Advice on Narvik-Trondheim leg of Norway trip

I am utterly useless on the places you're going other than Trondheim, Bergen and Oslo, which are obviously not the focus of this trip, but I'm a bit concerned about your plan for back-to-back overnight train rides. Have you taken night trains before? Do reviews indicate the compartments are comfortable and the rail bed reasonably smooth for those specific routes? I've only slept in couchettes, and it was never a restful experience even when I was in my 20s. I know compartments are a bit roomier, but I'd never risk two nights in a row without a real hotel room and shower.

The basic problem at the moment with the (Bodo) to Fauske to Trondheim rail route is that it is not running throughout. There was a fatal landslide about a year ago which also closed the E16 road, and there is zero time frame for re-opening. There was also apparently a 2nd landslide about two months ago.

When the 2nd landslide happened there was also a problem on the Narvik line (now resolved) so for a time there was no train service to Narvik either.

Even if the Bodo line is re-opened there are insufficient locomotives to run all scheduled trains (with freight taking priority) due to the age of the trains. They are unusual locomotives and SJ Nord is said to be trying to get other locomotives from somewhere in Central Europe to boost the fleet, pending new trains which are on order for delivery in 2030.

So there is a very limited rail service running with some rail replacement buses. But all the word is that it is a constantly moving target as to what can run, with no quick or easy solutions.

Apparently SJ Nord now have a new maintenance facility just opened at Bodo so some trains can run again from the north end, but not the usual trains and with no catering.

PS- When the trains are running my experience is that the bus to train connection at Fauske is very efficient and very reliable, as the two modes both know that they are meant to connect.

Thank you, both replies were quite useful.
Seems like it's safer to avoid trains between Fauske and Trondheim. We might go from Narvik to Bodø and take the express boat to Lovund there, after which we could go to Mosjøen and Trondheim (I'm going to assume there will be a train between those two).

Currently the only train south from Mosjøen is at 1655 daily as far as Steinkjer, where you change onto a replacement bus for Trondheim- a 2 hour 10 minute bus ride.
Or you have a replacement bus throughout, taking 6 hours, at 0829, or the normal long distance Vy bus service taking 6 hours 29 minutes at 1115

Mosjøen has an airport with flights to Trondheim on Wideroe. or reis nordland bus 705 runs to Sandnessjøen at 0930 (arrive 1020) for the Hurtigruten/Havila ship overnight to Trondheim at 1215

One think I've just thought of (which would cut the time both in Stockholm and Narvik) is that there are now also day trains from Stockholm to Narvik.

So you could leave Stockholm at 1321 on a direct train to Umea, arrive at 1940. Book a hotel in Umea for the night, then continue on the 0721 train the next day to Narvik, with a change at Boden, arriving at 1830.

That way you avoid back to back nights on sleeper trains and see more of the scenery than you would on the direct night train.

Both of the day trains are scheduled to have catering cars on them.

Umea is a big university city of over 100,000 people, and there are a couple of hotels opposite the railway station. It is also a ferry port from Vaasa in Finland, and Vaasa is connected by rail from Helsinki.

I’ve just completed a 4 week trip to Norway and found a website called the hidden north (thehiddennorth.com) to be extremely helpful. Emma is the founder of the hidden north, and resides in Bergen. She has the most impressive website I have seen. In the past two years I’ve scheduled trips to Australia and New Zealand, France and Spain, Ireland and Scotland, but never ran into a country website as thorough as Emma’s. We visited with her via the internet and she answered all the questions I had going forward, to make our trip complete and I am a do it yourself planner.

That seems super useful!
Our plans have changed quite a lot based on previous replies and issues with train connections, so we're back to the drawing board. Thanks for the tip!

I do not understand the discussion and opinions in this thread because a Narvik-Trondheim leg is not about coming from A to B. It is about the in-betweens. Driving in this case is not just burning down E6 or taking a train missing great sights. It is not about the towns, it is about the nature in-between.

Nobody mentioned that for example scenic route Helgelandskysten, Saltstraumen, Polar Circle center or Seven Sisters. OP mentioned Svartisen and nobody replied.

Lofoten not even mentioned as a travel alternative.

There also other possible great things on this part of a journey, depending on interests.

Hi Mark!
You're right, we do want to experience the landscape and nature in general. Of course, the towns are where we would have train stations and eventually we do need to get from A to B in order to be able to get to all the things you've mentioned ;). So I understand that that is what most of this discussion focused on, I didn't really mention all of the things we were hoping to see along the way. If you have any advice on which areas are great and also practical to visit, feel free to add!

Visiting the Islands along Helgeland was mainly to spot birds and hike, that's the only part of the journey I'm still certain about. Svartisen does seem pretty impractical with public transport.