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Flam - Myrdal railway

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yorkie

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We are thinking of doing this route, from Myrdal to Flam and return, however we have discovered that it is 'fully booked' for all departures from Myrdal to Flam. Does anyone know what this means in practice? i.e. would we be prevented from boarding? Or is it the case that we could pay on board and stand up on the train?

When a train pulls into Myrdal, do many people get off, or is it the case that all the cruise passengers doing a return from Flam to Myrdal simply remain on the train?

Are passengers without reservations denied boarding at either station?

Apparently there are places available on the return journey, on the 1840 from Flam to Myrdal, which connects to a train to Bergen, so it's the outward journey to Flam that's an issue for us, rather than the return.

Edit: one more question; I read something that suggested everyone has to have an allocated seat for the uphill direction from Flam to Myrdal, which hinted that an allocated seat may not be required in the downhill direction towards Flam; does anyone know if that is the case?

Any information would be greatly received.
 
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30907

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I've contacted a couple of friends with Norwegian connections.

Meanwhile, the ERT and Googlemaps indicate that there are buses from Voss, both direct and with a fjord cruise from Gudvangen. There is also the boat from Bergen, but that would leave you with 5 hours to kill in Flam.

I think the uphill trip on a train that isn't heaving might be quite attractive - it's a fantastic line, though expensive now.

I would expect cruise ship passengers to return immediately, IIRC (from 1981!) Myrdal is in the middle of nowhere.
 
Randomer

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Hopefully this reply isn't too late for you. I had the equivalent of a counted place reservation tied to the train no seat allocated on the down direction. Didn't do the up direction so no idea what the state of play there was. I suspect the up might be reserved purely because it has much greater dwell time at Flam to place reservations. The down train was only in the platform long enough to unload, board and depart.

When I did it a couple of years ago no checks took place on boarding in the down direction, Myrdal is a fairly small rural station, I can't remember a ticket check taking place on the journey at all.

Frankly it was a massive scrum on boarding with a fair amount of unpleasant pushing and raised voices from some larger groups with people bunching up in the middle of the platform trying to board at the same point. I walked right to the end of the train passing a member of staff at the door and got a seat easily.
 
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Randomer said:
Hopefully this reply isn't too late for you. I had the equivalent of a counted place reservation tied to the train no seat allocated on the down direction. Didn't do the up direction so no idea what the state of play there was. I suspect the up might be reserved purely because it has much greater dwell time at Flam to place reservations. The down train was only in the platform long enough to unload, board and depart.

When I did it a couple of years ago no checks took place on boarding in the down direction, Myrdal is a fairly small rural station, I can't remember a ticket check taking place on the journey at all.

Frankly it was a massive scrum on boarding with a fair amount of unpleasant pushing and raised voices from some larger groups with people bunching up in the middle of the platform trying to board at the same point. I walked right to the end of the train passing a member of staff at the door and got a seat easily.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info - we have managed to secure tickets for later in the day so will bear in mind your tips. :)
 
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Weary Walker

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I can also recommend the pub in Flam, brewed on the premises beer & distilled on the premises Aquavit
 
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mikey9

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Just reading "Magnus Chase" (kids Viking sci-fi) stories to my sons at bedtime in which the Flam line train features.....took me back - I would like to think they were impressed that dad had been to where the hero of their stories followed.....
 
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We have since discovered that there is no need to worry if you are doing it from the Myrdal end. All the controls are at Flam!

The only exception is that there are certain coaches they won't let you board unless you are with a pre-booked group. So there isn't anything to stop ordinary members of the public boarding at Myrdal.

I don't think they are fussed which train you are supposed to be booked on, and our tickets were only checked in one direction.

It does feel rather more like a tourist attraction than a heritage railway though and it is by far the busiest heritage railway I've ever been on.
 
Midnight Sun

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If anyone is planning to do the Flam railway, I would included getting off at Voss and taking the Bus to Gudvangen which takes the old mountain pass road via the Stalheimskleiva hairpin bends rather then the tunnel. Then catch the boat round to Flam, But it is worth stopping off at the Viking Village before taking the boat. This isn’t a museum, but a village where people live like Vikings. There are regular guided tours from June to September, and you can talk to the locals who have chosen to live like this even today. Then it is back up to Myrdal on the Flam railway. Best views on the way up are on the right hand side.
 
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30907 said:
IIRC (from 1981!) Myrdal is in the middle of nowhere.
Click to expand...

More or less, it's a station up in the mountains with no road access where the Flåm line joins the main line Oslo-Bergen.

yorkie said:
It does feel rather more like a tourist attraction than a heritage railway though and it is by far the busiest heritage railway I've ever been on.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call it a heritage railway. Doesn't that imply some kind of older vehicles? The locos pulling the trains to Flåm were built in the 1990s.
 
Midnight Sun

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JonasB said:
More or less, it's a station up in the mountains with no road access where the Flåm line joins the main line Oslo-Bergen.
.
Click to expand...

There is a narrow road Rallarvegen (the navvie's road) leading down the valley, Many people either walk or ride down it and take the train back up to Myrdal. The few people who live at Myrda drive along it, As do NSB for lineside access
road from flam to Myrdal.jpg
 
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