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TRAIN TRAVEL

Everything you need to know about long-distance train travel in Norway

Norway is home to many stunning train journeys and there are plenty of long-distance connections. Still, before you book a ticket and reserve a seat you should get up to speed.

Published: 5 August 2024 16:04 CEST
Updated: 25 August 2024 06:25 CEST
Pictured is a train in Norway.
There are several things you need to know about taking a long-distance train in Norway. Pictured is a train in Norway. Photo by Karl Paul Baldacchino on Unsplash

Whether you want to be more environmentally friendly, try something different from your usual travel plans, or make the journey its own adventure, there are plenty of reasons why you might want to take a long-distance train in Norway.

From price and practicality to other considerations, The Local has put together a guide to what you need to know about long-distance train journeys in Oslo.

READ ALSO: What are the alternatives to Norway’s busiest flight routes?

Long-distance connections

Norway has a naming convention for its train connections, which makes it easy to distinguish long-distance trains from one another. Long-distance trains in Norway carry the “F” designation for “fjerntog”.

An example is the famous F4 train between Oslo and Bergen. The other types of trains in Norway are the local train (lokaltog) and the regional train (region), which carry the “L” and “R” designations.

There are six train lines which carry the long-distance designation. These are the:

  • F4 between Bergen and Oslo on the Bergen Line (journey time around seven hours)
  • F5 between Oslo and Stavanger on the Sørlands Line (journey time around eight hours)
  • F6 between Oslo and Trondheim on the Dovre Line ( journey time around six-and-a-half hours)
  • F8 between Narvik and Stockholm on the Ofotbanen (journey time around 18 hours)
  • F7 between Trondheim and Bodø on the Nordland Line (journey time around ten hours)
  • F1 between Oslo and Stockholm on the Kongsvinger Line (journey time around five hours)

Different providers and tickets

There are several different train providers in Norway, and the long-distance routes in Norway are run by different providers.

Vy is responsible for the F4 between Bergen and Oslo and the F8 between Narvik and Stockholm. SJ Norge operates the F6 and F7 trains between Oslo and Trondheim and Trondheim and Bodø. SJ Sverige operates the F1 between Oslo and Stockholm, while Go-Ahead Norge operates the F5 between Oslo and Stavanger.

Despite the different operators, you can buy all train tickets (despite airport express tickets) via Vy.no.

Typically, there are several different ticket prices available. For starters, depending on whether you need your ticket flexible will affect the price. Train firms offer sales a few times a year, which allows for some savings.

One thing to note is that you typically can’t book tickets more than 90 days in advance. Tickets on these routes can range between 300 and 1,200 kroner, depending on ticket type, availability, and flexibility.

If you are on a sleeper train (more on those later) and have booked a cabin, you can expect to pay significantly more than a standard ticket.

Amenities

Long-distance trains are equipped with very good amenities on board. You can expect a food carriage with hot food and drinks, with the possibility of eating in the cart or taking the food back to your seat.

Travellers are also allowed to bring their own food on board.

There are plenty of toilets and places to store luggage, bicycles, and prams. Wi-Fi and power outlets will be available on board, and seats should recline.

Children travelling with families will also be pleased to hear that some rail companies have a designated play area for children on their trains.

When travelling with pets, you may need to order a separate ticket for them.

Night trains and international connections

Night options are available on Norway’s long-distance train connections, with the exception of the Oslo to Stockholm options. This allows travellers to book a sleeping compartment and wake up at their destination rather than losing most of the day to travel.

Things are a bit more scarce when it comes to international connections. The main international connections are in Gothenburg and Stockholm, in neighbouring Sweden.

This is despite plans to directly connect Oslo to Hamburg by rail via Denmark and Sweden. Plans are also in the works for the return of the Oslo to Copenhagen night train.

Should you wish to travel further than Sweden by train from Norway, then you will likely need to book connecting journeys. Sites like seat61.com provide a good overview of international train connections from Oslo.

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TRAIN TRAVEL

Analysis: Will train travel in Norway actually get any better?

Trains in Norway have become less punctual in recent years, and the government has recently announced several measures to improve rail travel. But will any of these measures make things better?

Published: 19 September 2024 16:35 CEST
Analysis: Will train travel in Norway actually get any better?

Norway’s network rail operator has set itself the goal of nine out of ten trains arriving on time. Punctuality in Norway has gradually worsened over the past couple of years, and only 85.6 percent of passenger trains keep to their original schedule.

The issue has particularly affected services in eastern Norway. In May, the national audit office delivered a critical assessment of Bane Nor.

“They have received more money, but they have not done what is needed,” the National Audit Office said.

The government’s plans to improve rail travel

Norway’s government has announced recent plans to improve train travel in Norway.

“Unfortunately, it takes time to fix,” Jon-Ivar Nygård recently told public broadcaster NRK.

“But the long-term goal is for us to get more trains on the route,” he said.

In its state budget for 2025, the government will spend more than 12 billion kroner on improving rail travel.

This spending is intended to clear a maintenance backlog.

“It is because we have seen that Norwegian railways’ major challenge is that there is a backlog on the maintenance side. We have too many challenges with delays and settings,” Nygård has said.

Those who regularly take trains in and out of Oslo will be familiar with delays caused by track issues and signal faults.

Therefore, it looks as if the government’s spending will address one of the largest problems.

Norway’s National Transport Plan will also aim to reduce delays and cancellations by 30 percent by 2036, showing a long-term commitment to ensuring more trains run on time.

In addition, to the extra investment the government will also merge two state-owned rail firms. Over the next three years, Flytoget and Vy will be merged.

This change will eventually allow passengers to use the same ticket across both services, whereas currently, you can only travel on a Vy train with a Vy ticket and vice versa on Flytoget.

The hope is that this change will increase capacity in eastern Norway without investing in new tracks and tunnels.

Will these measures actually work?

When it comes to the extra money on maintenance, only time will tell whether the government has invested enough money to clear the backlog and get the country’s infrastructure up to scratch.

Commuters hoping for instant change are likely to be disappointed, but the situation should improve in the long term.

When it comes to the merger of Vy and Flytoget, the government is taking a bigger risk. Flytoget enjoys a much better reputation than the rail firm it will eventually become a subsidiary of.

While many are critical of train travel in eastern Norway, the airport express train is seen as one of the best-run services.

The government risks making both services worse by merging the two companies and allowing commuters to use the airport express service.

Capacity has been an issue in eastern Norway, and forcing commuters onto the airport express could make the service much less useful for those travelling to and from the airport.

Packed airport trains could be even more frustrating for those who enjoy the service in its current iteration if they don’t relieve the issues facing Vys services in eastern Norway but rather spread the problem.

Both union officials representing Flytoget and opposition parties have been critical of the merger.

Other issues remain unaddressed

Packed trains have been an issue, and rail lines in and out of Oslo are currently at capacity. According to the Norwegian Railway Directorate and Bane Nor, it could take 20-30 years for a new train tunnel in and out of Oslo to come to fruition.

This means the problem of capacity in and out of Oslo will not be fixed any time soon.

Furthermore, while the government is investing in the rail network, the huge maintenance bill required to solve the problems means that new projects, such as Ringeriksbanen and a new section on the Arna—Stanghelle stretch of the Bergen Railway, have been scrapped.

Some parts of Norway still don’t have a rail connection to speak of. This doesn’t appear set to change either, as an inquiry advised against a railway in northern Norway last year.

It said the project would cost too much and have negative effects on the environment, reindeer and the rights of Sami people.

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