Finse Tunnel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Finse Tunnel is 10.3 km long railway tunnel west of Finse on the Bergensbanen railway line between Oslo and Bergen in Norway. It is the longest tunnel on the Bergensbanen itself.[1] The tunnel was opened by King Harald V in 1993. By building the tunnel, trains no longer had to weather the exposed track past Fagernud. The highest point of the line is reached inside the tunnel, at an altitude of 1237 metres above sea level, a reduction from the hight point of 1301 metres before the tunnel opened.[2] The snow clearance base at Finse Station was closed down after the tunnel was constructed.[3]
A report in 2004 warned that the tunnel might be a potential fire hazard because of the difficulty in accessing the tunnel with rescue equipment. The Finse Tunnel, unlike most other tunnels on the line, does have some safety equipment such as communications systems, lighting, and emergency areas, but the report was critical of the ability to evacuate the tunnel.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Caplex entry on the Finse Tunnel (Norwegian)
- ^ Jernbaneverket's page about Bergensbanen (In Norwgian)
- ^ Jernbaneverket entry on Finse station (Norwegian)
- ^ Farlige jernbanetunneler Dangerous railway tunnels, NRK Hordaland, September 2, 2004 (in Norwegian)
