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Issue 6 2007, Past issues / 26 November 2007 /
NSB enters the fourth quarter of 2007 with historical results. The Norwegian media is reporting an approximate revenue increase of 10% for the first half of 2007 and an equivalent increase in passenger traffic. If this trend continues, the total number of passengers for this year is estimated to reach 53 million.
What is the reason behind this? Are the road conditions in Norway, in particular those connecting the major cities and around the capital, Oslo, a cause of this? Does ever increasing environmental awareness affect our passenger numbers or is the increase a result of improved offerings by our behalf? In any case, because of this development, NSB has no choice but to expand and further improve its business. The traffic capacity around Oslo’s central station is already exceeding 100% usage, especially in their daily rush hour times.
The only way to accommodate for this passenger increase is first and foremost to buy new trains and modernise and refurbish our existing rolling stock. NSB is therefore in the process of investing approximately 5 billion Norwegian kroner in the next few years. Secondly, we need to introduce technological improvements in order to facilitate for better, safer and more efficient use of this new material and the existing infrastructure. (more…)
Issue 3 2007, Past issues / 6 June 2007 /
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 /
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 /
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 /
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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