Vandalism halts trains’ comeback

Another summer of major train service disruption in the Oslo area ended on Monday, when the rails re-opened on schedule after six weeks of repairs and improvements. One of the main lines north of Oslo, however, came to a screeching halt almost immediately because of vandalism that could have led to a fatal derailment. An early [...]

Rain causing sewer problems as well

The heavy rains of the summer and early autumn of 2011 have sparked floods, blocked roads, halted train traffic and wiped out farmers’ crops. Now it seems the deluge is highlighting serious inadequacies in the sewage systems for towns and cities all over the country. The drainage infrastructure in many areas from Hedmark County in [...]

Norway unprepared for wetter climate

A special climate commission, appointed to advise government officials on climate and environmental issues, has determined that Norway is vulnerable to a warmer, wetter climate in the years ahead. The commission, which delivered its report to Environmental Minister Erik Solheim this week, claimed that Norwegian roads, train tracks, buildings and sewer systems aren’t in good [...]

Roads will continue to deteriorate

Despite government promises to improve Norway’s sub-standard highway system, fully a third of the country’s roads are in “poor” or “extremely poor” condition. State highway officials admit the deterioration will likely continue because funding still isn’t high enough to meet demands. For decades, state politicians allowed the nation’s roads to fall into disrepair, and they [...]

Norway suffering from neglect

It’s not just the railroad that’s been neglected in Norway. A new report shows that public buildings, sewer systems and roads are also in bad shape, and the repair bills will be huge. Lack of maintenance of critical infrastructure has left Norway with rehabilitation needs expected to cost as much as NOK 800 billion (USD [...]

Road maintenance out of control

A new state report that was delayed for release until after last week’s election confirms the sorry state of Norwegian roads. State auditors have discovered an alarming lack of control over road-building and road maintenance that raises the risk of accidents. The report was one of several prepared by the state auditor (Riksrevisjon) that werewithheld [...]

Road work way over budget

Budgets set and approved for new highway projects in Norway often are burst long before work is completed, reports newspaper Aftenposten. Sometimes the budget overruns amount to hundreds of millions of kroner, but consequences are few for those in charge. Examples are numerous. Improvements to State Highway 4 around Raufoss, south of Gjøvik, were budgeted [...]

Majority in Parliament supports high-speed trains

It may only take a few hours to travel by train between Oslo and Bergen or Oslo and Trondheim, if politicians follow through on ambitious plans for high-speed train lines in Norway. New surveys indicate that a majority of members of Parliament support the project. Both Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) and newspaper Aftenposten were reporting Friday [...]

Strong support for new train tunnel

A lack of capacity in today’s train tunnel under central Oslo will continue to pose a bottleneck for train travel all over southeastern Norway, even after major improvements are complete in 2012. State government officials are therefore proposing construction of another tunnel under the capital, and the idea is being well-received. “This is very positive,” [...]