Tuesday, September 6, 2016 - 09:49 by ce-press
Norwegian Rail (Norges Statsbaner/NSB) has joined Cruise Europe as an associate member. Its most famous cruise excursions are the Rauma (from Andalsnes) and Flam Railways where passengers can alight almost directly from the quayside and travel in comfort on spectacular train journeys.
“Ever-changing and majestic nature and a safe, comfortable train journey make an unbeatable combination unique in Europe and perhaps the world. Our goal is to be punctual, efficient and welcoming in all our contact with the customer. Train travel is also friendly to the environment, something that is increasingly important for cruise passengers. We are also keen to link our travel propositions to other experiences at locations served by our trains,” explained Johanne Meyer, senior consultant international sales NSB.
Seaview Rail from Stavanger to Egersund is also popular. The 74.7km narrow-gauge line was opened in 1878. The hourly service can accommodate 140 passengers per departure. Capacity can be doubled if a bus is used in parallel. A city stroll in Egersund can be prolonged with visits to, for example, the chocolate factory and porcelain museum. The Norwegian national TV channel NRK made a documentary about this rail line to which NSB has added English subtitles and voiceover, http://www.kaltura.com/tiny/fq4pd.
NSB is currently working on developing other lines. This spring the first trial of Arctic Rail took place. The six-hour combined bus and train roundtrip from Bodo gives passengers the opportunity of viewing coastal landscapes, highlands, scenic fjords and agricultural communities. The railway follows Skjerstadfjorden for large stretches of the journey and the bus crosses two mountain and highland areas to Rognan where there is time for a museum visit and lunch.
NSB has 2,500 employees and operates most of the railway lines in Norway using modern trains.
