European Railroad Discussion > NSB Oslo to Bergen

Has anyone done this recently?  If so, how did you book?

BTW, NSB is no longer.  The railways system in Norway is now Vy, which translates as "view" or "vista".  Go figure

I did  it round trip last May. Sleeper to Bergen. Then coach from Bergen to Oslo with a stop over in Myrdal for the Flam Railway. Both spectacular trips. As I recall I booked on line direct on the NSB (or whatever it's now called) web site. What I don't recall is if I was e-mailed a PDF or if I collected the the tickets at the station. All trains were on time. For the coach portion, seat assignments were not available on line. I got them at the station in Bergen. Nothing in First Class available but Second was perfectly acceptable and not too crowded. 

In Oslo, I stayed at the hotel right at Central Station. Very convenient and highly recommended. If you are flying in by all means take the train into the city. I was forced to taxi out to the airport as my flight was too early for the train. Taxi was hugely expensive. Hope this all helps. 

We rode the line in 2013, using a package deal I found on the internet called "Norway in a Nutshell." We left Oslo early in the morning, transferred to the Flam Railway, took a ship down the fjord from Flam, then a bus back up to the railway. One could book it to then go back to Oslo, or to continue on to Bergen. We went straight back to Oslo as the return from Bergen didn't arrive in Oslo until after midnight and we had a flight the next morning. I don't recall the booking details, but Google should help.

Thanks to both of you for those answers.  I've got a limited mobility issue because of emphysema, so I'm hestitant to do the Norway in a Nutshell itinerary.  I think it would be better to just go straight to Bergen.  Getting on Hurtigruten for the coastal cruise there.

We were in Norway two years ago in June 2017 before going on our Baltic Sea cruise. I did a DIY Norway in a Nutshell without riding on the Flambana. The Flambana is normally sold out by arriving cruise ship's passengers or trains at inconvenient times. Also, Flam is not a destination but a tourist-only area

Instead I planned for us the Express Boat from Bergen to Flam and the ferry from Flam to Gudvangen.[color=var(--TD-video-primary-info-render er-title-color, var(--YT-spec-text-primary))] At Gudvangen we boarded the Skyss bus which is cash only and you pay the driver at the first bus to ride to Voss. They run extra buses to accommodate the crowd but the driver of the "scheduled" bus does all of the fares and local traffic. There is a regional train that we could have boarded at Voss that met the bus schedule but instead took a break and ate dinner at the [/color]Fleischer's Hotel. We then boarded the Oslo-Bergen train back to Bergen. I booked online and just received an email with seat assignments that I showed to the conductor. If traveling WB, try to sit on the right hand side for views.

Right side westbound for the better views.  Thanks.

sums007 Wrote:
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> BTW, NSB is no longer.  The railways system in
> Norway is now Vy, which translates as "view" or
> "vista".  Go figure

No, no, no. The picture is not that simple. Lemme see, after the recently passed "railway reform", the following entities are currently involved:
- A government agency, "Jernbanedirektoratet" - the "Railway Directorate" which oversees the whole system.
- A second agency, "Jernbanetilsynet", that monitors everyone else involved for compliance with laws and regulations (notably safety rules).
- A government-owned corporation, "BaneNor", that owns the tracks and stations
- A second government corporation, "Norske tog", that has assumed ownership of passenger train equipment, and leases it to the operating companies
- A third government-owned corporation, "En tur", that operates the common ticketing system for passenger rail.
- A number of freight train operating companies
- A number of passenger train operating companies. Vy is one of these, and for the moment the largest, operating most passenger trains in Norway. This will change as new contracts take force, and new operators take over the various routes. These operators pay (presumably) BaneNor for the use of tracks, and Norske tog for the use of rolling stock and "En tur" for ticketing services. The government pays these companies to provide specific services, based on competitive bidding.
- Neither BaneNor nor Norske tog are allowed (as far as I know) to perform their own maintenance work, beyond minor stuff. They are required to use outside contractors.

Peter Varlien
Heimdal,

Thanks for the status update, Peter Varlien.

I really hope this all works out smoothly, as my experiences riding Norwegian passenger trains in June 2016 (Oslo - Roros - Trondheim, Trondheim - Dombas - Andalsnes, and Flam - Myrdal - Bergen), February 2013 (Bergen - Oslo), and July 2006 (Geilo - Myrdal - Flam) were all very positive.  Smooth, comfortable ride, on-time, and stunning scenery!

The splitting up  off  the r aiways in norway is being pushed through  by the sitting coalition govt that is privatizing everything from railways, provinces police  military  just to centralize everithing. we are having local civic elections next month and the results here will give us a clue to next years general election where hopefully we can get rid  off the sitting parties

ozzie korsnes trondheim norway