NSB: A Look At Norwegian State Railways

NSB is a Norwegian train company owned by the government which covers the entire Norway’s rail network. It also connects city centers to airports in all major cities.

My review is based on 2 routes.

1. Oslo Airport to Oslo City Center
2. Oslo to Bergen

Cost

Norway is an expensive country. Whatever service you use here is going to be very expensive compared to your country regardless of the origin of your country. A normal ticket from airport to city center costs NOK 90. If you convert that into INR, it’s almost Rs. 720. That’s for a 20 minutes long single journey.

If you are coming from Oslo airport to city center, know that your ticket shall work for 90 minutes & you can use it in Ruter’s buses as well.

My journey from Oslo to Bergen cost me NOK 349 (Rs. 2792). They call it Minipris tickets. Try booking as much in advance as you can to get these cheap prices.

Punctuality

Trains in Norway are very punctual. If you are from India like me, please know that 10:10 means that the train shall depart from the platform at 10:10 itself. On their website, you can actually see how many trains are on time & how many are running late.

Comfort

NSB trains have 1^st class & 2^nd class coaches. I travelled on both routes on 2^nd class. But they are way too comfortable to be called 2^nd class. The seats can be reclined, there are foldable trays on all seats & there are small dustbins near all the seats. You can easily go for an 8 hour long journey without needing a sleeper berth.

Frequency

Frequency of NSB trains is very high. At every 20 minutes, a train leaves from Oslo Airport to Oslo center. There are at least more than 2 trains leaving from Oslo to other Norwegian cities in a day. There are night trains as well which saves you money on hotels.

Download & plan your trips with Rail Europe’s My Train Companion app here – iOS | Android

Services

Most of the trains which run between 2 cities have a dining coach. You can get light snacks, desserts, packaged food & juices etc. for a nominal price (Nominal from Norwegian standards). The view outside the train from the dining coach is spectacular, thanks to the huge windows.

Trains between airport & city centers usually have only sitting area & luggage space.

Luggage Space

The luggage space in intercity trains is superb. They have luggage racks on one of the entrances and in the middle of the coach as well. Big bags can be easily accommodated in these racks. In short distance trains, they do have luggage space as well but not as much as the intercity trains.

Book your tickets with NSB from Rail Europe.

Picture Credits: Trains.com