The most northerly point
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We are now passing the most northerly point of Europe’s mainline railway. The original memorial from the official opening of the line also used to be here, but it can now be found at Narvik station. We are also passing the beautiful and elegant Hålogaland bridge which is an impressive feat of engineering. It was opened in 2018 and with a length of 1553 metres is the second longest suspension bridge in Norway. The bridge crosses the fjord at the exact same spot where the Norwegian and Allied forces made the landing to free Narvik from the German occupiers. The opposite side of the fjord is the area through which the Norwegian and French armies marched to recapture Narvik on the 28th May 1940. They were supported by British ships and it was the first multi-national attack of the second world war. Lessons learnt from Narvik played an important role in the planning of similar operations which took place later in the war, including the D Day landings in France. The occupying power placed artillery from damaged ships on to railway wagons and hid them in many of the tunnels which we are now passing through.