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The Flåm Line ((ノルウェー語:Flåmsbana)) is a long railway line between Myrdal and Flåm in Aurland, Norway. A branch line of the Bergen Line, it runs through the valley of Flåmsdalen and connects the mainline with Sognefjord. The line's elevation difference is ; it has ten stations, twenty tunnels and one bridge. The maximum gradient is 5.5 percent (1:18). Because of its steep gradient and picturesque nature, the Flåm Line is now almost exclusively a tourist service and has become the third-most visited tourist attraction in Norway. Construction of the line started in 1924, with the line opening in 1940. It allowed the district of Sogn access to Bergen and Oslo via the Bergen Line. Electric traction was taken into use in 1944; at first El 9 locomotives were used, and from 1982 El 11. Until 1991, the train connected with a ferry service from Flåm to Gudvangen. In 1992, freight services were terminated, and due to low ticket prices and high operating costs, the line was nearly closed. In 1998, Flåm Utvikling took over marketing and ticket sale for the line, prices were heavily increased and El 17 locomotives were introduced. The trains remain operated by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB), while the line itself is owned and operated by the Norwegian National Rail Administration. ==Route== The Flåm Line runs from Myrdal on the Bergen Line to Flåm. Myrdal Station is located in a mountain pass at above mean sea level (AMSL), while Flåm is located at AMSL. The line's maximum gradient is 5.5 percent, and of the line's have at least 2.8 percent gradient. The line has standard gauge and a minimum curve radius of ,〔Gubberud & Sunde (1992): 125〕 and is the steepest standard-gauge railway in Europe.〔Thue (2002): 10〕 Maximum permitted speed upwards is , while it is downhill. The line has eight stops, twenty tunnels and one bridge.〔 The line is electrified at using overhead wire, and is equipped with Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway (GSM-R),〔Norwegian National Rail Administration (2009): 42〕 but lacks centralized traffic control (CTC).〔Norwegian National Rail Administration (2009): 38〕 The infrastructure is owned and operated by the Norwegian National Rail Administration. At Myrdal Station, the Flåm Line runs in the same direction as the trains towards Oslo, but immediately starts running downwards into the Flåmsdalen valley. The first part of the line runs through snow shelters and several short tunnels.〔Thue (2002): 20〕 Vatnahalsen Station is located from Myrdal, at AMSL.〔Gubberud & Sunde (1992): 44〕 The line then runs through a horseshoe curve and the Vatnahalsen Tunnel. It exits the tunnel onto an artificial shelf on a cliff which falls several hundred meters down.〔Gubberud & Sunde (1992): 40〕 Reinunga Station is located from Myrdal and at elevation. It is followed by Kjosfossen Station, from Myrdal and AMSL,〔 which serves no other purpose than allowing tourists to look at the waterfall Kjosfossen.〔Thue (2002): 23〕 The line then runs through the Nåli Tunnel, the longest on the line.〔Gubberud & Sunde (1992): 41〕 At the end of the tunnel lies Kårdal Station, traditionally serving the farm furthest up in the valley.〔 The station is from Myrdal and AMSL.〔 On the other side of the valley is Trodlatoppen, the site of several avalanches every year. The line then runs through the Blomhelleer Tunnel, after which it reaches Blomheller Station,〔 from Myrdal and AMSL.〔 The railway then crosses the river Flåmselvi and runs through a series of short tunnels.〔 At from Myrdal, the line reaches Berekvam Station, located at AMSL. It is the only station to have a passing loop and thus the only location on the line where trains can meet. Because the station is unmanned and lacks CTC, crossing must be performed using flags at day and torches at night, set by personnel who travel from Myrdal or Flåm.〔 At Høga, the railway crosses the river again, this time by the river running in a tunnel under the tracks.〔Thue (2002): 34〕 The next station is Dalsbotn Station, located from Myrdal and at AMSL.〔 Just before reaching the last tunnel,〔 the long Furuberget Tunnel,〔 the line passes by the waterfall Rjoandefossen, which with a vertical drop is one of the line's main attractions.〔 After Håreina Station, located from Myrdal at elevation,〔 the valley widens and changes character, becoming flatter and with more vegetation.〔 After passing Lunden Station, from Myrdal and at elevation, the line reaches the terminus, Flåm Station.〔 Located on Aurlandsfjord, a branch of the Sognefjord, Flåm has 400 residents and is nearly exclusively a tourist area, featuring amongst other things a hotel and a cruise ship port.〔Thue (2002): 44〕 The station also has a railway museum dedicated to the Flåm Line.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Flåm Line」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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