The Norwegian State Railways network covers more than 4,000 kilometers,
(2,500 miles) 2,450 kms (1,500 miles) of which are electrified.
About 775 tunnels and more than 3,000 bridges carry the trains through mountains and across rivers.
Most of the lines run through "tourist country", presenting continuous panoramas of unspoiled scenic beauty.
The best known is the 470km-290 mile- line that crosses the high mountain range between Oslo and Bergen.
For a distance of about 100kms(62 miles) the trains runs across a windswept and treeless mountain plateau, awesome in its bleak solitude.
The Flamline winds its way down the mountainsides from the junction at Myrdal on the Oslo-Bergen line,
descending 866 meters(0.54miles) in 20kms(12 miles), to Flam on the Aurlandsfjord.
Besides being a magnificent scenic attraction it is a masterly feat of railway engineering.
The journey by the Dovre line from Oslo through the Gudbrandsdal valley,
crossing the Dovre mountain at 1025 meters(0.64 miles) above sea level, is a memorable experience.
It affords you a cross-section of Norway’s inland countryside, from broad farmlands,
lakes and forests to narrow valleys, green glacial rivers, waterfalls and mountain plateaus,
rich in flora and unique birdlife.
The 114km-71mile- Rauma line from Dombas to Andalsnes almost equals the Flam line,
both in grandeur of its wild scenery and as a triumph of engineering.
From Dombas the line snakes through the valleys and gorges of an alpine massif,
down to Andalsnes, at the head of Isfjorden, encircled by mountains.
The South Coast line, linking Oslo, Kristiansand and Stavanger, is another scenic adventure,
offering opportunities to make detours to coastal resorts and the outer islands.
Another great tourist attraction is the Nordland line.
Stretching 730kms(453 miles) from Trondheim to Bodo.
It is NSB’s longest main line and one of the few railways in the world to cross the Arctic circle.
NSB’s shortest service main line is the 42km-26miles- Ofoten line from Narvik to the Swedish border.
Few 45-minute journeys can offer such a variety and immense contrasts from the fertile
fields and hillsides of the lowlands, with magnificent vistas of blue fjord and towering peaks,
to the wildest of the high mountains plateau.
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