The Northern Lights Train

Welcome to Narvik, and to the Northern Lights Train. As we begin our journey, we’d like to tell you a little about Narvik and the Arctic region we’re travelling through. Narvik lies at 68 degrees north, around 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. The town itself is home to around 14,000 people, while the wider Narvik municipality has a population of around 21,000. Narvik may be a relatively small town, but it has long played an important international role. The town developed around its deep, ice-free harbour and the railway connecting the coast with the iron ore fields of northern Sweden. For more than a century, iron ore has travelled by train across the mountains to Narvik, before continuing by ship to destinations around the world. Narvik is also located beneath the auroral oval – the region around the magnetic North Pole where Northern Lights activity is most frequently seen. During the dark months of the year, this makes the Narvik region an excellent place to experience the Aurora Borealis. Of course, the Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon, so we can never guarantee an appearance. Clear skies, solar activity and a little bit of luck all play their part. Tonight, we’ll leave the lights of Narvik behind and travel along the Ofoten Railway towards Katterat. Along the way, we’ll tell you more about the railway, the Northern Lights, and some of the stories people have told about the Aurora through the centuries. So make yourselves comfortable, enjoy the journey – and keep an eye on the sky.

The Ofoten Railway connects Narvik with Sweden and is one of Norway’s most remarkable railway lines. It is also quite unusual. Although the railway is part of the Norwegian rail network, it has no direct rail connection with the rest of Norway. Instead, the line continues east across the Swedish border. The reason the railway was built lies on the other side of those mountains: iron ore. Large deposits of iron ore had been known in northern Sweden for centuries. But for a long time, transporting large quantities of ore from the mining areas to the coast was extremely difficult. By the late 1800s, growing industrial demand for iron made a railway increasingly important. Narvik offered something the mining industry needed: a deep, ice-free harbour on the Atlantic coast. Construction of the railway through the mountains was a major undertaking. Thousands of workers were involved, working with the equipment and methods available at the end of the 19th century, through steep terrain and demanding Arctic weather. The railway was completed and put into operation in 1902, with the official opening taking place the following year, in 1903. Since then, the railway has been modernised considerably. It was electrified in the 1920s, and today powerful electric locomotives haul enormous iron ore trains along the same route. More than 120 years after the railway was completed, transporting iron ore from northern Sweden to the harbour in Narvik remains its most important purpose. And tonight, we are travelling along that same historic railway – although for a very different reason.

Now let’s talk about the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, are a natural light phenomenon most commonly seen in the polar regions. But what actually creates them? It all begins with the Sun. The Sun constantly releases electrically charged particles into space. This stream of particles is known as the solar wind, and it travels across space towards the Earth. When these particles reach our planet, they interact with the Earth’s magnetic field, which guides many of them towards the polar regions. High above the Earth, the particles collide with gases in our atmosphere, mainly oxygen and nitrogen. During these collisions, energy is released in the form of light – creating the Aurora we see in the night sky. The colour of the Northern Lights depends partly on which gases are involved and the altitude at which the collisions take place. Green is by far the most common colour, produced by oxygen. Oxygen can also produce red auroras at higher altitudes, while nitrogen can contribute to blue, purple and pink colours. So what do we need to see the Northern Lights? Three things are especially important. First: darkness. The darker the surroundings, the easier it is to see faint auroras. Second: clear skies. Clouds can hide the Northern Lights completely. But Arctic weather can change quickly, so even a cloudy evening can sometimes give us an opening in the sky. And third: solar activity. Increased activity from the Sun can create stronger and more active displays. So, can we predict exactly when the Northern Lights will appear? Absolutely. Tonight they will appear at exactly 9:15. Just kidding. Although we can monitor the Sun and make aurora forecasts, nobody can tell us exactly when the Northern Lights will appear above us. They might last only a few minutes, or continue for hours, often becoming stronger and weaker in waves throughout the night. That unpredictability is part of what makes every Northern Lights experience different.

Guests often ask us: when is the best time to see the Northern Lights? Here in Northern Norway, the Northern Lights season generally runs from September until early April, when the nights are dark enough for the Aurora to be visible. The lights can appear at any time during the hours of darkness, so there is no single time of night when they are guaranteed to appear. And although we call them the Northern Lights, there is also a southern version. Aurora Borealis is the name given to the Northern Lights, while Aurora Australis – the Southern Lights – occurs around the southern polar region. Another question we often hear is: can you photograph the Northern Lights? Absolutely. Modern smartphones can often capture the Aurora surprisingly well. The easiest option is usually to use night mode, keep your phone as steady as possible, and avoid using the flash. But there is something important to know when comparing your own experience with Northern Lights photographs. A camera can collect light differently from the human eye. This means photographs can sometimes reveal colours and details that are difficult for us to see with our own eyes. A faint Aurora might appear to us as a pale or almost greyish shape in the sky, while a camera can reveal much more green. Green is usually the easiest Aurora colour for our eyes to recognise. Red, purple and blue can be more difficult to see, particularly when the Aurora is faint. But during a strong display, the experience can be very different. The lights can become clearly visible to the naked eye, with colours, shapes and movement stretching across the sky. So if you see something that looks like a faint, unusual cloud, take another look. It might be exactly what we are looking for tonight.

