New train derails while being tested
February 15, 2012
UPDATED: The heavily trafficked rail line known as Vestfoldbanen was closed between Tønsberg and Holmestrand on Wednesday morning, after a new high-speed train on a test run derailed near Nykirke. All five persons on board the train were injured in the accident, one of them seriously. Police reported that four persons were sent to hospital [...]
Trains running on time!
November 25, 2011
Trains that run on schedule normally don’t prompt headlines, but in Oslo they do. After years of delays, cancellations and generally unreliable service, it was long-awaited good news when state railway NSB could show that nine out of 10 trains have been running on time this autumn. It’s taken around NOK 1 billion in repairs [...]
Conflict over commuter chaos
June 28, 2011
Morning rush hour lasted until well into the afternoon as the scheduled halt of all trains through Oslo got off to a start yesterday morning. While initial reports from NSB were positive, the decision by state highway department (Statens vegvesen) to schedule road maintenance on major highways leading in and out of the capital without [...]
Trains stood still nationwide
March 29, 2010
All trains in the entire country stood still Monday evening, because of a breakdown in the communications system used by Norway’s beleaguered state railroad Jernbaneverket. Thousands of passengers from Fredrikstad in the south to those on Nordlandsbane in the north had to find alternative means of transport, or simply wait. It was another embarrassing breakdown [...]
Accident probe: No technical failure
March 27, 2010
It will be a few more weeks before their report is finished, but investigators probing the cause of a fatal accident involving runaway railcars in Oslo say they’ve so far found no signs of technical or equipment failure. Meanwhile, the son of one victim is threatening a lawsuit. The state accident investigation commission (Havarikommisjonen) still [...]
Mystery surrounds fatal rail accident
March 25, 2010
A formal inquiry is underway into Wednesday’s fatal and bizarre accident in Oslo involving 16 runaway railroad boxcars and spectacular drama. “This never should have been able to happen,” said the head of the state commission that investigates accidents. Knut A Olsen of the state Havarikommisjonen said his team hopes to come up with some [...]
Runaway train spurs death, injury
March 24, 2010
UPDATED: Several railroad cars suddenly started rolling on their own out of the Alnabru terminal on Oslo’s east side Wednesday afternoon, careened out of control towards the waterfront, crashed into at least one building and then into the fjord at Sjursøya. Three persons were confirmed killed and four seriously injured. The accident occurred around 1:30pm [...]
Opposition fears great train robbery
March 10, 2010
Norway’s train system continues to seem on the verge of derailment, and opposition politicians have little confidence the government will finally set things right. They’re disappointed by a status report from the Transport Minister and fear funding won’t materialize as promised, while one government party is proposing a new tax on airline travel to secure [...]
Train tunnel to close this summer
March 9, 2010
Commuters in the Oslo area got the bad news on Tuesday that the key train tunnel under the city will be shut down for an entire month this summer, in connection with rehabilitation work. That means more distruption, and transfers to a bus service. Train travel has amounted to a nightmare for most commuters throughout [...]
