Abraham Pihl
Carl Abraham Pihl
Carl Abraham Pihl was a Norwegian civil engineer and director of the Norwegian State Railways from 1865 until his death...
and two engineers went on a survey tour to look at the suggested line. At the time it was common that proposals for railways came from local initiative, and that local municipalities and private investors would then pay about 20% of the investments, the state covering the rest, mostly through foreign debt
External debt
External debt is that part of the total debt in a country that is owed to creditors outside the country. The debtors can be the government, corporations or private households. The debt includes money owed to private commercial banks, other governments, or international financial institutions such...
.
Political processes
On 20 October 1871 two engineers traversed the two possible routes from Bergen to Voss; the one via FanaFana
Fana is a borough of the city of Bergen, Norway.-History:Prior to 1972, Fana was an independent municipality which territory also included today's boroughs of Ytrebygda, Fyllingsdalen, and the southernmost part of Årstad.-Geography:...
, Os
Os, Hordaland
Os is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Due to its proximity to Bergen, Os is experiencing strong population growth. -History:...
and Hardangerfjord
Hardangerfjord
With a length of , the Hardangerfjord in the county of Hordaland in Norway is the third largest fjord in the world and the second largest in Norway. The surrounding district is called Hardanger....
, the other via Dale
Dale, Hordaland
Dale is the administrative centre of Vaksdal municipality, Norway. Its population is 1,159 ....
and Sørfjord
Sørfjorden, Osterøy
Sørfjord is 30-kilometer fjord around Osterøy, Norway; stretching from Veafjord in the east ot Osterfjord in the north. Along Sørfjord are the villages Bruvik, Vaksdal, Haus, Garnes, Ytre Arna, Hylkje, Breistein, Valestrandsfossen, Steinstø and Hamre....
. Though covering a less populated area, the latter would be cheaper to build, and have less elevation. A railway committee was created on 25 January 1872 with a limited mandate, which was increased again 20 December. At the same time there was a dispute between the Ministry of Labour
Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Transportation and Communications is a Norwegian ministry established in 1946, and is responsible for transportation and communication infrastructure in Norway. It is led by Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa...
and Pihl about whether to prioritize the Bergen Line, but in July 1872 surveys were performed in person by Pihl and two engineers, and their report was positive. At the same time he launched the idea of a branch line up Valdres
Valdres
Valdres is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal.Administratively, Valdres belongs to Oppland. It consists of the municipalities Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre, Vang and Etnedal. The main town in the region is...
to Lærdal
Lærdal
Lærdal is a municipality in the southwestern part of Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Lærdalsøyri...
.
By 1873 agreement had been reached as to the right-of-way to Voss, but not onwards towards Oslo. On 13 January 1874 Bergen city council started issuing stock for the Voss Line, to begin with 400,000 spd
Norwegian speciedaler
The speciedaler was the currency of Norway between 1816 and 1875. It replaced the rigsdaler specie at par and was subdivided into 120 skilling . It was replaced by the Norwegian krone when Norway joined the Scandinavian Monetary Union...
(NOK 1.6 million) was issued. In the 1873 parliamentary election the railway supporter Peter Jebsen
Peter Jebsen
Peter Jebsen was a Norwegian businessperson and politician.After working in the cloth industry for a relative in Hamburg, he moved to Bergen in 1843, bought a river in Arna for 200 specidaler borrowed money and started manufacturing cloth; as one of the first manufactures in the country, profits...
was elected, spending the next few years furiously defending the railway. The Norwegian Parliament chose to not issue new railway projects in the 1874 session, and instead make a complete plan for all railway construction in the country—to be proposed by a committee. When the report was launched on 20 March 1875, the Voss Line was not included since it could not show a higher profitability than 1%. During the 1875 session there was not a majority for the Voss Line, partially due to the lack of capital available for local investors. This was based on a claim from Johan Jørgen Schwartz
Johan Jørgen Schwartz
Johan Jørgen Schwartz was a Norwegian politician and businessperson.Schwartz started as a merchant in Drammen, expanding into shipping and sawmilling. He was also director of Norges Bank in Drammen, but went bankrupt in the economic crisis at the end of the 1870s.He sat in the Norwegian Parliament...
, the chairman of the committee, that the investment costs were underestimated. This was countered by Nils Henrik Bruun
Nils Henrik Bruun
Nils Henrik Bruun was a Norwegian engineer.Educated at Chalmerska in Gothenburg, and in Germany, Brunn moved to Bergen in 1963 where he engaged in several engineering ventures; he and Peter Jebsen founded the factories in Dale, and later he engages in mining in Stord and Karmøy. He received the...
, a constructor from Bergen, who was willing to construct all tunnels on the railway for less than the budgeted sum. When Jebsen in addition was willing to act as personal guarantee for Bruun in case of his death, the majority in the parliament shifted. On 9 June 1875 parliament voted with 61 against 42 to build Vossebanen.
