page_title: Finse Tunnel
section_title: Construction
hierarchical_section_title: Finse Tunnel / History / Construction
caption_attribution_description: El18.2243, Finse, Norway,
context_page_description: The Finse Tunnel is a 10,300-metre-long railway tunnel west of the village of Finse in Eidfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The tunnel is part of the Bergen Line between the cities of Oslo and Bergen. It is the longest tunnel on the line, and the third longest railway tunnel in the kingdom. Inside the tunnel, at 1,237 metres elevation, is the highest point on the Norwegian railway network.
  The tunnel was constructed to increase the regularity of the line past the Finse peak which was often blocked by snow. Planning started during the 1980s to remove this section that was regularly snowed down, and at the same time reduce the length and increase the speed of the railway. Construction started in 1990, and it was opened by King Harald V on 16 May 1993. Following the construction of the tunnel, 32 kilometres of railway around this area was also rebuilt to achieve higher train speeds, a shorter overall distance, and to maximize the natural protection from the weather. This was built in five stages, opening between 1995 and 1998.
context_section_description: The Finse Tunnel was built along with two kilometres of extra line at-grade. Total costs were estimated at 290 million kr, and reduce the line length by 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) and the time by 8–10 minutes. Construction started in 1990, and the tunnel was completed in 1992. The tunnel was not electrified before it was too late to continue construction for the winter. This, in addition to the lack of connection of the tunnel rail tracks to the main railway prior to winter made it impossible to use the tunnel in the 1992–93 winter season. In the tunnel there had to be a 900-metre (3,000 ft) passing loop, named Fagernut, to ensure even distances between passing loops along the line. On 16 May 1993 the tunnel was opened, costing in total 480 million kr. The snow clearance base at Finse Station was closed down after the tunnel was constructed.
  The second part of the construction project consisted of the 11-kilometre (6.8 mi) line from Tunga to Finse, and was with the exception of one 300-metre (980 ft) tunnel all at grade. The old line was built for speeds of 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph), with the new line allowing speeds of 170 kilometres per hour (110 mph). These sections were built in five stages, with the first completed in 1995, and the last in 1998. The total cost for this part of the line were 280 million kr.
caption: An NSB El 18 hauling B7 cars just leaving the Finse snow shed
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