Rail traffic on lies west of Oslo came to a sudden halt just before the commuter rush on Thursday, after a power line snapped and sagged between the Skøyen and Lysaker stations. A witness told state broadcaster NRK that the next train through the area pulled it down.
Syed Tasmir Abbas, who works in a office building adjacent to the tracks, told NRK that he first heard several explosions. When he looked out the window, he could see the power line sparking and sagging, and within minutes, a westbound train from Skøyen ran into it and pulled it down.
Drammensbanen and Askerbanen were most affected, but there also were cancellations and delays on other lines to Østfold. State railway firm Vy (formerly NSB) quickly chartered in 20 busses and ordered more, but that wasn’t enough to accommodate all the commuters.
BaneNor, which is responsible for railroad infrastructure, was working to repair the damage but was unsure how long it would take. “No trains can run now,” a spokeswoman said around 4:30pm, with a new prognose expected lated in the evening. “It will take time to fix this.”
newsinenglish.no staff
