Jernbaneverket - Articles and news items
Issue 3 2010 / 31 May 2010 / Elisabeth Enger, Director General, Jernbaneverket
The past winter was unusually tough and challenging for Norwegian railways. Almost three months of continuous cold weather took their toll on ageing and well-worn infrastructure, resulting in record low punctuality and a large number of train cancellations. Never before have we experienced such poor punctuality over such a prolonged period. Rail users rightly voiced their displeasure. The media were merciless in their criticism, and intense political debate ensued.
On top of winter’s many disruptions, the run-up to Easter brought more trouble. On 24 March 2010, 16 wagons broke loose from a retarder at the Alnabru freight terminal and rolled at high speed down to Oslo harbour, where a number of them smashed into two buildings. Three people were killed in this tragic accident. On 29 March 2010, the GSM-R communications network suffered a major breakdown, halting almost all trains countrywide for three hours. Then, on 1 April 2010, a local service was derailed by worn track at Oslo central station. (more…)
Rail industry news / 23 March 2010 / Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent has announced that it has been selected by Jernbaneverket, the Norwegian National Rail Administration, to deploy an advanced high-speed network based on IP/MPLS technology to handle all business communications for the railway. Alcatel-Lucent’s solution will transform Jernbaneverket communications infrastructure into a next-generation network, enabling more reliable and secure services throughout its nation system. (more…)
Issue 3 2009, Past issues / 15 May 2009 / Trude Isaksen, Information Manager, Jernbaneverket
In its proposed national transport plan for the period 2010-2019, the Norwegian government has identified construction of a new double-track line between Oslo central station and Ski as a priority. The planned 24km line has been named Follobanen (the Follo line) and up to 19km of it may be in a continuous tunnel. The earliest start date for construction is 2013, and the price is currently estimated at NOK 11.6 billion.
To emphasise the importance of the new line, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg travelled by suburban train from Oslo to Ski on 13 April 2009 to announce that the project would be a priority in the transport plan to be unveiled later that day. Mr Stoltenberg was accompanied by Kristin Halvorsen, Minister of Finance, and Liv Signe Navarsete, Minister of Transport and Communications. These three politicians lead the three parties that currently form Norway’s coalition government.
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Issue 2 2009, Past issues / 26 March 2009 / Johnny Brevik, ERESS Chairman and Eastern Regional Director for Jernbaneverket
ERESS (European Railway Energy Settlement System) reduces railway energy consumption by up to 15%, strengthening both the environmental profile and competitiveness of the railways. In this article, you can learn more about the system that could become a common European standard.
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Issue 3 2008, Past issues / 28 May 2008 / Lars Erik Nybø, Project Manager for High-Speed Study, Jernbaneverket
Studies commissioned by Jernbaneverket, the Norwegian National Rail Administration, show potential for developing a high-speed network designed for Norwegian conditions.
Norway was an early builder of railways. The first line, the 54km route from Oslo to Eidsvoll, opened back in 1854 – quite some time ago! As in other countries, the rail network was expanded to its present extent (over 4,000km) for two main reasons: to accommodate an existing need to transport raw materials to the coast, and to provide the population with a radically improved long-distance transport service.
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Issue 3 2008, Past issues / 28 May 2008 / Anita Skauge, Executive Director of Strategic Planning, Jernbaneverket
Freight traffic on Norwegian railways is enjoying strong growth. All the operators on the network are reporting increased demand – signalling the need to run additional and longer freight trains. A few sections are already operating beyond their capacity. Jernbaneverket, the Norwegian National Rail Administration, is responding to this trend and proposing measures to double freight traffic over the next decade.
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Issue 3 2007, Past issues / 6 June 2007 / Jon Frøisland, Executive Director of Infrastructure, Jernbaneverket
Stavanger, on the west coast of Norway, is the country’s oil capital. The city and the surrounding Jæren region have consistently enjoyed the fastest population growth in Norway since the oil boom started in the early 1970s. The Jæren line from Egersund to Stavanger is a continuation of the Sørland line linking Oslo with the south of the country. Extensive modernisation of the rail system in Jæren is now under way, with well over NOK 2bn due to be invested over the next few years.
After many years of stagnation in local services, a new timetable offering many more departures was introduced in 1992. This was well received by the market, and traffic has increased fourfold from 1992 to date. The current single-track line is now operating at full capacity, making further increases in traffic impossible. Construction of a double-track line between Sandnes and Stavanger is therefore under way and scheduled for completion in 2010. In future, the line will be the region’s main public transport artery. Double-tracking will facilitate a doubling of the number of trains between Bryne and Stavanger. (more…)
Issue 3 2007, Past issues / 6 June 2007 / Mr. Trond Børsting, Civil Engineer in Construction, Norwegian Technical School of Civil Engineering
In an interview for the European Railway Review, Mr. Trond Børsting, a Civil Engineer in Construction at the Norwegian Technical School of Civil Engineering, explains that Jernbaneverket (the Norwegian National Rail Administration) will be placed under greater strain because the future is likely to bring increased precipitation which has forced them to conduct an extensive inventory of areas prone to landslides. Jernbaneverket is also working closely with the Norwegian Meteorological Institute to establish additional weather stations which will provide more reliable forecasts.
In recent years, Norwegian railways have suffered a number of bad landslides and derailments. Fortunately no lives were lost in these accidents, but they provided a reminder of how vulnerable the railway can be at the mercy of nature. It is impossible to guarantee that accidents will never happen, but Jernbaneverket is now devoting more resources to obtaining a better knowledge of ground conditions, landslide-prone areas and the consequences of increased precipitation. (more…)
Issue 3 2006, Past issues / 31 May 2006 / Jon Frøisland, Director of Infrastructure, Norwegian National Rail Administration (Jernbaneverket)
A second pair of tracks through the western suburbs of Oslo is currently under construction to remove the biggest bottleneck on the Norwegian rail network. The first phase was completed in August 2005.
The 19.5km section on the Drammen line is the National Rail Administration’s principal investment project this decade.With a total cost of approximately NOK 7 billion, it is currently the largest single on-shore infrastructure project in Norway. (more…)
Issue 3 2005, Past issues / 23 August 2005 / Steinar Killi, Director General, Norwegian National Rail Administration (Jernbaneverket)
Norwegian railway history is both long and eventful, as was evident in 2004 when we celebrated its 150th anniversary. Besides offering a chance for a nostalgic look back, the anniversary year also provided an excellent opportunity for looking forward. In actual fact, the year 2004 provided many causes for celebration.
We experienced growth in both passenger and freight traffic, and never before in the history of Norwegian railways has punctuality been better. Achieving an average punctuality rate in rail traffic of more than 90 per cent is a remarkable feat given how much of the Norwegian rail network is single track. (more…)
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