Thousands of angry and disappointed sports fans who got caught in public transport chaos over the weekend will be able to apply for ticket refunds for events they missed.
The T-bane (metro) line serving the arenas at Holmenkollen being used for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships (Ski-VM) failed to handle the crowds turning up early on Saturday. Even though the fans had done exactly what Ski-VM and T-bane officials had urged them to do (use public transport and show up early), the officials admitted they miscalculated the response.
As a result, thousands got stuck in huge lines at metro stations in town, and the delays meant they missed the events they had paid dearly to see. Ticket prices at Ski-VM run from NOK 300 to more than NOK 800 (USD 135), so ticket holders felt cheated.
Ski-VM initially wouldn’t say whether refunds would be offered, since they mostly never are for outdoor events. But Ski-VM boss Åsne Havnelid felt obligated to make an exception.
“We are terribly sorry about what happened, and we will offer rebates after individual evaluations,” Havnelid told newspaper Dagsavisen. “We know who got in, and who didn’t.” Refund requests will be handled beginning next week, after Ski-VM is over, and those who missed events can send an e-mail to info@oslo2011.no describing their situation with an electronic copy of the ticket they didn’t get to use.
T-bane officials also apologized, started running trains earlier and also added a fleet of busses to transport the crowds since.
Views and News staff
