Finse Station

Infobox Norwegian station
name = Finse

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caption =
locale = Finse
municipality = Ulvik
line = Bergensbanen
distance = 302.10 km
elevation = 1222.2 m
coordinates = coor dec|60.601938|7.503893
start = June 10, 1908
architect = Paul Armin Due
platforms = 2
owner =
operator = Norges Statsbaner
t-bane =
line1 =
line2 =
line3 =
line4 =
line5 =
line6 =
airport =
tram =
bus = |

Finse Station ( _no. Finse stasjon) is a railway station located at Finse in Ulvik, Norway. The station is served by up to seven daily express trains in each direction operated by Norges Statsbaner. [cite web |url=http://www.nsb.no/getfile.php/www.nsb.no/nsb.no/PDF/Rutetabeller/Norsk/2008/041-Oslo-Bergen2008.pdf |title=Oslo - Bergen |author=Norges Statsbaner |date=2008 |language=Norwegian] The station also features a navvy museum, dedicated to the builders of the railways in Norway. [cite web |url=http://rallarmuseet.no/ |title=Velkommen |author=Rallarmuseet |accessdate=2008-05-18] One of Norway's popular trails also start in the station and ends in the town of Aurland after a four-day trek. [cite book|last=Johnstone|first=Sarah|coauthors=China Williams, Reuben Acciano|title=Europe on a Shoestring|publisher=Lonely Planet|date=2005|pages=882|isbn=1740597796|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=vwy8tk9UUMEC&pg=PA882&dq=%22Finse+Station%22&sig=tWzc5p5c4vYsx8bq0DEKvTCMLFc|accessdate=2008-05-19]

History

The station was opened as part of Bergensbanen on June 10 1908, five years after the first hotel. Since there is no road access, the railway is the sole access to the area. After the railway came, Finse grew as a recreational area, and also received a small amount of permanent residents, at the most 200 including a school and a store. The proximity and easy access to both Bergen and Oslo made Finse a popular mountain resort, but during the 1960s and -70s the tourist traffic declined, as did the village, and during the 1980s it virtually died when the school and store closed. Finse Station still operates the oldest and highest situated post office in Norway, founded on 1 March, 1904. [cite web |url=http://www.posten.no/portal/docs/ImportPDFFiler/OSS01_04.pdf|title=Hundre år i storm og blest |author=Posten |accessdate=2008-05-18 |language=Norwegian]

Paul Armin Due designed the station building in jugendstil; originally with one and half stories, it soon outgrew the traffic and was extended in length and in hight. The second store was then built in wood. There was also two locomotive depots at Finse, used to store the snowplows. [cite book |first=Kjartan |last=Røderud |title=Bergensbanen Livsnerven over høyfjellet |isbn=82-419-0253-0 |publisher=Alma Mater |location=Bergen] Finse was one of the bases for snow removal on the railway until 1993 when the Finse Tunnel opened. At the same time the station, at convert|1222.2|m|ft above mean sea level, became the highest point on the Norwegian railway network. [cite web |url=http://www.jernbaneverket.no/jernbanenettet/stasjonssok/stasjonsoversikt/article.jhtml?articleID=1488729 |title=Finse |author=Jernbaneverket |accessdate=2008-05-18]

References

External links

* [http://www.jernbaneverket.no/jernbanenettet/stasjonssok/stasjonsoversikt/article.jhtml?articleID=1488729 Jernbaneverket entry]
* [http://www.nsb.no/stations_df/article25579-2768.html NSB entry]
* [http://forsk.njk.no/stdb/index.php?Stnr=6323&aut=&mod=st&sid=2125 Norsk Jernbaneklubb entry]
* [http://rallarmuseet.no/ Navvy Museum]

Nsb next line
line = Bergensbanen
prestation = Hallingskeid
poststation = HaugastølNsb next express
bergen = yes
prebergen = Hallingskeid
postbergen = Haugastøl