Train service along the Bergen Line, a key transportation corridor in Norway, was disrupted Saturday morning when a train struck a fallen tree on the power line between Ål and Geilo. While no injuries were reported to passengers on board, the incident has halted all rail traffic on the route and prompted repair efforts by Bane Nor [[1]]. Bus service is being implemented to mitigate the disruption, though the duration of the closure remains uncertain as crews work to restore the damaged infrastructure.
Train service on the Bergen Line in Norway was disrupted Saturday morning after a tree fell onto the power line and was subsequently struck by a passing train.
“That is correct. A tree has fallen on the overhead line that supplies power to the train. And then a train collided with the tree,” Åge-Christoffer Lundeby, communications manager at Vy, told BA shortly after 11:00 a.m. local time. He said the incident occurred approximately an hour earlier, and that those on board the train were unharmed.
This pine tree caused the disruption to service on the Bergen Line.
Photo: Vy / Bane Nor.
The incident, which occurred between Ål and Geilo, halted all train traffic along the route. According to Vy, there was no immediate danger to passengers on the train.
“There’s no drama to it, but the line is closed until Bane Nor has fixed the power line,” Lundeby said, adding that the exact location of the incident was still being determined.
Bane Nor spokesperson Olav Nordli described the obstruction as a large pine branch, with images showing a substantial section of the tree.
Pantograph Damaged
The collision caused damage to the train’s pantograph – the component that connects with the overhead power lines.
“The pantograph, as it’s known in the industry, likely made contact with the branch,” Nordli explained.
“This caused the morning train from Bergen to come to a stop just east of Geilo,” Nordli told BA, stating he did not immediately know the train’s speed at the time of the incident.
“The train departed Bergen at 6:30 a.m. and was headed to Oslo,” the spokesperson added.
This is the pantograph – the device that likely struck the pine tree.
Photo: Vy / Bane Nor
Number of Affected Passengers Unknown
“How many passengers are affected by the closure?”
“We don’t know that, as we don’t know how long it will take before the line reopens. But for now, train traffic is closed between Ål and Geilo,” Nordli said.
Nordli said Bane Nor aims to resolve the issue during Saturday.
“There is hope that the train can continue under its own power eventually, and hope that the line will reopen sometime this afternoon or early evening,” Nordli said.
“But we need to reserve judgment until the repair work really gets underway,” he added earlier in the day.
Shortly after 12:30 p.m. local time, Bane Nor’s estimated repair time appeared to be holding, with the agency announcing a projected resolution time of 4:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
Bus Service to Replace Trains
As a result, bus service will replace trains until the line is cleared.
“We have buses en route. Those who were on the train that was stopped by the tree are being removed and will be transported to Oslo by bus,” Lundeby said.
