Train cleared in recent derailment
February 21, 2012
No technical deficiencies have been found on the brand-new Swiss-built train that derailed near Holmestrand last week. State railroad Jernbaneverket, meanwhile, hopes to re-open the commuter line where the accident occurred by the end of the week. Neither Jernbaneverket, state railway NSB nor state accident investigators could find anything wrong with the train involved, one [...]
Probe continues into train accident
February 20, 2012
Officials at state railway NSB are investigating why one of the brand new trains in its major new upgrade program was traveling at a speed far too high for the tracks where it was on a test run last week. The high speed caused the train to derail, injuring all five persons on board and [...]
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 [...]
High-speed trains ‘may be profitable’
January 25, 2012
Pressure is growing in favour of building new high-speed train lines around Norway, and a long-awaited report released Wednesday didn’t put the brakes on support. The report concluded a high-speed network could be profitable, at least from an operational standpoint. That would only happen, though, if debt is forgiven, and the investment needed to build [...]
Derailment aside, trains now on time
January 16, 2012
The derailment of a cargo train over the weekend has disrupted a line over the mountains known as Dovrebanen, but otherwise there’s been a lot of good news for rail passengers this winter. For the first time in a long time, most trains are running on time and commuters are regaining confidence. The derailment occurred [...]
High-speed train talk ‘just that’
December 5, 2011
A former boss of Norwegian state railway NSB is scoffing at new studies and plans for high-speed trains in Norway, believing them to be little more than political hyperbole. Even worse, Osmund Ueland thinks the studies are misleading the public. Ueland headed NSB during a turbulent period around a decade ago, and had to resign [...]
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 [...]
NSB cuts fares to Gardermoen
September 28, 2011
Fares on state railway NSB’s line between Oslo and the capital’s main airport at Gardermoen are about to be cut by 20 percent, to a level that would be nearly half the price of the standard fare charged on the Airport Express Train (Flytoget). Officials at Flytoget are not pleased. NSB’s new one-way fare of [...]
Shake-up looms for transport fares
September 27, 2011
Fares charged for the public transport system in and around Oslo are about to undergo massive change, starting next week. Transport system officials claim most passengers will enjoy lower fares, but some will see already-high fares go up yet again. New ticketing and new fares will be in place from October 1, and will apply [...]
More rain brings even more trouble
September 14, 2011
UPDATED: The relentless rain that’s been falling over large portions of Norway since June was causing more trouble on Wednesday. Saturated ground forced a commuter train line near Oslo to close for the second time in a week, because of fears it would slide out from under the tracks. Rail service in Trøndelag was also [...]
Airport train under pressure
September 14, 2011
The Airport Express Train (Flytoget) serving Oslo’s main airport at Gardermoen is fighting hard to maintain its ticket prices and dominance on the line between the airport, Lillestrøm, downtown Oslo and Drammen. It reportedly admits that more competition can lead to major losses, even as it tries to railroad its way on to other lines [...]
Passenger train derails in Hedmark
September 5, 2011
A passenger train heading from the historic mining town of Røros to Hamar derailed Monday morning, not far from the scene of a fatal train accident on the same line in Hedmark County 11 years ago. This time, though, passengers escaped death, and injuries were believed to be relatively minor. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that [...]
Roads and rails under water again
August 16, 2011
The unrelenting rains of the summer of 2011 continue to flood and wash away local roads and a major highway in southern Norway, as well as force closure once again of a key passenger- and cargo train line. Transport engineers say they’ve never seen anything like the water damage caused over the past several months. [...]
Oslo Central Station reopens
August 8, 2011
Oslo Central Station, commonly referred to as “Oslo S,” reopened on Monday after weeks of essential maintenance, with promises that the work done would improve service and reduce problems. The work, which began on June 26, apparently completed upgrades that would usually take 18 months in just six weeks. Trains can now travel out of [...]
Bergen-Oslo train line closed again
July 6, 2011
More trouble hit the heavily trafficked train line between Bergen and Oslo (Bergensbanen), after several rock- and earthslides left entire portions of the tracks hanging in open air. Some mountain communities have also been isolated. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that hundreds of owners of holiday cabins (hytter) are trapped by the landslides that were set [...]
