The Finse Tunnel (Norwegian: Finsetunnelen) is a 10,300-metre (33,800 ft) long railway tunnel west of Finse on the Bergen Line between Oslo and Bergen in Norway. It is the longest tunnel on the line, and the third longest railway tunnel in the kingdom. Inside the tunnel, at 1,237 metres (4,058 ft) 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. 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 was started in 1990, and was opened by King Harald V on 16 May 1993. Following the construction of the tunnel, 32 kilometres (20 mi) of railway were rebuilt for higher speeds, shorter distance and natural protection from the weather; this was built in five stages, opening between 1995 and 1998. The tunnel has been criticized for being a potential death trap in case of a fire.
Famous quotes containing the word tunnel:
“It is the light
At the end of the tunnel as it might be seen
By him looking out somberly at the shower,
The picture of hope a dying man might turn away from,
Realizing that hope is something else, something concrete
You can’t have.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)