Flåmsbana (Flåm Line) is a side branch on the main Oslo-Bergen Line and the steepest standard-gauge railway in Europe. These days it is run exclusively as a tourist service and has become very popular as you go by train from the Fjords (typically arriving on a Cruise vessel) straight up to the snowy mountains over a short distance, a mere 20 km. Dedicated stations allow close encounter with water falls, a treat appreciated by the visitors judged by the surge in popularity of this service seen over the years. Each train set has two massive locomotives, front and rear, to negotiate the steep gradient.
Here two trains are standing by at Flåm Station, waiting for passengers to alight from the cruise ships dotting the adjacent fjord.
