Private and local transport officials’ long-time hopes for a new high-speed train line between Oslo and Stockholm have been raised by Transport Minister Ketil Solvik-Olsen’s reaction to news of possible Chinese investment capital and technical expertise in the project.
“If Norsk Bane (a joint venture behind the project) wants to build and can guarantee the price they have arrived at for their alternative, it’s interesting for us,” Solvik-Olsen told newspaper Moss Avis this week. The train line could run from Oslo south through Moss before heading east towards to Stockholm. Current rail connections between the two Scandinavian capitals run through Kongsvinger, northeast of Oslo, where old rail lines have caused problems for speedy service.
The rails are now set for upgrading, just as the Chinese Overseas Investment Union has expressed interest in funding and helping to build a high-speed alternative. Solvik-Olsen earlier had said state transport officials “could be interested”, as long as those involved realized the project “at their own costs and risk.”
newsinenglish.no staff