Throughout history, people across the Arctic have looked up at the Northern Lights and tried to understand what they were seeing. Long before science could explain the Aurora, stories and legends were passed down from generation to generation. And depending on where you lived, those mysterious lights in the sky could mean very different things. In Norse tradition, the Northern Lights have been connected with stories of the gods, warriors and the world beyond. One popular legend links the lights to the Valkyries – the mythical figures who chose fallen warriors and guided them to Valhalla. The shimmering lights were said to be reflections from their armour as they travelled across the sky. In Sámi traditions, the Northern Lights were often treated with great respect. There are old stories warning people not to draw attention to themselves beneath the Aurora. Whistling, shouting or behaving disrespectfully towards the lights could bring bad luck – or even cause the Northern Lights to come down and take you away. Stories like these were powerful enough to frighten generations of children. And even today, you may still hear the warning: Whatever you do beneath the Northern Lights – don’t whistle at them.

The stories of the Northern Lights are very different from one place to another. In Finland, one of the best-known legends is connected to the Arctic fox. In Finnish, the Northern Lights are called “revontulet”, meaning “fox fires”. According to the legend, an Arctic fox runs across the snowy landscape, sweeping its tail through the snow and sending sparks into the sky, where they become the Northern Lights. For some Swedish fishermen, the Aurora was considered a good omen. One old story says the lights were reflections from enormous schools of herring swimming in the sea – a promising sign for the next catch. In Iceland, there were other beliefs. One tradition said that the Northern Lights could ease the pain of childbirth. But there was also a warning: an expectant mother should not look directly at the Aurora, or her child might be born cross-eyed. Across other parts of the Arctic, including some Inuit communities, the Northern Lights have also been connected with the spirits of people who had died. In some stories, the lights were seen as spirits moving or dancing across the sky – a connection between the living and those who had passed away. Whether these stories were told with wonder, respect or even a little fear, they show how strongly the Northern Lights have captured people's imagination. Today, we understand much more about the science behind the Aurora. But when the lights suddenly appear and begin moving across a dark Arctic sky, it is easy to understand why they inspired so many stories. So enjoy the journey, stay warm, keep an eye on the sky – and let’s see what the night brings.

We will now make a short stop to allow an iron ore train to pass us. Keep an eye out on the right-hand side of the train. The train you are about to see is the reason the Ofoten Railway was built in the first place. These enormous trains carry iron ore products from the mining areas around Kiruna in northern Sweden, across the mountains to the harbour in Narvik. A fully loaded ore train is around 750 metres long and consists of 68 wagons, carrying approximately 6,800 tonnes of iron ore products. Around ten loaded ore trains arrive in Narvik every day. The ore they carry comes from enormous deposits in northern Sweden. These deposits have a remarkable geological history, formed more than a billion years ago through processes connected to intense volcanic activity. Today, mining takes place on an enormous scale beneath Kiruna. And the mine has created an unusual challenge for the city above it. As mining continues deeper underground, movements in the rock gradually affect the surface. Over time, the affected area has expanded towards parts of Kiruna, meaning buildings and neighbourhoods can no longer safely remain where they are. The solution has been extraordinary: parts of Kiruna are being moved. A new city centre has been built several kilometres away, and residents and businesses from affected areas are gradually being relocated. In some cases, buildings have actually been lifted from their foundations and transported to new locations. Others are replaced with new buildings or compensated as the transformation of the city continues. And this is not a project that is already finished. Kiruna will continue to change as the mining operation develops beneath the ground. But iron ore is only part of the traffic on this railway. The Ofoten Railway is also an important freight connection between northern Norway and the rest of Scandinavia. Every year, thousands of containers travel along the line, bringing goods north and carrying products south. Seafood is an important part of the southbound traffic, with large quantities of Norwegian fish transported by rail from Narvik towards markets elsewhere in Scandinavia and Europe. This makes the Ofoten Railway unusual. It was built more than 120 years ago for one main purpose – transporting iron ore from the mines to the sea. Iron ore still dominates the railway today, but the line has also become an important transport corridor for the communities and industries of Northern Norway.

We are now heading towards Katterat Station, where we’ll have our main stop of the evening. Katterat is a popular starting point for hiking the historic Rallarveien – the old construction road used during the building of the Ofoten Railway. From here, the trail continues through the mountains and down towards Rombaksbotn, which was once the main construction community for the railway workers in this area. Katterat itself developed into a small railway community, where railway employees and their families lived throughout the year. During the days of steam locomotives, Katterat had its own water tower. When the Ofoten Railway was electrified in 1923, a transformer station was built here instead. Much of this railway history is still visible today. The station building dates from 1922 and is the only station building along the Ofoten Railway that remains in its original design. Together with other preserved railway buildings and installations, it makes Katterat an important part of the railway’s historic heritage. As railway operations became more modern, fewer people were needed to live and work here. The community gradually became smaller, and the last permanent resident left Katterat in 1963. There is no road connection to Katterat. Even today, the railway is the main way to get here, making this a rather special place to visit. And this historic railway setting is where Arctic Train has established its Northern Lights Camp. Close to the old transformer station stands our large lavvu, where we’ll spend part of the evening together, away from the lights and traffic of Narvik. Here, our hosts will welcome you to the camp. They know Katterat and its history well, so feel free to ask them questions and learn more about this remarkable place during your stay. So when we arrive, gather your belongings and get ready to step off the train. Welcome to Katterat – and to Arctic Train’s Northern Lights Camp.