Construction
The Voss Line was built with narrow gauge, . The first parts of the construction started in December 1875, while the largest part started in March 1876. During the winter the engineers had done the last finesses on the plans. At any given time at least 800 men worked on construction, and at the peak 1,800 men were employed. They worked 12 hours per day, for which they had a daily wage of NOK 2.55, the highest wage for navviesNavvy
Navvy is a shorter form of navigator or navigational engineer and is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects...
in the country. To a large extent the labor came from Sweden, who had just finished the Väneren Line and had an excess of skilled labor for construction. This import of labor had the effect of pumping money into the local economy, and several taverns were built along the line. There were some accidents, and several deaths among the workers.
The construction work was finished in 1882 and some test services began, though not scheduled until the spring of 1883. Official opening commenced on 11 July 1883. Many of the navvies settled on the Voss Line after construction, and started working for the Norwegian State Railways as part of the operation.
Merger
On 27 November 1909 the Bergen Line opened from Voss to HønefossHønefoss
Hønefoss is a city in Buskerud county, Norway, and the center of the municipality of Ringerike.In 1852, Hønefoss received town status and was separated from Norderhov. Hønefoss celebrated its 150th year of township in 2002...
, and the Voss Line became integrated into the line and lost its independent status. It had been decided that the Bergen Line, unlike the Voss Line, was to be built with standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
. So the newly laid line from Bergen to Voss had to be converted in time for the opening of the Bergen Line. This was especially challenging because of the continuous traffic on the line, with 36 departures per day to Nesttun, six to Garnes and four to Voss. In preparation a few curves had to be straightened, the tunnels widened and the bridges strengthened. On the night of 10/11 August 1904 all the track was changed and in the morning the trains could operate on standard gauge to Voss.
White coal across white plains
Norway is a country with abundance of hydroelectricityHydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
and NSB saw huge amounts of money burning up with the imported coal. Plans for electrification
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
of the line is as old as the railway itself, and in 1912 the line from Nesttun to Bergen was proposed electrified and rebuilt to double track, having seen the Thamshavn Line open with electric traction in 1908. During the planning of the Hardanger Line and the Flåm Line during the 30s the suggestion again arose, and both the branch lines were built with electric traction, but not the main line. Counter suggestions were raised proposing a conversion to the locomotives running on oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
or coal dust
Coal dust
Coal dust is a fine powdered form of coal, which is created by the crushing, grinding, or pulverizing of coal. Because of the brittle nature of coal, coal dust can be created during mining, transportation, or by mechanically handling coal.-Explosions:...
. In 1939 a plan for national electrification was launched, and the Voss Line was top priority. But the breakout of World War II set the plans back, and not until the 50s was it again possible to afford such investments. Vossebanen took electric traction into use on 2 July 1954.
Through the first mountain
The first 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) from Bergen to Takvam represented a very roundabout way, and it was clear that it would be possible to reduce the line by 21 kilometres (13 mi) with the construction of three tunnels, Ulriken TunnelUlriken Tunnel
Ulriken Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Bergen Line between Bergen Station and Arna Station in Norway. The long tunnel runs under the northern part of the mountain Ulriken in Bergen. Before the tunnel was opened in 1964, the Bergen Line ran via Nesttun. This stretch is now a heritage railway,...
(7660 metres (25,131.2 ft)), Arnanipa Tunnel (2177 metres (7,142.4 ft)) and Tunestveit Tunnel (40 metres (131.2 ft)). The idea was approved by parliament in 1956, based on private financing from the businessperson Fritz Rieber. Construction started in 1959 with the tunnels being finished in 1963 while the tracks were finished laid on 29 May 1964 when the first train entered the tunnel.
Commuter rail
NSB operates a commuter rail service from Bergen with two hourly departures to Arna, plus fourteen daily departures to Voss, of which up to six continue to Myrdal. Rolling stock is the Type 69 multiple units. The first part to Arna represents an important part of the public transport in Bergen, since the direct rail line through the mountain Ulriken
Ulriken
Ulriken is the highest of the Seven Mountains that surround Bergen, Norway. It has an altitude of 643 metres above sea level....
is considerably faster than driving around.
Heritage
Parts of the closed sections of the Vosse Line, from MidttunNesttun
Nesttun is an urban centre and neighbourhood in the southern parts of the city of Bergen, Norway, located approximately 10 km south of the city centre. It was the centre of Fana municipality, which merged with Bergen in 1972, and is today the administration centre of Fana borough. Nesttun...
to Garnes has been converted to a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
—the Old Voss Line—that is operated with steam trains by the Norwegian Railway Association during the summer.
The branch Flåm Line has been converted to a tourist route. The railway has spectacular scenery and a vertical descent of 864 metres (2,834.6 ft) or 5.5% along the 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) route from Myrdal to Flåm. Operation is still performed by NSB, but marketing is performed by Flåm Utvikling
Flåm Utvikling
Flåm Utvikling is a railway company that manages the tourist line Flåmsbana in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway.Up until 1998 it was Norges Statsbaner who operated the line, but then Flåm Utvikling took over the role, though NSB still actually operates the trains with the railway line itself is owned by...
. The stock used on the railway are El 17
NSB El 17
The NSB El 17 is a class of twelve electric locomotives built by Thyssen-Henschel and Norsk Elektrisk & Brown Boveri for the Norwegian State Railways . The class was built in two batches, the first delivered in 1982 and numbered 2221–2226, and the second delivered in 1987 and numbered 2227–2232...
hauling B3 wagons, all painted green.