Norwegian state railway NSB is making more improvements to its train service around the Oslo area, but passengers nonethless faced another weekend of service disruption. State railroad Jernbaneverket planned more maintenance work and improvements of its own, which involves closing Oslo’s Central Station (Oslo S) from noon on Saturday until noon on Sunday.
NSB announced it would be operating bus routes to replace train service through Oslo S. Service would undergo similar disruption next weekend, also from Saturday to Sunday.
There was some good news for train passengers this week, though. NSB also announced that it would be buying another 16 new local so-called “Flirt” trains, after the government approved financing guarantees, and the new trains already in service will soon be more comfortable. Passengers had complained that the seats on board the Flirt trains, which run between Lillehammer, Oslo and Skien, were too narrow, so they’ll be replaced with wider seats.
The new Swiss-built trains will also be able to run at high speeds of around 200 kilometers an hour when a new route plan for commuter traffic around Oslo takes effect December 9. NSB is putting them in service on the tracks from Oslo to Gardermoen, meaning that its local routes to the airport and beyond will run almost as quickly as the high-speed Flytog (Airport Express Train).
newsinenglish.no staff
