Railway journey had always been an integral
part of travel. It carried the highest number of passengers with an extensive
network. But there were some railway journeys where the travel played a major
role and not the connectivity. In India, Darjeeling Himalayan Railways,
Shivalik Railways from Kalka to Shimla, Nilgiri Railways from Mettupalayam to
Udagamandalam and few other routes had importance because of its journey.
Similarly, Bernina Express, Jungfrau Railway, Trans-Siberian Railway, Rovos
Rail, etc., had occupied an important place in the world railway map.
Flamsbana railway journey of Norway had been
considered one of the best travels out of the ten best railway journeys of the
world. The train started from Myrdal to Flam covering a distance of 14 km in
one hour through the elevation of 867 meters.
Myrdal railway station was situated on the
main track from Oslo to Bergen. The journey from Oslo to Bergen was itself
mesmerizing especially the zone between Al and Gylo, but we looked forward to
enjoying the beauty of the Flamsbana railway.
As a part of the Scandinavia tour, we planned
to land at Bergen from Oslo in the evening with the programme of spending a day
at Bergen and then visit the fjords of Flam. But our programme got disrupted as
we were a day behind schedule on account of the cancellation of a railway
connection from Oslo to Bergen on account of some holiday. Since we had an open
ticket, we booked a ticket for the next day. As a result, we did not get a full
day to enjoy Bergen which was really a beautiful place bounded by snowcapped
mountains and varieties of flowers all along the roadsides and gardens.
Bergen to Myrdal
The next morning, we started from Bergen to
reach Myrdal so as to catch the connecting train from Myrdal to Flam. The
journey for around two hours was so attractive, that we could not remove our
eyes from the windows to have an outside view.
Myrdal Railway Station
We reached the Myrdal railway station as per
the schedule and found that our train from Myrdal to Flam was waiting in the
railway station for us. It was an unreserved train and unlike other trains in
Europe, it was a free seat arrangement. As learnt earlier, we took our seat on
the right side of the compartment to have another stunning view of the
waterfall in Kjosfossen railway station.
Myrdal station was itself unique, with snow-capped mountains on all directions, stretches of snow along the railway tracks, and a heap of snow on the platform. It was a small station with two railway tracks on either side of the platform. The railway office and a restaurant were the only two structures on the platform. Having availed the gap between two journeys, we had cappuccino and snacks from the restaurant, enjoying the mesmerizing beauty of nature at a 360-degree angle.
Myrdal to Flam
As the train pushed off, the awesome beauty
of mountainous stretches opened before our eyes, with a number of waterfalls,
rippling streams coming down from mountains, bumping against rocks, creating
foam all along their routes, lush green trees, bushes, and unknown varieties of
flowers seeking rays of the sun. It was a single-track route, few tunnels on
the way, and the train like a serpent, moving at a very slow pace allowing us to
enjoy nature to our satisfaction.
We got detained in a railway station where a
train from the other side crossed us, which was a common issue in the case of
singletrack. But the detention was not at all boring as we had scope to enjoy
every bit of nature which we could see from the railway compartment.
The train ultimately started after the
crossing and gradually, we could find that we were in the midst of a cloud that
entangled the entire train. After crossing a tunnel the train slowed down and
we could see a huge waterfall just beside the railway platform throwing gushes
of water from the top and flowing in a series of streams. The drops of water,
being blown by the strong wind were making us sacred with their heavenly touch.
Despite being cold, all the passengers got down from the train to enjoy the
waterfall from a close distance as the train was to stop there for five
minutes. The name of the station was Kjosfossen. Soon a song with music could be
heard from the top of the rocks where a dilapidated hut could be seen. A lady
looking like a witch, in red attire, came dancing on the rock in the tune of
the song. The lady was changing position on a continuous basis moving from one
rock to another within the blinking of an eye. The song and performance of the
witch continued for around five minutes and suddenly the lady disappeared with
the stoppage of song and music. The performance was created to entertain the
passengers of the route. It seemed there was a story behind the particular
episode which remained unknown as neither any of the tourists nor the railway
people could explain the story behind it except that the song was composed
based on Nordic mythology. But it was definitely a new experience.
There was a warning signal from the engine
and guard with the request to embark on the train as the scheduled time for
enjoying the waterfall was over. All the passengers rushed towards their
compartment and soon the train started with the whistle.
We were spellbound to see the scenery
outside. All the mountains were crowned with snow and the green trees seemed to
be their garments on the body. The rippling stream parallel to the railway
track was flowing in the opposite direction with the signal that even if we
were going to visit the eternal beauty of the world, we would have to return in
the direction of the stream.
Our journey continued for fifteen more
minutes at the same pace. The railway track meandered along the side of the
mountains. Each bend depicted a new picture of nature as if we were in a movie
hall enjoying a series of creation of God.
We reached the platform of Flam Station,
where the railway track terminated after an hour's journey from Myrdal. The
station was of very small size with a few food joints and souvenir shops on the
platform itself. The station was neatly maintained despite being wet because of
continuous rain. Residual snow of the previous night could be seen on the
railway track and also on the sheds of the tenements on the platform.
So, having enjoyed the spellbound journey
from Myrdal to Flam, we proceeded to the next part of our programme in the form of
experiencing the fjords of Norway.
How to reach Myrdal
There were two ways to reach Myrdal either by
road or by train from Oslo. It would be better if the modes of transport were
different in an upward and downward journey. Though the journey to Myrdal was
included in Eurail tickets, the journey between Myrdal and Flam was
considered as a tourist train and separate tickets were to be purchased. The
cost of a one-way ticket would be around 67 Euros.
The journey from Oslo to Myrdal would be
between four to five hours depending upon the speed of the train whereas the
journey from Bergen to Myrdal would be within two hours. Hence, if one wanted
to make a day trip it would be better to reside at Bergen and then reach
Myrdal. The day journey from Oslo to Flam via Myrdal in one day would be tiring
and less time would be available for enjoying Flam.
Experience
I had the opportunity to experience travel in
the majority of these types of the railway in India, but it had been my first
exposure to the world-class railway journey with a proper ambiance and properly
maintained compartments. It was an amazing feeling throughout the travel period
especially the nature outside bewildered us with its mesmerizing beauty which I
could not help sharing with my readers.
Video Courtesy: YouTube
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