Hardanger Line

---

title: "Hardanger Line" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["hardanger-line", "railway-lines-in-norway", "railway-lines-in-vestland", "railway-lines-opened-in-1935", "railway-lines-closed-in-1988", "1935-establishments-in-norway", "voss"] description: "Norwegian railway line" topic_path: "geography/norway" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardanger_Line" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Norwegian railway line ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox rail line"]

Field	Value
name	Hardanger Line
native_name	Hardangerbanen
image	Type 64 at Granvin.jpeg
caption	NSB Class 64 train at Granvin
type	Railway
system	Norwegian railway
status	Abandoned
start	Voss Station
end	Granvin Station
open	1935
close	1989
owner	Norwegian State Railways
operator	Norwegian State Railways
character	Passenger and freight
linelength	27.5 km
tracks	Single
gauge
electrification
elevation	248.4 m amsl
::

|name = Hardanger Line |native_name = Hardangerbanen |image = Type 64 at Granvin.jpeg |caption = NSB Class 64 train at Granvin |type = Railway |system = Norwegian railway |status = Abandoned |start = Voss Station |end = Granvin Station |stations = |open = 1935 |close = 1989 |owner = Norwegian State Railways |operator = Norwegian State Railways |character = Passenger and freight |stock = |linelength = 27.5 km |tracklength = |tracks = Single |gauge = |electrification = |speed = |elevation = 248.4 m amsl

|title =Hardanger Line | title bg =#27404E |map = STR~~ ~~ Bergen Line from Bergen BHF385.32 kmVoss Station(1883)56.5 m amsl ABZgl ~~ Bergen Line to Myrdal hKRZWae Vosso(87 m) eHST~~ Haugamoen(1935) DST388.74 kmPalmafoss(1935)86.0 m amsl ABZg+r ~~ branch line to Voss sementvarefabrikk ENDExe exHST Kinne(1935) exHST392.26 kmMønshaug(1935)161.3 m amsl exHSTBjørgum exHST~~ Mala(1981) exHST395.99 kmDalsleitet(1935) exHST397.14 kmFlatlandsmo(1935)248.4 m amsl exHST400.27 kmSkjervet(1935)231.7 m amsl exTUNNEL2 Skjervet I(60 m) exTUNNEL2~~ Skjervet II(123 m) exTUNNEL1~~ Skjervet III(1101 m) exTUNNEL2~~ Skjervet IV(27 m) exHST404.30 kmSåkvitno(1935) exHST405.62 kmNesheim(1935)26.9 m amsl exHST Selland(1935) exHST~~ Kollanes(1935) exhKRZWae~~ Granvinelvaand Rv7 (34 m) exhKRZWae~~ Hurpo(22 m) exhKRZWae~~ Granvinelva(36 m) exKBHFe412.77 kmGranvin~~(1935)~~2.0 m amsl

The Hardanger Line () was a 27.45 km railway between Vossevangen and Granvin in Hordaland county, Norway. The line connected to the Bergen Line in Voss Municipality and ran to the Hardangerfjord and the district of Hardanger. Construction started in 1921, but the line did not open until 1 April 1935. Owned and operated by Norwegian State Railways (NSB), passenger transport was provided by three NSB Class 64 electric multiple units. They remained in use until 1985 when passenger transport was terminated. All transport ceased in 1988, and 21 km of the line was demolished in 1991. The 3 km from Voss to Palmafoss is still intact and is owned by the Norwegian National Rail Administration. 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 (Granvinbanen) until February 1936. In 2016, Palmafoss established an emergency freight terminal and the tracks were re-established.

Route

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Hardangerbana_at_Skjervet.jpg" caption="The Hardanger Line near Skjervet in 1933"] ::

The Hardanger Line ran 27.45 km from Voss to Granvin in Hardanger. From Voss to Skjervet, the line ran in relatively flat terrain, with easy construction. Along this section, the route followed what is now Norwegian National Road 13. At Skjervet, the two split; 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 line was built on a shelf between the two longest tunnels. Later, the tunnel was extended from 630 m to also include that portion in the tunnel. 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 180 m and a maximum gradient of 4.5 per cent and was built with standard-gauge tracks weighing 25 kg/m, 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. Buses operated to Granvin from Norheimsund and Kvanndal.

The line (but not the power system) is intact for 3 km from Voss to Palmafoss and is maintained by the Norwegian National Rail Administration. 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 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, but also this time the plans were scrapped. Some people wanted the line to be a tramway and when it was passed by the Parliament of Norway 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. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Wilse_granvinbanen_1927.jpg" caption="Construction during 1927"] ::

In 1927, Minister of Labour 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 and the Namsos Line, without this stopping construction. 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 16 m 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.

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, 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.

Initially, the freight transport was small. During the war, transport increased many-fold, particularly because of export of lumber. In 1966, a spur was built just south of Palmafoss to Voss Cementvarefabrikk. 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 ferroalloys, reducing production—and thus transport on the line—by 10000 t. Another issue for the line was that it has a permitted axle load of only 12 t; this either prohibited optimal wagon weights on the main lines, or causing transshipment at Voss, both causing increased costs. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Hardangerbanen_along_Granvinvand_during_construction.jpg" caption="During construction along the lake [[Granvinvatnet]] in 1927"] ::

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 18 t 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, 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 12 t 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. In 1980, the railway had 60,000 passengers. A halt was opened at Mala in 1981,

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Remains_of_the_Hardanger_Line_2.JPG" caption="Remains of the Hardanger Line today."] ::

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.

References

Sources

References

1. Aspenberg (1994): 250
2. Aspenberg (1994): 251
3. Hordaland County Municipality (1981):59
4. the longest being {{convert. 1101. m
5. Aspenberg (1994): 254
6. later increased to {{convert. 30. kg/m. lb/yd. 3. km. 0 section from Voss to Palmafoss had a permitted axle load of {{convert. 18. t and a maximum speed of {{convert. 40. km/h. 12. t and the maximum speed was {{convert. 50. km/h
7. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 4
8. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 11
9. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 15
10. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 62
11. "Jernbanen i tall". [[Norwegian National Rail Administration]].
12. Aspenberg (1994): 257
13. "Bygger beredskapsterminaler for godstrafikken - Jernbaneverket".
14. Bjerke (1994): 19
15. Aspenberg (1994): 253–254
16. In 1955, a morning and evening [[coach (vehicle)
17. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 17
18. By the end of the 1960s, the line was transporting {{convert. 30000. t. During the late 1970s, the amount of transport fel dramatically, and reached {{convert. 11000
19. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 18
20. In 1977, the average distance for cargo shipped from the Hardanger Line was {{convert. 444. km by rail.Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 21
21. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 23
22. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 60
23. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 28
24. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 30
25. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 31
26. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 33
27. This was largely a result of the 1975 declaration by Hordaland County Council to support the closure of the line.Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 59
28. Hordaland County Municipality (1981): 57
29. Two of the Class 64 trains have been preserved by the [[Norwegian Railway Association]] and are based at the [[Old Voss Line]] in Bergen.Aspenberg (1994): 256

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::